Check it out!
Coated steel clutch plates removed from a drag bike with almost 400 runs.
If there was any question whether our coated steels pass the test of time and abuse, click on the photo.

"Well, as usual, Ken is the all knowing guru when it comes to anything CB related. I called him a month ago to see if he could help me with my clutch dragging problems.

No matter how I tried to adjust my clutch, it always dragged when I pulled it in. This made life unpleasant at stoplights and in traffic. The bike always wanted to pull forward and if it wasn't rolling, finding neutral was next to impossible. I tried to remedy this by adjusting it with no slack in the cable, but that made it slip under heavy load and still refuse to totally disengage when I needed it to.

Ken pointed out to me that Honda had some issues with their clutches in the 70's and they had done a number of things to try to correct them. One thing they did, which my clutch had, which my clutch had, was this funky double steel riveted disc in the middle of the stack. WEIRD! Ken also pointed out that Honda put friction discs on the outside of the stack, making contact with the aluminum basket.

Anyway, he suggested that I try his four friction disc clutch with coated steel discs and machined spacer. This reduces the number of friction discs from seven to only four, but retains a count of five steel discs by leaving two steels on the outside of the stack so the friction discs do not touch the aluminum basket. It also eliminated that one strange double steel from the middle of the stack. The kit also included eight spring shims which I installed because I have a hot rod motor built by Ken that puts out nearly twice the stock Honda HP. The shims obviously increased the length of the springs to make up for the newly found room in the clutch basket. I thought this would make it harder to pull the clutch in, but I honestly can't tell the difference in the pull at all.

Of course I worried that the clutch might not be able to hold the load of me and my 90+ rear wheel HP Cycle X motor without slipping.

No such problem.

I put the clutch in on Friday afternoon and rode about 400 miles over the weekend. I tore up the twisties and did a few high speed runs, including a couple 110 MPH + blasts with no clutch slipping. Now when I pull the clutch in, it disengages and allows me to find neutral with ease, whether I'm rolling or at a complete stand still.

I am now enjoying perfect clutch bliss and serenity. Less friction plates equals less stress.

Thanks once again for putting my Honda world back in order."

- Ed Fox, 4 friction clutch system customer.

Questions:
Is your Honda cb750 making a growling noise when you are letting the clutch out?
Is your Honda cb750 hard to find neutral and getting worse?
Is your Honda cb750 clutch slipping under acceleration?

Here's what we did:
We took a donor high powered Honda cb750 with all the above mentioned problems and installed our Cycle X 4 friction clutch system.
The growling noise was gone and we have never experienced a Honda cb750 with the ease of finding neutral like this bike. And of course, it handled all the power without slipping.

Here is a little history behind the idea of making the 4 plate system.
First: 3 plate systems were used on all Harley police bikes to cure the problems of the poorly designed clutch operation during the Panhead and Shovelhead era which dramatically reduced lurching and banging when put in gear.  (Worked great)
The coated steel plates are something we developed and tested during our road racing days in the heavyweight super bike class. (We ran the same clutch for the whole season)
Also, the coated steels were run at the drag strip by a shop friend and he got 400 runs before routine maintenance was required. To make it more demanding on this drag bike clutch, it was an air assisted release that encouraged slippage upon launches.
The friction plates are OEM composition and stock springs are only needed. Ever try to pull in a clutch lever with heavy duty springs? (Annoying)
 

Note:
Stock clutch springs are generally about 49 lbs of pressure when installed (generally)
Some heavy duty clutch springs can be 110 lbs or more at the installed height. (Overkill, in our opinion)
Here are some clutch shims that will add a few pounds without a painfully hard to pull clutch lever.
1 shim per post will generally add 7-8 lbs
2 shims per post will generally add 15-16 lbs

The clutch world is continually changing with different materials, springs and designs.
There are organic, Kevlar, semi-metallic, sintered metals and others.
Springs have different rates and sometimes are very uncomfortable at the clutch lever because they are so stiff.
Lock up clutch designs are a whole other topic.
The one thing that seems to be common with all the fancy kits available is the steels are similar. (Meaning steel)
We'll talk further about the steel in a bit.
Most of the manufactures talk about heat, horsepower and riding applications.
Some designs have the friction plates making contact with aluminum alloy and some with steel.
We've never been fans of the frictions rubbing on aluminum, but on some models this design works fine.    

