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Installed a complete upgraded 2011 clutch on my 2007 M109R

31K views 179 replies 19 participants last post by  thevili 
#1 · (Edited)
Bought my 2007 M109R in Nov 2015 w/ 14,000 kms and it didn't take long for me to discover it came with severe clutch shudder and I now have 26,000 kms and the shudder just became more and more annoying. I read all the forums on clutch shudder and the common fixes, however most riders said their fixes only lasted so long and the shudder returned. At some point Suzuki did an upgrade on the conical wave washer and that was the only upgrade I could find regarding the clutch. I checked the 2010 & 2011 for upgrades by cross referencing the part numbers and found that the 2011 had about 18 upgrades on the clutch. Surprisingly the push pin and clutch basket had never been upgraded. Some of the upgrades were adding more plates and discs by thinning all the discs and plates. They upgraded the hub, springs and push pin washer. I figured because the clutch basket had never been upgraded all the 2011 upgrades would be compatible for the 2007 clutch and fit into the clutch basket. Friday the complete 18 upgrades for the 2011 clutch were successfully installed on my 2007 and it was a perfect fit. Saturday I took the bike out for about 5 hrs and so far had no clutch shutter - the shifting was so much smoother - the clutch lever was much lighter- the engine loud clanking noise I used to get when it was idling has also disappeared -it felt real good just like I had a new bike. If in time the clutch shudder returns or other problems occur I will post it on this thread.

I should add that the original parts I had replaced showed some wear but nothing serious enough to need replacing. The conical wave washer was in good shape and had not been flattened. So maybe the original clutch was just poorly engineered.
 
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#127 ·
Yesterday before I left I got a little picture of my 9 on the bench, at this point the tech noted there was missing parts before going farther, he had the pipes off , and a bunch more to get the tire, and brake pads done and to start on the mounts, I said I was most concerned with the fronts and warned them that the back uppers would take more time and to skip it as I didn't want to pay a tone in labour. I warned them that the back upper is like removing the whole engine. And 4 bolts for the shaft would need to come out, and we all know what can happen if that shaft doesn't stab back in just right. So we shall see, what they do, and how long my 9 will be on the bench.


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Planing a British Columbia Meet, PM if you are interested? June 21-25, 2018 some place in southern part of the Kootneys.
 
#135 ·
BTW after my 2011 clutch installation I kept all the original 2007 parts so I could inspect them and there was nothing wrong with any of the parts that would warrant them needing 2 b replaced so I concluded the 2007 clutch itself was just a completely poorly engineered/designed clutch and should have been replaced by Suzuki a long time ago. I have never read or heard of anyone owning a 2011 model that had clutch shudder or of anyone who ever did a pin mod on a 2011 model. The fact that the 2011 push pin is the same pin used since 2006 makes me wonder why anyone would need to do a pin mod on a 2011 model .

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#137 ·
Woo hoo! I just love the new clutch, no hurky jurkys in first, smooth at high speeds, second still has a clunk but the other gears are 75% less. The idol sound is also better. I'll be checking the oil tomorrow. Here's the sound at start up out of the shop and with clutch in and out. I had my helmet on. I'll do another sound recording in the gaurage tomorrow.

What I don't like is the hard engine bushing mounts up front. I can feel every piston in the seat the grips and my boards. And my loose right mirror vibrates. I'll have to tighten that up. I talked with RevRon and he said yes he noticed it as well and it got better after about 2,000km.

I love my new Michelin tire, feels lighter and limber, and I got to ride it home in the fricken drenching rain. A bit freaky on a new tire but I'm use to riding in the rain. Kept u with traffic. The brake pads I got are okay, I still have lots of wear left on the other pads.

I'll up date the other threads.

I'll report back after 2,000 km of riding. I've got to work so it may take about a week and a half.

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#140 · (Edited)
I'll give my full review after I get a few more Km on it. It is a lot easier to squeeze the clutch in. No sore hand at the stop light coming home in the rain during rush hour traffic.

No I did not do the pin mod, I have the original one to do for hubby's 9 when he gets more KM on it! The new hub, I have to say it's all part and parcel of the whole clutch. So far I'm liking the first thing I noticed right out of the gate and that the hurky jerkys are gone. Wow! I can actually relax a bit riding in first gear. I had to be very careful for 13 years. Man, how the hell did I put up with that for so long, I'll never know.


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#146 ·
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#151 · (Edited)
Please stop polluting this thread. I received a PM the guy did not know the documents where posted! Enough already, don't you have more important posts to answer. Gee wizz!

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Planing a British Columbia Meet, PM if you are interested? June 21-25, 2018 some place in southern part of the Kootneys.
 
#154 ·
Easy Vili...chicky means well and is keeping the board alive the last year..cut her some slack..the two of you need to hug and make up

you both contribute in many ways. :bigthumbsup:
If she meant well, she would navigate the new member "temagnus2004"

to the original Raineys post which is more informative and simpler.

I did PM'd that to him 24 hrs. ago, and I hope he will understand

necessary parts needed for this "Clutch Guts Improvement"...
 
#163 ·
What Type of Engine Oil used before and after?

Hello everyone,
Thank you to all those who have made specific comments regarding the operations of the bike after this full 2011 install.

Those who have done this full upgrade, can you comment to the type of motor oil you have used before and after this modification.

Reason for my question is.....and keep in mind I haven't done this upgrade yet. I'm hoping to have it done before next summer.

