Damper in clutch cover -- Its function?

The cover one removes to access the clutch includes parts labeled "damper" and "damper cover".

What's the purpose of these parts?

Obviously they can't physically touch the clutch but they are very close.

It would appear that some design effort was involved for the damper. There's some asymmetry to the part.

Constant Mesh said:

The cover one removes to access the clutch includes parts labeled "damper" and "damper cover".
What's the purpose of these parts?

Obviously they can't physically touch the clutch but they are very close.

It would appear that some design effort was involved for the damper. There's some asymmetry to the part.

Click to expand...

(Click on image for larger view)

Probably sound damping. Can't see how it would affect mechanical damping of the drive-train, but it does seem like quite an involved piece. Might reduce vibration perceived by the rider.

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I don't believe it's anything to do with oil (or lack of it) in the clutch area.

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After looking at the drawings in the service manual and the pictures from your "clutch soak" I now realize that the damper and damper cover are oil related.

https://atrophy.lock.net/pi/20100320/index.php

Most of the clutch plates (the inner ones particularly) are supplied with oil from the clutch housing bearing supply. The bearing gets its supply directly from the transmission's main axle. Oil travels from the bearing area into the internal area of the clutch housing where the clutch boss resides. As the clutch housing rotates this oil is propelled out via centrifugal force to the outer edge of the housing and then sideways out toward the clutch external cover. The oil collides with the damper plate and damper attached to the outer cover.

The clutch boss has two holes located on opposite sides of the axle where oil enters the interior portion of the boss and eventually finds its way to the bearing in the pressure plate.

The outer edge of the clutch housing appears to have a slight taper left to right which helps move the oil out toward the damper plate and damper. As the oil moves out of the clutch housing it coats the tabs of the friction plates. When the clutch is disengaged and the plates aren't tightly sandwiched some of the oil makes its way down onto the friction surfaces of the clutch plates.

It appears that a few of the outermost plates receive some oil from the crankshaft as it rotates. The oil is thrown from the crankshaft onto the clutch housing where a few of the plate tabs are exposed.