What are clutch discs made of?

[joe02151]

On wet clutch Japanese sport bikes are the clutch plates made with metals? I'm wondering if they can influence a UOA

 

[Trav]

UOA;s on most bikes (those with a shared crankcase) are almost totally worthless. Its not just the fibrous material but the steels themselves as well as the clutch drum wear along with the clutch cover, throw out bearing, all sorts of bushings and bearings and aluminum parts, dogs, chains, gears and copper coolers.
One sloppy shift and the metals go high like crazy.

 

[02SE]

They consist of a pack of alternating steel and fiber discs. The fiber material can vary, depending on the application. A common fiber material is a cork type material with bits of aluminum embedded in it.

Of course they can affect a UOA. So can the gears of the transmission.

 

[Kestas]

I can't remember if I've ever analyzed clutch material, but I have analyzed brake material. One unique tracer element I've found is Barium.

 

[beanoil]

Originally Posted by joe02151
On wet clutch Japanese sport bikes are the clutch plates made with metals? I'm wondering if they can influence a UOA

Yes and yes.
Steel plates (sometimes aluminum), fiber plates from Kevlar or carbon fiber.
Aluminum clutch baskets on many.