Although cork inserts give a nice smooth and oil-resistant clutch, they can give problems if too soft a grade of cork has been used, that is to say that some initial clutch movement is ‘lost’ as the cork expands as spring pressure on it is removed as the lever is pulled. My first action here would be to remove one friction plate and one plain plate, then see how it behaves. IN the late 1920s there was a ‘slim’ version of the clutch, intended for less plates, and perhaps you have one of those….
