Clutch shagged?

Howard J

Who?
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
1,273
Reaction score
54
Location
Chester
First time out this year, in fact probably first time out since last November. When accelerating hard in 4th or 5th it seems like the clutch is slipping I.e revs rise and no drive. Questions are could it be anything else? Reasonably ok with the spanners so can I replace it myself? What parts do I need and the best place to get them? Thanks
 
Mine did this recently after being parked up for a few months. Try and take it steady. Could be a slight oil leak on the rear seal that may burn off.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
which bike? if it’s cable operated check it’s properly adjusted. need free play on the actuator arm at the back of the gearbox. no free play can cause the clutch not to disengage fully and slip. fast way to a buggered clutch.

it could also be oil on the clutch plate, take the starter off, pull the clutch and see if it looks dry in there.

it could also be a good old fashioned worn out clutch though...
 
Thanks for the replies, sorry it's a 2003 1150gs with over 111,000 miles, good service history mainly by Steptoe, but nothing showing any clutch work.
 
It’s not unheard of for the rubber bonding between the two sections of the driveshaft to fail resulting in very similar symptoms. If it is going a quick peek inside the final drive by pulling back the rubber boot should confirm it. (There will be flecks of rubber in the housing potentially if it’s failing).
 
So, today I took it to bits, clutch plate was not really worn but I will replace it whilst I am in here, it looks like its the slave cylinder leaking has caused the slipping, does that seem correct? Can I repair with new seals?

LazAcNOh.jpg


k5mnTfK.jpg
 
You need to be certain it’s brake fluid,not gearbox oil coming from rear input seal



Edit, also worth drilling a small hole in the gearbox/slave housing,to allow any potential future leak to drain without contaminating the new clutch
 
You need to be certain it’s brake fluid,not gearbox oil coming from rear input seal



Edit, also worth drilling a small hole in the gearbox/slave housing,to allow any potential future leak to drain without contaminating the new clutch

Thanks Mike, how can I tell which one it is?
 
Gear oil has a pretty unique smell,
Failing that dip your finger in the residue and taste it on the tip of your tongue,brake fluid is really bitter,gear oil just tastes oily
Best of luck:barf

Thanks Mike, I think it is gear oil as it does have that unique smell, would this leak onto the Pushrod causing the clutch slip? So I presume it's the seal in the gearbox I need to renew?
 
did you only change the clutch friction plate or the hole clutch unit
 
You could probably use a pick set to pull the seal,
I just split the box,I can give the internals a look over check the bearings etc,and replace the seal set.
I’m coming from a different place though,!
If I just replace the seal,and it turned out that the shaft was pitted due to corrosion I couldn’t see ,or some other issue ,
I kinda own the problem IYSWIM.
I end up doing the job twice and paying a hefty parts bill.
So I’d rather know all is well than think it.:thumby:
 
Thanks Mike, bike now has around 111,000 miles and is worth a couple of grand at the very most, so not really worth chucking a load of cash at, going to change it towards the end of the year for a 1200 GSA so it's not long term for me and would help, but not add much value when it comes to sell.
 
Whatever has sullied your clutch - hydrau fluid or gear oil - that slave cylinder is truly banjaxxed.

The item is woefully under-specified anyway for the job it has to do, because it was designed for push-bikes not motorbikes, so even though you'll be offloading the bike soon, it's worth buying and fitting a new slave cylinder. Remember that the felt collar / sleeve on the pushrod is an anti-rattle device only, it's not intended to stop fluid being pumped along the rod by a failed slave cylinder or leaking tranny seal.
And if you want to play the white man, get the newishly-available Thailand-made longer-hubbed friction plate when you replace the clutch.

And as mentioned above, it's a good idea to drill through the bottom of the slave cylinder housing to act as a fluid drain pathway. Only a little-diameter hole is needed.
 


Back
Top Bottom