Let's talk about Honda CB750 SOHC bikes. Here's what we did...
Honda frictions make contact with alloy on the inner and outer clutch pack. The reason we brought this up is because some Honda SOHC models make a annoying growling sound and lurching when the clutch is released. Nobody, including Honda in their bulletins have a cure or explanation for this weirdness.
On the other hand, we've seen and heard this on Harley Shovelheads when alloy pressure plates have been installed. (Coincidence?)
We have designed our 4 plate system so the friction plates make contact with metal plates only. On all Honda SOHC bikes
the clutch pack (Frictions and steels)  should be about 1.460 thick (early) 1.560 thick (late)
With 1.500 clutch pack thickness, the installed height of the springs will have approx 45lbs of pressure.
Every 2mm of spring shims or clutch pack thickness will add a few pounds of spring pressure as a general rule.
Some of the high performance clutch springs we have tested have well over 100lbs of installed height pressure.
We would assume that at over 100 lbs of installed height spring pressure, nothing will slip.
Furthermore, did Honda make an attempt to get better clutch separation by designing the outer clutch hub to accept one friction plate with a wider tab? (Like the Goldwing stuff)
We think so. When you disengage the clutch, the one friction with the larger tab stays in the same location yet allowing the other frictions and steels to move allowing for better separation.
Why did Honda install a 5mm steel plate in the clutch pack? We have no clue.  
   
We think everyone would agree that in order to have a good shifting and operating bike, a well thought out clutch arrangement is needed for your application.
For putt-putt people simply going to get a gallon of milk on a Sunday afternoon, the OEM friction plates work fine.
If your steels are warped or burnt, replace as needed with new.
For full blown, big power Hondas, Kawasaki's, Suzuki's and Harley's, lock-up clutch designs are generally needed.
 

Question:
So what about the super clutch kit and the 4 plate clutch system?
Well, the coated steels are the secret to our clutch kits successes.
Little story...

Many years ago, we had a local dirt bike racer on a big torque thumper that would eat up clutch plates every weekend.
He tried all the fancy space shuttle clutch materials available at that time with the same results.
Right about that period of time we were super curious and experimenting with various coatings for everything that moved.
We started to experiment with coatings on the clutch steels and, long story short, we discovered our clutch steel coating.
We lost touch with that racer, but the last year he raced the clutches lasted a full race season. (True story)
Years later, we decided to try our luck at vintage road racing in the heavy weight super bike class. Of course, people said campaigning a Honda SOHC bike might be a challenge in a class dominated by 4 valve per cylinder dual overhead cam bikes.

With the Honda road racer making some pretty good power and the amount of heat the bike produced, we decided to use synthetic oils. The clutch was not happy. Slipping, lurching, growling and such. After trying many clutch friction offerings without success, we installed our coated steels, OEM frictions and 40 year old OEM springs. The problem was solved and we ran the same clutch for the rest of the season.
Conventional thinking would say that going to a 4 friction system might be a bit suspicious. We feel our 4 plate system is a well rounded and well thought out alternative to some peoples clutch issues.
Will it handle 150 plus horsepower, synthetic oils, air assisted drag bike clutch releases and last forever under these conditions? Probably not.
We are looking forward to even trying a 3 friction system for street life.
So, select a clutch system that suits your needs.

Cycle X 4 Friction Clutch System Now comes with springs! (Not pictured) ENL-026     $149.95 Can't tell if you have an early or late model? These instructions should help you identify. Early is 1.460 clutch pack thickness. Late is 1.560 clutch pack thickness. (Steels and frictions combined thickness.) "I absolutely love it. It shifts smoothly and does not slip. I also noticed there is no clutch rattle like the standard clutch." - Cedric, 4 plate customer Early or late clutch hub? Early Late

 

 

 

The Ultimate Clutch Kit! New 5 Plate System Why is this the "ultimate" system? We've corrected some of the problems with the Honda CB750's and included high-end products to complete the kit. We have continued developing the Cycle X system and people are raving about the 5 plate system. 1)  Includes a billet lifter plate. You know, the plate that breaks when you are tightening the springs. New lifter plate bearing included. 2) Includes the proper spacer, steels and frictions. This arrangement will keep the friction plates away from the alloy OEM clutch center and pressure plate. No more chattering, grabby, noisy and inconsistent operation. 3) Speaking of high-end products, the kit includes Barnett steel and friction plates. 4) EBC medium pressure springs to keep your left hand happier. 5) Cycle X "no leak" clutch cover gasket. Super quality! 6) Bolts and oil seals. You might need them. Guaranteed satisfaction. ENL-035     $249.00

 

 

 

 

 

Cycle X Super Clutch Kit (Extreme Duty) Kit includes: Cycle X friction plates (We have tried them all, ours are the best) Gasket (Because you will need this) Oil seal (Yours is 30+ years old) Special coated steels No more burnt clutch plates. No more slipping. (With any high-horsepower motor) No more heavy pull clutch springs. No more (expensive) extra plate clutch kits. No more worries about slippage with synthetic oils. One kit covers all years. Honda had a few different clutch plate amounts and arrangements. Clutch parts can be interchanged from year to year and the customer sometimes will not know if some internals have been changed. So, to make life easy, we add all the years of friction plates to one package. Simply, remove your old friction plates and install the new ones in the same order in which they were removed. These are great friction plates and racers around the world prefer them to all the other friction plates that are offered. ENL-015     $109.99      Cycle X Race Team Approved Can't tell if you have an early or late model? These instructions should help you identify. Early is 1.460 clutch pack thickness. Late is 1.560 clutch pack thickness. (Steels and frictions combined thickness.) Early or late clutch hub? Early Late Call for availability.

