recently I found I couldn't engage any gear from N. Bike wuld start fine, run okay but as soon as i pulled clutch lever in and tried to get 1st gear it jerked forward.

I removed all the plates this afternoon and found a small cap like piece of metal the size of the tip of your baby finger. can anyone help? I found it in the inner section of the clutch by the clutch boss nut.

Should i just fit new plates and see if she goes alright or what?
pictures attached.

Rivet head off clutch basket? Just guessing I am afraid.

it could of fallen in there whilst working. debri maybe from workshop floor?

any pics of the rivet area?

Sorry no pictures.

As I mentioned it was a guess. I have so far never had to look at my R1 clutch but from previous stripdowns on other bikes that I have done, the clutch basket has always been riveted to the gear.

Have a look at the basket and see if there are any similar sized rivets used and if so, are any missing.

you would have to pull basket out and see. i dont have pic of 99, but here is pic from my 04. i put arrow to show you what he is talking about.

not sure thats a rivet or not..but its worth looking at to make damn certain!

you would have to pull basket out and see. i dont have pic of 99, but here is pic from my 04. i put arrow to show you what he is talking about.

Cheers 1longR1 for the picture, as gman found that "bit" in the basket I was wondering if its the the other end of one of the rivets in your picture.:thumbup

thnaks guys, off to workshop to pull basket off.

yea good luck. i dont have pic of other side handy. but he is going to remove it to check anyways. it doesnt look like ones on my bike..but its different year. hope thats it and he doesnt have to go looking for what else it may have come from.. yipes!

yea good luck. i dont have pic of other side handy. but he is going to remove it to check anyways. it doesnt look like ones on my bike..but its different year. hope thats it and he doesnt have to go looking for what else it may have come from.. yipes!

I can't think of any other rivets in a bike engine, maybe it was workshop debris but seems strange that no gear could be engaged beforehand and it was inside clutch basket.

I keep looking at this thread for a further reply from gman.:thumbup

yea, sounds like his problem is related to the gear on clutch basket. very well could be problem or turn into bigger problem if it gets worse. shearing all them off is not good thing, tho i have seen couple different bike that have done just that... not fun to clean out tho.

tried to get the basket off but i need the tool to hold the clutch boss from spinning. i guess it is the rivet part of the basket as there is a score mark on the outer edge of the centre boss indicating something slipping through plates. I'm going to put it back together when steels turn up and see what happens.I'm fed up of it now.If it blows up, i'll get an 07 R1 and be done with it.

tried to get the basket off but i need the tool to hold the clutch boss from spinning. i guess it is the rivet part of the basket as there is a score mark on the outer edge of the centre boss indicating something slipping through plates. I'm going to put it back together when steels turn up and see what happens.I'm fed up of it now.If it blows up, i'll get an 07 R1 and be done with it.


you dont need tool... leave all clutch plates in it.. that will help hold hub from spinning a bit...use impact to get it off.. you must have decent impact and use air or electric(air preferaly) or its monster to get off by hand.

okay I'll give it a go tomorrow when I'm fresh and happy.

all else make you one. get you one of old steel plates.. and take it to welder...have him make something like this. first time i have seen this. i use to just get old pair of vise crap and weld and "L" bracket on each side of jaws...instant clutch tool.. just take look at what clutch tool looks like and you would figure out how to make one if you need it... but mine always comes out easily. also put bike in gear and you might have have to hold brake..

here is the pic..should be simple to make and cost you almost nothing

also here is another one i found as well.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/kurtsbusa/100_4050Small.jpg

Simple fix surely has to better than buying a new bike even if it is an '07 R1.

Sleep on it bro & get the damn thing off tomorrow.:thumbup

Last time I worked in a bike shop they had special tools like the picture for holding clutch baskets.

I bought an XT500 once and the previous owner must have used a screwdriver to try to hold the basket. Several fingers of the basket had been welded back on at different angles and the plates had been filed to fit.:scared

all else make you one. get you one of old steel plates.. and take it to welder...have him make something like this. first time i have seen this. i use to just get old pair of vise crap and weld and "L" bracket on each side of jaws...instant clutch tool.. just take look at what clutch tool looks like and you would figure out how to make one if you need it... but mine always comes out easily. also put bike in gear and you might have have to hold brake..

here is the pic..should be simple to make and cost you almost nothing

also here is another one i found as well.
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f75/kurtsbusa/100_4050Small.jpg

That looks pretty damn good. I think I will get one made in preparation.

BTW A couple of weeks ago on a no name Honda we had an 8 foot gas pipe on a socket wrench trying to undo the final drive sprocket nut, It wouldn't budge in gear & with rear brake on. Took the bike & socket to a local tyre fitter with air tools & it came came straight off.

That metal cap-looking thing in the pics at the top of this thread?
I wonder if it's a plug that's pressed into the end of the main axle (shaft the clutch mounts on) that forces engine oil to be pumped through holes in the shaft, lubricating the clutch plates with oil.

I know my 2003 Yamaha FZ-1 has one pressed into the main axle, and the engine on my FZ-1 is similar to the 1998 YZF-R1 engine.

can't get the bike to anyone with airtools. clutch don't work!

I'm getting an impact driver today, that will get it off!!

bought an air wrench kit today. going to get it off on monday as I'm off to car show tomorrow. pics of babes coming!

yeah took a look at the other side of the clutch basket and the rivet is different...

That plug/cap in the first picture (it is not a rivet) goes in the hole in the end of the transmission input shaft. The big nut that holds the clutch hub and basket on threads onto the end of this shaft. The purpose for the plug is to prevent oil from pouring out the end of the shaft and force it through other paths into the clutch assy. When you tap that plug back into the end of the transmission input shaft, put some high strength loc-tite on it to hold it in place.

Also, these things come out quite frequently for some reason. Anyone else that has their clutch apart for any reason would be advised to loc-tite that plug in place while you are in there.

I think I've got a picture around here somewhere for an older model FZ1 which uses the same or nearly same transmission input shaft.

I've been seeing alot a people talk about that.A freeze plug looking thing coming out and causing problems with R1 & FZ1. pretty much the same motor with alot of the same problems