Wet or Dry? a Clutch question.....

[Turboguzzi]

Well, Augusto's Astore is finally in my shop and on the lift to sort out a few niggles...

Took it for a ride yesterday, its super sweet but gear changing is not fun....

so did the classic clutch wash, helped a bit but not that much

Now for the questions :)

Astore manual says just to wash, doesnt mention adding oil aftr

Falcone manual mentions adding 60ml oil after.

And at the the of the day, it is a Wet clutch.... or is it not?

and if its dry, how do the primary gears get lubricated if theres no oil or just 60ml?

Im still new to 500 singles, so please enlighten me (and Augusto)  

 

[Turboguzzi]

[Turboguzzi]

primary gears run on 60ml of oil .... or even dry?

[Patrick Hayes]

On 7/28/26 11:14, Turboguzzi wrote:
> And at the the of the day, it is a Wet clutch.... or is it not?

I can't say that I have ever added a puddle of oil to the primary gears
on either Falcone or SuperAlce. However, when I have the flywheel and
left side cover removed, I do coat the gears and the clutch plates with
fresh oil. So, is it a wet clutch or a dry clutch. Actually somewhere
in between. I'd say it is a dry clutch that has been coated in oil.
But not in a bath.

Astore is the older crash box transmission. Always will be rough
shifting. Especially first gear. Rely more on technique to balance rpm
and shifter movement. From a cold start I like to shift into second,
feather the clutch to heat it up, then drop back to first before departure.

Where are you on clutch spring adjustment? 27.5mm from end to end on
the spring.

What are you using for a throwout bearing. The older, original loose
ball system can get quite rough. I much prefer the modern caged ball
and race washers.


--
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA
Falcone-NT and SuperAlce
www.motohayes.com

[RICHARD YAMANE]

The British call it semi-dry…… or is it semi-wet?
Not a true dry clutch because oil or grease is put in the drive gearbox. Some oil will reach the plates. A true dry clutch can be run without a cover.

Rick Yamane
Importer of Vape/Powerdynamo ignition systems and Polisher of bikes at Motion Pro

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[John O Regan]

Hi All,

Soon after getting my GTW I bought and fitted a new set of clutch plates as the clutch action and operation was truly awful as bought. fairly soon after fitting the new plates clutch performance became poor again! I pulled the clutch apart a second time and found that a couple of the new plates had warped!! I replaced the warped plates with the best of the old ones and it has worked as well as one of these clutches can since.

Selecting first when cold from a standstill needs a firm stab on the heel pedal after letting the engine run as slow as possible without dieing. 

The rockerbox on mine does not leak to any noticeable extent.  

John

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[Alan Comfort]

No need to add oil after the wash. Oil mist from the engine will lubricate the clutch and primary gears. If the clutch is dragging, changing gears will be more difficult. The Astore has a crash box, so gear changes must be slow and deliberate. A light touch with the toe is not going to do it, and rev matching the engine with the road speed will make changing down a lot easier. You can pretty much forget changing down into first gear while the bike is moving until you get proficient with rev matching.

Alan in Roberts Creek

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[Turboguzzi]

tnxs guys, thats all interesting to hear, very appreciated

so now i realize ive been through my first ever "crash box experience" without even knowing..... :)

and still, while kicking with the clutch pulled to free the plates, it's still very "draggy".... asking myself if wrapped metal plates and/or conteminated friction plates are also a factor.

According to Augusto's log book, plates have been changed 20 years ago, have some 40,000 km on them.  bike has more than 200K BTW....

Asking myself if its at the point of opening the left side to have a look at the plates....  or if its not going to make any difference and skip.... 

[Alan Comfort]

Wow! 40k on a clutch pack is pretty good service. If you have any warped or worn plates, clutch performance will be adversely effected. Will the bike idle in first gear with the clutch lever pulled in? If no, then make sure the release bearing is well lubed and all the balls are present. You can try releasing the spring pressure: maybe a half turn of the knurled knob on the spring holder. Remember that this is a left hand thread.

Then try pulling up a grade in top gear to ensure that the clutch is not slipping. A slipping cutch is a direct path to warped plates.

Still no joy? Then it may be time to renew the clutch. Nothing difficult here but it requires removal of the flywheel and primary drive cover. Remember to release the the primary cover screws a quarter turn at a time as this cover is under some significant spring pressure and you definitely do need a warped primary cover.

New clutch plates are available from the usual sources.

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[John O Regan]

Hi All,

With such high milage i would also suspect notched clutch hub and drum, this prevents the plates seperating properly

John

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[Turboguzzi]

Hello Guys, thought i need to conclude this after al your help.

I was quite shocked by my first time on a crash box, so let Augusto test the bike, it was "business as usual" from his point of view. 

He didnt want to go into a clutch dismantle and as its summer holidays here, parts would not be at hand and he'd miss the riding season. 

We might have a look into that in the winter but while following him it looked like he manages just fine.... :) exactly what youd expect after his 60 years riding ONLY that bike :)

Tnxs again 

[pouma1954]

What exactly do you mean by crash box?

I always thought that crash box simply meant no synchros?

Paul

Envoyé depuis mon appareil Galaxy

-------- Message d'origine --------

De : Turboguzzi <sch...@gmail.com>

Date : 05/08/2026 08:11 (GMT+01:00)

À : Guzzi Singles <guzzi-...@googlegroups.com>

Objet : Re: [guzzi-singles] Re: Wet or Dry? a Clutch question.....

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[Turboguzzi]

Syncros in a motorcycle gearbox?

It's a two wheel forum here  not four...... :)

Search "motorcycle constant mesh vs crash gearbox"

[pouma1954]

Got it.

🙂

Paul 

Envoyé depuis mon appareil Galaxy

-------- Message d'origine --------

De : Turboguzzi <sch...@gmail.com>

Date : 06/08/2026 07:46 (GMT+01:00)

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