I finally got around to replacing the variator plates last night.
My V-belt was slightly under 24mm and it was loose in the transmission. Once I got the cover off, I could easily move the belt without turning the variator. I believe this is the reason for the 24.1mm service limit on the belt. below that and you are far enough down into the driven plates to be loose on the front.
On the road I was running 8500 rpm at 80mph (I have 20gm DPS installed) indicated which is about 1500 rpm high. I had a pretty significant smooth concave curve to the variator plate (roughly 1-2mm) over the outer 1/3 of the variator surface.
Turns out the rear bearing was no issue at all. The transmission was pretty warm when I got into it and the bearing stayed in the cover as it should. Usually I remove the cover after it has sat all night and, when cold, the bearing is tight on the rear axle. I pulled the clutch bell, expecting to need to replace the clutch, and found minimal wear. The shoes were only about 20% down from the height of the pristine new clutch I was comparing it to. Not bad after 40K miles.
I was experiencing a slight moan and slight judder (both when cold) and I attribute this to the variator plate and looseness of the belt. Today, it was like a new scooter. RPM is back to where I expect it, about 7K @ 80 mph indicated.
Sliders have been in for about 34Kmiles and show some wear. It manifests as slight rounding at the edges that contact the guide plate. It is pretty uniform on all eight pieces but they are still performing as I would expect so I'm leaving them in.
The driven plates show a complementary wear pattern to the variator but to a much lesser extent. I did not replace them but probably will in the next 40K.
Take away from all this - not all judder is related to clutch shoes and glazing. Belt wear, loose belt, odd profiles on the variator and dirt in the roller/slider channels can all contribute to the effect as well.
