Cracked new replacement Gen 2 clutch basket, used it anyway..

[randomdude]

Hi good folks..

Well, as the title says, while a friend and I were about to install the new replacement Gen 2 hub on my '12 we figured that the part has been dropped during trasportation or something and it was bent, but the worst thing is that hairpin crack by the upper re-enforcement ring that connects the top part of the fingers (see pictures). Being powered by dispair, I managed to bend it back to shape, by using clamps and a soft mallet. I also had a new friction/steel/spring plate set. After recovering the deformed basket, all the new plates slid easily down the fingers, stepping firmly/evenly on the grooves, as the bend was only on the very top part of the "cylinder".

After that, I rode the bike home for about 60miles, twisties, highways and gravel and everything felt right: the gear changes silk smooth, no more noise or vibrations and I also think it revs in a healthier manner= definitely an improvement over the 1st Gen clutch basket.

Long story short, Is it too risky to run the bike with a slightly cracked clutch basket? I live in EU so just that part costed me 700 usd..

* Of course I will open the crankcase cover and check if things got worse in a few hundred miles

Thanks a million

 

[Checkswrecks]

Will it fail? Yes

How? My guess is that the clutch will suddenly not disengage.

When and where are the unknowns. When will probably under high load, such as sudden clutch engagement.
Where? ummm - yeah

 

[gv550]

A crack in a rotating part will probably lead to failure.
Too late now but the basket should have been returned to the vendor as defective, or a claim submitted to the shipping company if the parcel had obvious damage.
We each have different tolerances for risk, but I would not be comfortable riding my bike with a known defect.

 

[WJBertrand]

No way would I have used a cracked part in a critical load bearing application like that. If it fails catastrophically you’d be out a lot more than $700, not to mention the potential safety issue.


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[Boris]

I have no idea if risky or not, however I completely agree with your observations regarding the improvements with the Gen2 basket.

Did you get the part from Partzilla?

 

[DamMechanic]

Well the majority of clutch baskets made for all manufacturers normally don’t have that ring to support the drive tangs but that is probably not the best thing to have broken.

If you are a gentle rider it probably would never be a problem. You sell the bike and the new owner hammers the clutch and breaks causing an accident that would suck.

Yamaha tends to build very robust parts and
you could pull it back out and have it welded.

The worst part is you will alway have that thought in the back of your mind, is that basket going to break. What’s that worth?

 

[randomdude]

Thank you all for your replies.

Looks like the opinions are quite unanimous here. Peace of mind is precious and already challenging enough(to me at least) to obtain..
I should 've sent it back, I don't know what I was thinking, it just felt too hard to put back the old, noisy one.

I'll bite the bullet order another one, cry once(or twice) and get over with it.

 

[randomdude]

I have no idea if risky or not, however I completely agree with your observations regarding the improvements with the Gen2 basket.

Did you get the part from Partzilla?

It really felt smoother for sure!

I got it from MSP (motorcycle spare parts.eu) For soem reason it feels like a mission to order from the States, transportation damage risk, customs, waiting times etc.
However I see now that Partzilla has it in stock for 450$, express international delivery included!

In case you've already ordered any parts from them before, how's your experience been? Do they pack/wrap the parcels safely enough for such a long trip?

 

[Boris]

I ordered a clutch basket from Partzilla a few years back and it was damaged when it arrived. One of the fingers was slightly bent and no plates would fit into it. They were extremely unhelpful with the whole return process, defensive, argumentative and just unhelpful! I got eBay involved and got a refund. Still cost me the postage though.

The order and delivery process was straightforward and the wait was only a couple of weeks. For me though, I’d never use them again.

I ended up paying for a UK basket and have no regrets at all. The improvements are well worth the cost.

Good luck with yours.