Hercules Clutch adjustment

[hunter]

G'day All, Hope you don't mind me asking about my Hercules here.
I have got some occasional clutch slipage. In the documentation I have I can't seem to find correct setting for the spring tension adjusters. Does any one have any information on this? When I first bought the bike, it had stood for a long time(30 years probably). I needed to clean and free the clutch plates. I did pay attention as to where the adjusters were positioned. But now after some use, I need to do some re-tensioning.

Also suffers from clutch drag and cannot fine neutral if standing still. I know this a common deficiency or poor design. If any one has a soultion to this I would love to hear it.

[Jess]

Kim,

There is no set stack height as the clutch is a very industrial unit.

Run the nuts down EQUALLY past the safety wire holes and wire it up.

I would suggest the old racer trick of scuffing the plates on concrete, or if you have a bead blaster, give them a good blast with something very abrasive.

The bronze plates and steels are very durable and should last far more miles than you have ridden.

With regard to drag... Design flaw. You cannot adjust the clutch to slide into neutral with the bike at a standstill. Thee needs to be pressure on the shafts to get the gears to change, so it will only work when the bike is in motion.

Just my 2 cents...

Best

[mike500]

dont know wether this will help but the rg500 has same problem cant get neutral wen running cure is a different washer between inner and outer clutch basket slightly thicker once fitted problem goes away

[hunter]

Thanks Jess and Mike. I knew the drag was a design flaw, just wondered if any one had improved it. I nwill look at feasability of a different washer when I year it down.

Jess, Hope you and family are well and you getting some time to yourselves amoungst your bussy work schedule.
Am loving riding and maintaining my 3 different rotaries.!!!

[kettle738]

I had the exact same trouble with my DKW, dreadful clutch drag at standstill and couldn't find neutral. I asked a very knowledgeable guy in Germany who I believe races these bikes and he told me the cure is to swap the seven metal friction plates for five fibre plates. I think they may be from the later version of the W2000?

He very kindly sold me a set of fibre plates and a new clutch cable which fitted better than the one on the bike.

Once fitted, no more clutch drag and although finding neutral at standstill isn't quite up to Japanese standards it can be done without problem and the clutch action is vastly better.

He did suggest using ATF in the gearbox but I used lightweight 10/W40 motorcycle specific gearbox oil as I had some....so perhaps with ATF it might be slightly better still.

I also queried the clutch adjustment with him and he told me that the adjuster nuts should be backed off so that the locking wire runs THROUGH the slot in the top of the nut....all the slots would effectively be aligned in a circle. That made reasonable sense to me as it's a quantifiable adjustment and as said, in my case it seemed to work.

Mick............kettle738

[Jess]

Mick,

I have never seen fibre plates for the Hercules/DKW.

I would like to try a set in one of my personal bikes. Doyou have a source?

I also use ATF in the tranny with the bronze plates, it makes the action smoother IMHO

Best,

[kettle738]

Hi Jess, message sent to your RR email address.

Regards........Mick.

[hunter]

Thanks Tony, I assume that you would use less friction plates as well then?
Jess, If your source plates let me know and I will look at changing my clutch as well.
Would the ATF oil be heavier enought to cope with the pinnion gear? I always thought pinions and crownwheels needed a strong oil.

I wonder how late a w2000 they may have been from because mine is the later model.
Also 2 years a go I had contact here with a gent from Germany who was involved in the Auto and motorcycle industry and develovement in Germany at the time. He indicated the the clutch was taken from KTM design I think. Would this be correct??
Would be good to get an improved clutch but I can live with it if not.

Thanks all for contributing.

[FC Zach]

Apr 9, 2012 9:54:51 GMT -5 hunter said:

G'day All, Hope you don't mind me asking about my Hercules here.
I have got some occasional clutch slipage.

Mine is the same way.

Apr 9, 2012 9:54:51 GMT -5 hunter said:

In the documentation I have I can't seem to find correct setting for the spring tension adjusters. Does any one have any information on this?

Just as Jess has already stated, just tighten the nut till the safety wire hole is visible and you're able to run the wire through it.

Apr 9, 2012 9:54:51 GMT -5 hunter said:

When I first bought the bike, it had stood for a long time(30 years probably). I needed to clean and free the clutch plates.

I did the same and even experimented with just bronze and just fiber plates, then disassembled and tried a combination of the two types. There really wasn't a noticeable difference between them so I ended up running just bronze plates (I believe, it's been a while).

Apr 9, 2012 9:54:51 GMT -5 hunter said:

I did pay attention as to where the adjusters were positioned. But now after some use, I need to do some re-tensioning.

I have had the adjusters all the way out and every which way, it's almost as if there isn't enough adjustment to disengage. I've even purchased an adjuster with a much longer threaded portion and still couldn't get rid of the drag.

Apr 9, 2012 9:54:51 GMT -5 hunter said:

Also suffers from clutch drag and cannot fine neutral if standing still. I know this a common deficiency or poor design. If any one has a soultion to this I would love to hear it.

This is the issue I have been battling with ever since I've owned my W2000. I have tried just about every type of unimaginable fluid one could put in a transmission and saw no major improvement.