I have about 41,000 miles on my 2004 Road Star Midnight Silverado. The clutch performs well but I notice slight slipping at high speeds, etc. and thought it would be a good idea to do some clutch work. Many owners will opt to install the Barnett Clutch Spring Conversion kit. The bearings on these units have proven problematic in recent years. You can replace the bearing the Barnett kit with an OEM bearing (93306-00315-00 – eBay) but other riders have had great success installing an EBC Diaphragm Clutch Spring Kit, which is the route I chose.
Tools you will need to replace clutch spring with EBC Diaphragm Clutch Spring Kit
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- 1/2″ socket wrench
- 1/2″ socket extension
- 1/2″ Allen sockets & T wrench (for bottom bolts) 5mm, 8mm,
- 1/4″ in. lbs. torque wrench (NOT ft lbs.). I purchased the inexpensive one at Harbor Freight. (https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-drive-20-to-200-in-lb-click-torque-wrench-63881.html)
- 1/2″ to 1/4″ socket adapter
- Performance Tool W944 Carbide Gasket Scraper Set (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Performance-Tool-W944-Carbide-Gasket-Scraper-Set-2-Pieces-Efficient-Residual-Gasket-Removal-for-Precision-Work/5394267953)
- Needle Nose Pliers – to remove dowel pins (as needed)
- Repair Manual excerpt for torque specs, etc.
Parts you will need
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- EBC Diaphragm Clutch Spring Kit (https://www.ebay.com/itm/311936192650)
- Replacement crankcase cover gasket 1 – 1999-2014 5VN-15451-00-00
I suggest you ONLY use hand tools when doing this job. Avoid using power tools.
The bolts on the clutch, clutch cover and engine cover are torqued at a very low rate. Be careful not to over torque the bolts. I used an inch pounds torque wrench (multiply ft. lbs. by 12 to get in lbs.).
You will want to drain the engine oil. Unless you are doing an oil change, you only need to remove the oil from the engine (front bolt).
It is advised to remove the left driver foot rest and clutch rod assembly. Next you will want to remove the engine left side cover and then the clutch cover. I decided to use a cardboard box to draw a template for bolt placement. There are different size bolts throughout and I found this easiest to keep track and make sure to put them back in the correct place. Pay attention to the dowels
Boxes used for bolts (helps you remember their location)
The hardest part of this job is removing the old gasket. Care must be taken so that you don’t damage the mating surfaces on the engine and clutch cover. I found that a tungsten carbide scraper is the best tool to remove it safely. I bought the Performance Tool W944 Carbide Gasket Scraper Set. I also used a straight edge razor blade. I found that using it in combination with the scraper you can get under the old gasket at times.
I installed the EBC Clutch Spring before I scraped the old gasket off. You will want to cover the clutch basket, etc so that none of the gasket debris contaminates the clutch, etc. Once I was done scraping off the old gasket I used a shop vac to vacuum the gasket debris from the engine and cover.
If you drained all of the oil you will now want to replace the oil filter and replace the oil ( 4 qts). If you only drained the oil from the front bolt then you will want to run the engine for about 30 seconds and then add 2 qts. If you want to check the level of your oil you should follow the directions in this video from Yamaha (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjG18WGbHMg).