New! Lock Up Clutch (33% Lighter) Extreme, Extreme Duty Some high horsepower Honda's have a tendency to have clutch slippage in high gear. Most people will install heavy duty springs to overcome this problem, but creating a stiff feel at the lever. Heavy springs can make your clutch lose its nice, easy operation when leaving the stop and go light.  Our lock up clutch will increase pressure with RPM (Guaranteed not to slip)   Lock up clutch kit includes: Billet spacer plate Clutch plates (2) Oil seals Lock-up Pressure Plate (33% lighter) (2) Gaskets (2) Dowell pins Extended clutch adjustor Oh yeah, and looks cool   NOW IN STOCK! ENL-013     $449.00 Call to order.

 

 

 

 

 

New Six Spring Honda CB750 SOHC Clutch System for High Horsepower Applications The six spring, seven friction and steel clutch system is a bolt-in upgrade for your Honda CB750 SOHC hot rod. These systems have been around for years and are generally used on 90+ horsepower Hondas or synthetic oiled race bikes. The frictions, steels, and springs are interchangeable with all CB750 SOHC models up to 1978. Cycle X 6 spring clutch system benefits: The six springs give a clutch tuner more pressure options. For example: 3 weak springs, 3 strong springs, 6 weak or 6 strong springs. 8 friction plate design will handle the most demanding horsepower applications without using ridiculous spring pressures used on 4 spring designs. New steels are included to insure the system will work perfectly. New mild pressure springs are generally perfect for most applications. Kit includes: 6 spring pressure plate with new bearing. Inner clutch hub "modified". Outer steel clutch hub "modified". Glass beaded and modified clutch cover with bolts, gasket and oil seals. New clutch springs. New clutch fibers. New clutch steels.   Note: This kit consists of new, modified and refurbished Honda parts.   ENL-030     $449.00

 

 

 

Cycle X Clutch Accessories

 

Coated Steel Plate Upgrade These coatings were discovered when we campaigned our Vintage Heavyweight Superbike with extreme horsepower, racing abuse and synthetic oils were causing problems with our OEM clutch set-up. Problem solved!  Note: These coatings are applied to new clutch steels.   ENL-031     $16.95 each

 

New Steels (Tumbled) These steels are world class quality and tumbled to remove possible sharp edges.  Same steels used in our 6 spring system.   ENL-032     $8.49 each

 

Drilled Outer Clutch Hubs These hubs are accurately drilled to reduce weight and help with additional oiling. These drilled hubs are a option for the six spring system or for your go-fast project with OEM clutch arrangements.    ENL-033     $49.95 Can't tell if you have an early or late model? These instructions should help you identify. Early is 1.460 clutch pack thickness. Late is 1.560 clutch pack thickness. (Steels and frictions combined thickness.) Call to order. Exchange basis only.

 

Barnett Clutch Plates (69-78) Honda CB750 SOHC These Barnett clutch plates have been added to our large line-up of clutching options for Honda CB750s from mild to big horsepower applications. These Barnett clutch plates upgrade for the six spring system.   ENL-034     $88.95

 

 

Heavy, Heavy Duty Clutch Springs These springs have a installed spring pressure of 114ish lbs. on 1977-78 Honda CB750 SOHC models with a clutch pack thickness of 1.560 (77-78). These springs have 108ish lbs. with a clutch pack thickness of 1.460 (69-76). Note: Clutch shims are used for fine tuning and can increase pressures up to 10 lbs. depending on the springs.   ENL-027     $16.99

 

 

 

Heavy Duty Clutch Springs These springs have a installed spring pressure of 62ish lbs. on 1977-78 Honda CB750 SOHC models with a clutch pack thickness of 1.560 (77-78). These springs have 55ish lbs. with a clutch pack thickness of 1.460 (69-76). Note: Clutch shims are used for fine tuning and can increase pressures up to 10 lbs. depending on the springs.   ENL-028     $16.99

 

 

 

 

More heavy duty springs with a lighter feel to confuse you even more! These springs have a installed spring pressure of 60ish lbs. on 1977-78 Honda CB750 SOHC models with a clutch pack thickness of 1.560 (77-78). These springs have 49ish lbs. with a clutch pack thickness of 1.460 (69-76). Note: Clutch shims are used for fine tuning and can increase pressures up to 10 lbs. depending on the springs.   ENL-029     $16.99

Clutch Spring Shims Comes in sets of eight. (8) Great for adjusting pressure to springs. Note: Stock clutch springs are generally about 49 lbs of pressure when installed (generally) Some heavy duty clutch springs can be 110 lbs or more at the installed height. (Overkill, in our opinion) Here are some clutch shims that will add a few pounds without a painfully hard to pull clutch lever. 1 shim per post will generally add 7-8 lbs 2 shims per post will generally add 15-16 lbs   $12.95            ENL-024

 

 

 

Honda CB750 Clutch Nut Socket You will need this socket to do your clutch change. $14.99         ENL-022