Lance Gamma Clutch Upgrade Kit

The stock RG500 clutch is the worst clutch I have encountered.  It never fully disengages, which creates a host of problems.  Finding Neutral at a stop while the engine is running is difficult.  Indeed, it can be well neigh impossible once the engine becomes warm.  At the other end, when I get really rowdy and do lots of WFO runs to redline in a row it breaks loose erratically. 

Like all OEM clutches is comes with cheap springs which become less springy after a few years. 

Then the erratic breaking loose gets worse.  Even more irritating, the breaking loose only happens when I’m riding with ex-roadracers on hot Summer days.  Those are the moments when I really want my Gamma to smoke the boys and instead it screeches and lets them get the drive on me.

The problems are caused by compromises made to bring the XR-72 GP bike to the street.  The race bike has a dry clutch, while the street bike has a more durable wet clutch.  It was also designed as a 400, then at the last minute they also decided to make a 500.  So the 500 clutch design is non-optimal.

Part of the wet clutch design is a Bellville type washer behind the last steel plate.  Its purpose is to induce a bit of drag to the plates as pressure is released from them when the lever is pulled.  That’s right, the design actually forces the plates to rub against each other AT ALL TIMES.  This is done to prevent the whole clutch stack from moving en masse with no plate disengagement and thus no free spinning.

A side result is the clutch gets heat put into it with every downshift.  That extra friction causes heat.  This contributes to it breaking loose when ridden hard on a hot day.

The cheap stock springs also loose their springiness after a couple of years which results in less pressure on the plates.  That also contributes to hot slipping.

The Kit also includes new thrust washers made from bearing grade steel.  The stock thrust washers get galled and scored after a while.  This causes the clutch to emit those tortured screeching noises.  The LG thrust washers eradicate the screeches. 

The Lance Gamma Clutch Upgrade Kit (http://www.lancegamma.com/RG500_products/rg500_clutch_upgrade/rg500_clutch_upgrade_kit.html) addresses all of these issues in ways no other RG500 clutch kit does.  The results are very successful.

My bike with the LG Clutch Upgrade Kit can now be put into neutral easily while at a stop.  This is a MAJOR improvement.  I make it even harder for this to happen by running half Barnett plates, which are renowned for being grabby.  Even with the Barnett plates in there I can now get into neutral whenever I want.

Gamma clutches are so inherently grabby that Barnett won’t even talk to you about them.  When I say I want an RG500 clutch they say none is available and the conversation is over.  I really wanted Barnett plates after being passed during a screeching-jerky-clutch-breaking-loose run to the flag in a Formula One race at Sears Point (Infineon) that I lost by a foot. 

So I got some for some other bike and machined them to fit.  The LG Clutch Upgrade Kit would have saved me a lot of time and effort and gotten better results.  Gee, there really are things available now we didn’t even conceive of back in the ancient days of the Twentieth Century.


Here's a video which demonstrates the radical improvement in clutch disengagement effected by the Lance Gamma Clutch Update Kit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qbQ7_wuq04&feature=youtu.be

I will be trying the Kevlar plates in the kit next.  First thing I wanted to do was test the new Spacer Plate.  Removing the grabby Barnett plates would have been stacking the deck in favor of the Spacer Plate.  This test proved the Spacer Plate really works because that was the only thing I changed. 

Lance Gamma will ship the LG Inner Hub Spacer Plate FREE to anyone who purchased a LG Clutch Upgrade Kit prior to the release of the Spacer Plate. 

I had already been running the springs and thrust washers for a while before the Spacer Plate was developed.  This review was prompted by the spectacular results of putting the Spacer Plate into my bike.

The LG clutch springs are spiffy looking, much better than stock.  They are made in America from totally high tech materials.  Their number of cycles before sacking out is way higher than the stock springs.  The clutch plates will be feeling full pressure for many years with these springs.

The most innovative part of the LG Clutch Upgrade is the Inner Hub Spacer Plate.  It replaces the Belleville type washer.  The plates are now allowed to actually separate from each other.  It is surprising how much difference it makes.

Suzuki is famous for having smooth, easy shifting, transmissions.  Except for the RG500.  Until now.  The LG Inner Hub Spacer Plate frees the transmission up to shift as it was always intended.  Smoothly, easily, clicking into gear.

It makes downshifts happen quicker.  This can actually result in harder drives out of corners.  Riding is all about rhythm.  With the LG Spacer Plate my bike now downshifts quicker.  That means I can wait longer to do it, get it over with sooner and get back on the gas earlier.  Everything about corner entry and exit is speeded up and my bike now does more 3^rd and 4^th gear power wheelies than before.  I like that.