According to what has been written about the CBX1000's development history, its designers found after all the final spec signoffs that the bike was way heavier than they wanted. So hollow cams, shaved crankshaft, sculpted crankcases, plastic swingarm bearings, skinny forks--all were the result of a massive slimming effort. We know the bike is still really heavy, but just imagine what the weight must have been in prototype form! Anyway, the primary shaft got this weight reduction too, making it a lightweight piece. And then to protect it, they decided they better add a babysitting part, the alternator drive clutch, so the shaft doesn't twist or deform on acceleration. Ironically, in the drive discs they probably added back in the weight they saved by making the shaft thin walled hollow. That's manufacturing for you! Compromise upon compromise.

Supersport Shed in the UK has been producing some very good maintenance parts for the CBX1000. I have used several of their products. They are to be commended for what they do to support the CBX community. However, I really think they are way off on their alternator clutch modification. Here are my three reasons.

First, the OEM alternator drive disks are not a clutch in the same sense as a transmission clutch, designed to repeatedly disengage, engage, disengage, etc. To treat the alternator clutch like that, as Supersport Shed apparently does, is a huge mistake. The CBX alternator clutch is a breakaway part, like what an airplane has on some of its parts that it is better they fall off than that they rip the fuselage. It's a breakaway clutch, not a friction clutch. Different kinds of clutches. The alternator discs are meant to slide a quarter turn--not even a full turn--in the event of high torque engine episodes. Not slip all the time.

Second, let's remember that the alternator clutch is housed inside the crankcase. It is not external to the crankcase, not just added on. Immediately below the alternator, less than an inch below, is the exposed crankcase oil level. I would not want the wear material from that friction material Supersport Shed adds to be dropping into the oil. And it will, not only because the issue of slipping hasn't been corrected, but it has in fact actually been made worse by the friction material modification.

Third, there really is no need for the alternator clutch at all. Consider that the Denso conversion for example does away with the alternator clutch entirely. You can do the same thing with the stock alternator by just shimming the engine side disk to eliminate any possibility of slippage, making the two discs rotate as one all the time.

The Supersport Shed folks are good people and their alternator clutch mod well-meaning, I am sure. But in my view a significant error in understanding and in judgment.