[Gnm62]

So I have a new crf250 rally with just 500kms , was out trail riding and clutch started slipping , adjusted it all the way and was still slipping but I was able to get it home. Took it apart and the whole basket, plates and pressure plate had burnt on brown coating, cleaned it up and put in ebc clutch and springs. I did not remove the judder spring as I do a lot of technical riding in the forest and rocky trails and I am a noob at off-roading but have been street riding for 30 years. Anyway went out with the new set up and was going good mostly but it seems all of a sudden the clutch would not disengage and would stall out when going into first, adjusted the cable a bit but now it seems to be slipping again when in 3 or higher and I give it gas revs go up. I’m not sure if there is an internal problem, if the clutch adjustment is really sensitive or if it’s this judder spring that I’m feeling. NOTES: I soaked the plates in oil for 12 hours, has been a bit chilly riding weather but the fan does come on in the trails so it’s getting hot, I’m trying not to ride the clutch but as a new off roader I probably am to a certain extent. Any ideas or comments? Thanks

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

There could be a few things going on here ..... First , get rid of the Judder Spring , it will cause more slippage than it will help with a lighter clutch pull feeling ....... replace it with a regular size friction disk (same disks as the friction disks in the rest of the pack are) , you will be removing the 2 thin plates , and the thin fiber , and replacing them with the single larger friction

Next , if you are geared more for street cruising , that might be the other slipping cause , if you are geared high enough that you are constantly having to use the clutch and feather it , then you are causing heat , and heat is what is killing the clutch , also make sure you have the correct lever free play , if you do not have any , it will allow the clutch to slip .... you need some slack , so don't adjust all the slack out or you only make the issue worse

Gearing: --- Stock you are at a 14/40 , that is fine for street use , but the worse gearing you can have for any off road riding aside from open fire roads ..... you need to gear down ..... you can do this with either the front or rear sprocket , the front will equal about 3 teeth difference , the rear 1 , so if you went to a 13/40 , you would drop the ratio from 2.857 , to a 3.077 , this will help with off road , BUT , it will take away a little bit of top speed from street riding , how much I can't say , maybe a few kph/mph .... you will have to experiment to see what combo of gearing suits your specific needs , but it is always a compromise as to working good off road and working good on the road , so a smaller front sprocket (1 tooth is sufficient) or a larger rear sprocket (you can go 3 teeth larger to equal 1 tooth change on the front , but the rear gives you a lesser change with each tooth larger , so you can adjust more precisely to your needs , as opposed to the more drastic change of 1 tooth on the front which would equal 3 on the rear , and might be too much to allow you to keep good street gearing .... it is always a compromise to give you something that works better for your specific riding needs , keep in mind the larger you go on the rear , the more likely you are going to need a new/longer chain to accommodate the lower gearing .....

Hope that helped ....

[Back2-2]

You did not state what oil you are using. I suggest going to a synthetic name brand and maybe go in weight. Also, instead of riding the clutch and basically slipping / dragging it, you might try using an in & out action. That is what you do on trials bikes where clutch abuse is the norm.
I agree with Jim on removing the judder.

[Gnm62]

Thanks for the replies, and sorry for my late reply. The bike is in the garage for the winter and I’ll probably take it apart again and remove judder spring. It will be a few months before it will be out again but hopefully this will work

[JimDirt]

Just keep us posted on what your results are when you get back to riding ....