Odd Clutch Isse

broseff

Registered
gen 1, stock with the exception of bolt-on exhaust and a few cosmetic changes.

Sat for a while (~7 months) without being used, took it out for a short drive just to get the juices flowing and the current problem presented itself. After about 20 minutes of riding and the bike gets good and warm, the clutch starts slipping under load. Within another 10 minutes, the clutch slips so bad that the bike becomes immobile. The first time this happened I had to limp it home, rpms high and low gear and by the time I got to my garage no amount of throttle, little or small, would move the bike, the clutch instantly slipped.

Bike sits another 6 months until im back from deployment and I take it to the dealership. They give it a tuneup since it sat for so long and tell me my clutch is burned up (surprise!).

I replaced the clutch - same problem
Noticed the slave cylinder moved when lever depressed, got the brace - no change
Rebuilt slave and master cylinder - still slips after ~20 minutes

At this point I'm at a loss, whatever this is it ate what was left of my last clutch and as soon as it starts slipping I park the bike so it wont do the same to this one. I'm really scratching my head on this one, please help!
 
It could be a poor bleeding process...try again...get the air out...if you replaced the basket parts it is a hydro issue...master cyl...etc...there are a select few items to that system....
 
I had same problem my busa sat for 6yrs. Before I got it. Had to change slave, master, clutch and basket. Bled it about 4 times and now no issues
 
Ive bled it several times now, even swapped out the cheap aftermarket clutch i'd put in for a brand new oem one. I've given up at this point and think its off to the shop to see what they can figure out.

The fact that the issue is a factor of heat leads me away from the master/slave, but it was a cheap replacement.

What I noticed when replacing the clutch, the pressure plate is barely putting any pressure on the clutch plates, allowing me to move it with minimal force. This would explain why the clutch engages fine until the oil gets warm and lubricates what little friction is there. The question is, whats holding the pressure plate out so far? Seems to be the million dollar question.
 
It is one system...master cyl lever (w/ without adj)...lines...slave cly / bracket....pusher rod....on the other side is the stack of steels and fibers...springs etc...if you have been in there a bit of color on the steels is ok provided they are in spec...if it slips under load it sounds like the discs are shot...if it...being the clutch... can not hook up it is a small group of parts that you should be concerned with
 
did you check stack height of fibers n plates? I've had an issue with mine of not engaging until it was 80% or more out. I've bled mine 4 times.. soon to be a 5th time as the DOT 4 is dirty. i've grown to live with the adjustment issue and the local dealer says its ok. its not slipping but i had thought to replace the discs and such. just the lack of funds to do it all. could be springs in basket are crap. sounds like you've done a lot in trying to correct your issue.. let me know if you get it corrected..
 
when they sit the oil glues the stack together pull clutches out and see if fibers and steels stuck together. when leaving long time sitting pull lever, crank bike let plates rattle apart and ziptie lever to bar. the spring then don't keep pressure on them to cause this.
 
The line is likely partially blocked or even collapsed. There is enough pressure to push past the blockage, but the clutch springs don't have enough pressure to push the fluid back through the blockage toward the reservoir, thus the clutch is pretty much frozen open. I fixed it without replacing anything. Just keep bleeding it with a proper bleeding tool and the blockage will probably break up. Once I thought that nothing else was breaking up, and all fluid coming out was clear. Id go ride (bring a few tools) with the fairing off until the clutch was frozen open again. When this happens just pull off the road and crack the bleed screw at the slave cylinder and it will squirt out some fluid. Tada... Your clutch will function again. Go back home and bleed it again and sure enough there will be more dirty fluid coming out. Keep doing it until your clutch works. If it doesn't fix itself, the line is collapsed and will need to be replaced though this isn't as likely as it just being a blockage. Good luch
 
This exact thing happened to me, and my wife and I pushed the bike A MILE BACK TO MY HOUSE. Read my post above and your problem will probably be fixed. If you get stranded just crack the slave cylinder bleed screw and your clutch will function again for a while. Pain in the rear but it will get you home.
 
I just replaced the bushing from dealer and my clutch lever from cycle gear on my 06 as someone said to check.. I did and they were worn bad. still the same problem tho .. it does not engage til approx 80 % out.. a little better but still the same. next step i may replace the hose and master cylinder.. worse case.. replace springs n clutch parts.. will see in due time..
 
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