Apex clutch on Sidewinder

[74Nitro]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words

View attachment 157191
Apex clutch 8 lbs 7 oz

View attachment 157187

Sidewinder Clutch 9lbs 10 oz minus 9 oz for weights so 9lbs 1 oz

View attachment 157188

Team Cat Clutch 10 lbs 14 oz


So the Team clutch is almost 2.5 lb heavier then the Apex clutch and 1.75 lb heavier then the Winder clutches

The Hurricane noise reduction stub shaft is much heavier then the stock stub shaft by approx 2 lbs

Cast iron spider adding weight.

 

[KnappAttack]

Cast iron spider adding weight.

Not cast iron but forged. Forged is WAY stronger.

 

[budman 1000]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words

View attachment 157191
Apex clutch 8 lbs 7 oz

View attachment 157187

Sidewinder Clutch 9lbs 10 oz minus 9 oz for weights so 9lbs 1 oz

View attachment 157188

Team Cat Clutch 10 lbs 14 oz


So the Team clutch is almost 2.5 lb heavier then the Apex clutch and 1.75 lb heavier then the Winder clutches

The Hurricane noise reduction stub shaft is much heavier then the stock stub shaft by approx 2 lbs

So looking at your pictures, is it possible the apex clutch could actually weigh more than the sidewinder clutch as the picture appears that the apex clutch is missing a few items, cap bolts, weight bolts, pins, pin bolts, and pin set screws vs the sidewinder picture?

 

[74Nitro]

Oh, as in forged steel Mike?

Not cast iron but forged. Forged is WAY stronger.

 

[KnappAttack]

Oh, as in forged steel Mike?

That is correct.

 

[KnappAttack]

Here is what I know about the Winder, Team and RX-1/Apex clutches as I have ran them all on the Winder.

The Team clutch does not rattle, but it tends to crack because its slips bad down low and heat checks because of the slippage over time. It's worse with heaver drag race usage, and worse with people that stop at stop signs or like to stop and go a lot. They slip so bad down low you can smell belt when using an aftermarket belt on it.

The RX-1 or old style clutch does not fix the rattling, in fact it actually rattles worse than the winder primary, the tower to button clearance is greater and it rattles like a SOB, but it slides freely where the winder primary does not, so I use the old RX-1 primary from now on. Since going to it I've had no belt blowing and its been quicker and faster than my winder primary, and by quite a bit more. I believe the winder primary to be built in China with poor materials that stretch and bend easier causing it to bind up over time.

IMO the best thing to do would be to run the old style Yamaha RX-1/Apex clutch or a TAPP clutch if you have issues with the winder primary. I was hoping to make the TEAM work, and it does work, just not to my liking without some major work, but the problem still remains they like to slip the belt down low, heat check & crack.

 

[SideHogger]

Item # 15 set screw which is no longer used in the clutches from Yamaha. This photo is from a 2009 APEX

View attachment 157171

Does it mean it is not a true Apex clutch? No, the newer APEX clutches did not have these set screws either. These set screws were in the older models up to 2010, which still had them. Yamaha removed the set screws in 2011 and up.

Do you know if Yamaha stopped producing clutch and sub contracted out to China in later models? Probably no one knows except Yamaha themselves!

 

[Turboflash]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words

View attachment 157191
Apex clutch 8 lbs 7 oz

View attachment 157187

Sidewinder Clutch 9lbs 10 oz minus 9 oz for weights so 9lbs 1 oz

View attachment 157188

Team Cat Clutch 10 lbs 14 oz


So the Team clutch is almost 2.5 lb heavier then the Apex clutch and 1.75 lb heavier then the Winder clutches

The Hurricane noise reduction stub shaft is much heavier then the stock stub shaft by approx 2 lbs

So stock Winder clutch weight + "almost" additional 2 lbs for Hurricane stub = close to what Team clutch weighs.

 

[Turboflash]

From Cat press release: Key to this new clutch is a steel spider. TEAM started this project with an aluminum spider design, but it didn’t meet the group’s requirements for durability. A switch to steel delivered significant increases in yield and fatigue strength compared to previous clutches.

 

[sideshowBob]

So stock Winder clutch weight + "almost" additional 2 lbs for Hurricane stub = close to what Team clutch weighs.

Yes that’s the way it weighs out.

 

[sideshowBob]

So looking at your pictures, is it possible the apex clutch could actually weigh more than the sidewinder clutch as the picture appears that the apex clutch is missing a few items, cap bolts, weight bolts, pins, pin bolts, and pin set screws vs the sidewinder picture?

I don’t think the Apex clutch would weigh more then Winder clutch...equal maybe

 

[Thunder Products]

Do you know if Yamaha stopped producing clutch and sub contracted out to China in later models? Probably no one knows except Yamaha themselves!

Yamaha still manufactures their own clutches in Japan.

 

[Thunder Products]

Are the pins and bolts what is actually making most or all of the rattling noise ?

The bolts and nuts from the roller pin area definitely make noise, but a lot of the noise you hear is from the crank splines though harmonics and resonates through the sheaves like a load speaker or bell.

 

[SideHogger]

Yamaha still manufactures their own clutches in Japan.

Thank you for all your info!

 

[Thunder Products]

Thank you for all your info!

You bet bud!