steve68steve
Active Member
Problem: when rolling on aggressively above above around 4k RPM (say, to pass), the engine gains RPM rapidly, but there's no extra "go". The gear indicator will get confused and go blank or report a gear change. AFAICT, it's fine from idle to about 4k RPM even with crazy throttle hand, and fine if I ease the throttle beyond that. Slipping clutch, right?
Bike has around 35k miles, mostly commuting and touring, but there've been a few "adventures": deep sand, stuck, climbing a hill in too-high a gear, accidentally pulling out in 2nd or 3rd gear. These abuses are not frequent or protracted, but I assume they're cumulative.
A few months ago, a valve shim adjustment led to the liberal application of some super stringy red assembly lube in the camshaft area. At the time I wasn't thinking about the bike having a wet clutch. I noticed the clutch slip right away after re-assembly and assumed the assembly lube was the culprit.
I've since changed the oil and racked another few thousand miles on it, and the symptoms remain, although it seems to have improved slightly (it takes a little more to make it slip - could be imagination/ wishful thinking, tho, too.).
As I see, one of two things has to be true:
1. my clutch gubbins are fragged and need replacing; or
2. my clutch plates are contaminated and can somehow be restored to full grippy power by X.
If #1, is there any chance the springs are shot and the plates are fine? As in, replace springs only first and re-evaluate? Any chance it could be something else I'm missing - like something on the hydraulic end of things? In my mind, hydraulic actuator problems would all manifest as not being able to get the clutch plates pushed APART, not in not being able to hold them TOGETHER.
If #2, is there any magic juice to refresh the plates if they're contaminated with friction modified-oil? Like, remove plates and wash with kerosene or some other old mechanic's trick? I could also just change the oil after a few hundred miles for a while, but that seems wasteful if there's no hope it will improve things.
Is there any sure-fire way to diagnose friction plate wear besides slippage?
Bike has around 35k miles, mostly commuting and touring, but there've been a few "adventures": deep sand, stuck, climbing a hill in too-high a gear, accidentally pulling out in 2nd or 3rd gear. These abuses are not frequent or protracted, but I assume they're cumulative.
A few months ago, a valve shim adjustment led to the liberal application of some super stringy red assembly lube in the camshaft area. At the time I wasn't thinking about the bike having a wet clutch. I noticed the clutch slip right away after re-assembly and assumed the assembly lube was the culprit.
I've since changed the oil and racked another few thousand miles on it, and the symptoms remain, although it seems to have improved slightly (it takes a little more to make it slip - could be imagination/ wishful thinking, tho, too.).
As I see, one of two things has to be true:
1. my clutch gubbins are fragged and need replacing; or
2. my clutch plates are contaminated and can somehow be restored to full grippy power by X.
If #1, is there any chance the springs are shot and the plates are fine? As in, replace springs only first and re-evaluate? Any chance it could be something else I'm missing - like something on the hydraulic end of things? In my mind, hydraulic actuator problems would all manifest as not being able to get the clutch plates pushed APART, not in not being able to hold them TOGETHER.
If #2, is there any magic juice to refresh the plates if they're contaminated with friction modified-oil? Like, remove plates and wash with kerosene or some other old mechanic's trick? I could also just change the oil after a few hundred miles for a while, but that seems wasteful if there's no hope it will improve things.
Is there any sure-fire way to diagnose friction plate wear besides slippage?