While riding in the extreme heat 28-32 Celsius in bumper to bumper traffic, I noticed my separation ability between motor and gear box got worse as I rode in stop and go heat and traffic. For example, clutch lever fully engaged but still getting some bike pull as though I was not fully disengaged from the motor. As though I needed another 1/2 an inch of clutch lever pull in order to fully disengage the gear.

Ive run FULL 10w40 SYNTHETIC OIL since the bike hit 10,000 km's. I now have 59,000kms.

Once I hit the highway and cruised for just 10 minutes then back to bumper to bumper again the problem lessened significantly but came back again after another 1/2 hour in bumper to bumper. I HATE big city traffic. I chalked up the lessened problem due to cooling of oil due to air flow.

In advance,
Thanks for your positive input.
Paul
 
#168 ·
My new clutch showed up this weekend...thanks for picking it up for me Stillfree...I'm trying to finish insulating my garage so we won't freeze when we swap it out..:eek:
Stavos, will you be able to give it a test run when you're done? Would love to hear how it turns out?
mines in the shop now. But it's -10c here so will have to wait until spring. :((

On another note, my mechanic noticed my clutch cable getting ready to break again, I've already replaced it two summers ago with less than 15,000 km's on it I find this very suspicious. Anyone else have clutch cable issues?
My mechanic believes it is more to do with lack of cleaning and greasing, rather than the hard pull my 08 requires due to this clutch issue.
Any thoughts welcomed.
Paul
 
#170 ·
Sorry I should have also added that I have 3" risers and Motion Pro 3" cable with the lining on it.
I am hoping the upgraded springs will prove their worth.
Thanks for the info.
Paul
 
#171 ·
you guys have it good , all this luxurious 2011 clutch upgrade is beautiful .
..all I did was mod the pin , never had clutch shudder before the mod , that helps a lot in deciding what changes to make ...
..always used Mobil 1 synthetic ,Motorcycle oïl ; 20W50...
..
the fancy stuff doing this , is getting the basket bolts back on ,and putting on the """minuscule torque specs """"
..luckily a lot of members warned me in many threads to not give it " just a little more , because they did , and the bolts snapped.
.had to buy a mini torque wrench , no regrets .
..
I like the better method of going 2011 , congrats.
 

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#174 ·
Fantastic! There are not many of us who have done a complete upgrade. I just have one question. Did all the springs in your new hub giggle ? Not all of mine did. I'm wondering if it's because of balancing or what.

I had mine done at the dealer, they also did the pin Mod.

I have a very slight vibration, the dealer didn't think it was the clutch but the harder engin mount bushings I also had them install while it was somewhat apart.

Let me know if you notice it in your handle bars and foot rests. Thanks.

Riders Meet 2018, Nakusp BC. July 26-30.
Planning stage. Location secured
 
#178 ·
2011 Clutch Installed on my 2008

As promised, this is my $0.02 after installing the 2011 clutch upgrade on my 2008 M109R

Prior to the install, was using Amsoil Full Synthetic 10w40.
Hard at times, 85-90% of the time, down shifting 2nd to 1st, ALWAYS violently clunking or grinding into 2nd gear especially if I'm powering out of 1st, This did not occur if I shifted before 30 - 40kmph.........borrrrring.
Clutch pull was average but tougher than other bikes. I'm not a burly man but not a pencil stick either.
Shuddering occurred, with increased frequency as the miles progressed on the odometer. Currently @ 63,000 Km's

Certified mechanic (only guy I trust working on my bikes) installed the complete kit. Close approximation of cost for parts $1200.00, Labour $500.00

Post install:
One complication - the damn clutch cable. With aftermarket risers & aftermarket cable, so 3'' longer. This cable was soon to be breaking after only 2 summers of riding with it. (Will return to this later) Needless to say, it did affect gear engagement.

Shifting down into 1st from 2nd has gotten much smoother. Almost smooth every time.
Shifting up from 1st to second, smoother, but still with it's clunks and grinds. The less I race the bike from a stand still the less the clunking and grinding. Zip up to 50-60kmph then shift some clunk & grind. Increase to 50kmph like a civilized human being, less clunk & grind.
I have had one shudder experience since riding with the new clutch. Approximately 1500km's mostly in town riding with the new clutch.

Sadly, my expectation of this more expensive upgrade was believing, hoping, wishing..... it would ELIMINATE this all together.
It Does Not!!!
I am okay with the upgrade but it will not remove the problems all together.

My mechanic has recommended trying a different oil. Can't think of the name at the moment. From his experience and expertise he stated some manufactured oils work better with some bikes than others. After being in the business for over 25yrs, like I said, I trust his expertise. Again, he cautions me, this will not remove the problem all together, but possibly help it along.

The clutch cable.
A very important part of this issue. 1st and foremost, before going ahead with any clutch upgrades, make sure your clutch cable has been adjusted properly. AND it has been properly cleaned and lubed.

There truly is a noticed difference when you have your clutch cable properly adjusted and lubed. The pull is easier and will feel lighter. This will also assist in ensuring the clutch pull is full and not partial, thus helping the gear changing issues.

The longevity of life span for this clutch cable will increase significantly when you make sure you clean and lube said cable. I've asked my mechanic to show & teach me how to do this properly. This will be done after EVERY season of riding. You wouldn't believe the amount of road grime that works it's way into the cable line from the top and the bottom.

I hope this helps other members. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask here and or message me.
Rubber side down and shiny side up folks. Happy trails this summer.
Paul
 
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