800 miles/2 Weeks Between Problems, Clutch Now!

st247

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Begining to get to be a bit of a joke bike now:mad:. After the corroding starter solenoid wiring and bolloxed alternator comes the next thrilling installment.....

The clutch has decided to start slipping:blast. It only happens in the higher gears, usually when the rev's hit 5k. I get about 500 to 1000rpm of slip before the engine catches up.

So.....

I've took a bit of fluid out of the resovoir (which was within it's limits) - no change.

Removed the starter to check for oil in the bell housing - no oil present all looks well.

Removed the clutch slave cylinder to make sure that wasn't sticking. Slave cylinder seems to be working as it should. Clutch pushrod is free to move.

Did my best to get a measurement of the clutch plate thickness - rudimentarty measurement suggests approx 5mm - getting close to the 4.6mm wear limit.

So it would appear to be a worn out clutch, so i have a couple of questions-

Is there anything else i'm missing?

Anyone else had a clutch worn out in 20k miles?

Can the gearbox be removed without removing the subframe completely? (looks as though it's not possible due to the proximity of the greabox to the subframe on the rhs)
 
Failed Clutch

Yep. My clutch went after 6,000km's and in exactly the same way you describe. Clutch would slip around 5,000rpm and only in 4th, 5th or 6th under heavy load i.e. pulling the throttle back to the stop. It gradually got worse in the month or so I was waiting for it to get fixed by BMW under warranty. I did all the usual checks as well, hand guard fowling clutch leaver, reservoir to full etc...

Take it to the dealer and get a new clutch under warranty and hey presto new clutch :)

Cheers,
Delirious.
 
Delirious said:
Yep. My clutch went after 6,000km's and in exactly the same way you describe. Clutch would slip around 5,000rpm and only in 4th, 5th or 6th under heavy load i.e. pulling the throttle back to the stop. It gradually got worse in the month or so I was waiting for it to get fixed by BMW under warranty. I did all the usual checks as well, hand guard fowling clutch leaver, reservoir to full etc...

Take it to the dealer and get a new clutch under warranty and hey presto new clutch :)

Cheers,
Delirious.
Click to expand...

Bikes now over three years old and well out of warranty, so unfortunatley thats a no go. Was yours just wear or did it have the oil leaks? 6000k's sounds fairly crap for normal wear.
 
No sign of any oil leaks at all. The clutch would just slip under heavy load at around 5,000rpm. The tacho would race round to 6,000rpm before settling back with the engine at around 5,500rpm and then carry on accelerating.

Since it has been changed it has been great but I've only managed to put a 1,000km's on it in the month I've had it back so I can't say if it is going to go again like the previous one. I'm hoping not and that I was just unlucky with this one. Previous bike was a VFR800 with 50,000km's over 4 years on the same clutch and that was still going strong so I know it's not a crappy riding style :augie

Sorry to hear you are out of waranty on yours. 20,000 miles for a clutch failure doesn't sound like a lot.

Cheers,
Delirious.
 
Clutch Slip

Have you checked that the handguard is not fouling the clutch lever ?

Even the slightest interferance can cause the clutch to slip, I had that :augie

Worth checking
 
boxster said:
Have you checked that the handguard is not fouling the clutch lever ?

Even the slightest interferance can cause the clutch to slip, I had that :augie

Worth checking
Click to expand...


First check i did when it first happened. Been caught out like that before so i seem to have picked up the habit of flicking the levers out as i ride.

Never had OCD before i bought a GS:blast
 
Well guess i've answered some of my own questions-

bikeclutch006.jpg


bikeclutch002.jpg


bikeclutch004.jpg


bikeclutch005.jpg
 
Now you have it apart, does anything seem physically wrong with it ie wear, oil leak onto friction plate, weak pressure plate springs etc etc.

You are obviously pretty confident with a spanner.

EDIT: You don't have much luck either by the looks of things do you. Lets hope this is the final problem with your bike.
 
How long...................................

Hi, how long did it take you to strip it that far? I just made it home tonight with a slipping clutch and gear oil being thrown out of the bell housing. I'm assuming the gearbox input oilseal has gone. Just after a rough idea how long it'll take to strip it out?

I did the clutch on my 1100RT, the subframe hinged out of the way on that far enough to get the gearbox out, but it sounds like that's not the case with the 1200.

Good luck with it.

Keith.
 
Pukmeister said:
Now you have it apart, does anything seem physically wrong with it ie wear, oil leak onto friction plate, weak pressure plate springs etc etc.

You are obviously pretty confident with a spanner.

EDIT: You don't have much luck either by the looks of things do you. Lets hope this is the final problem with your bike.
Click to expand...

No signs of any oil leaks from either the engine or the gearbox. The only visible sign of damage is some blueing of the pressure plate and cover plate. The friction plate is at 5mm so should have still had some life in it. Everything else seemed fine, although i've no way of checking how good the springs are. Clutch master and slave ok, pushrod ok, so i've got to just put it down to wear.

I'd like to say it was because of the massive third gear wheelies, but alas i'm no stuntman. I hope its the last problem as well, at least for a good while.

52blackshadow said:
Hi, how long did it take you to strip it that far? I just made it home tonight with a slipping clutch and gear oil being thrown out of the bell housing. I'm assuming the gearbox input oilseal has gone. Just after a rough idea how long it'll take to strip it out?

I did the clutch on my 1100RT, the subframe hinged out of the way on that far enough to get the gearbox out, but it sounds like that's not the case with the 1200.

Good luck with it.

Keith.
Click to expand...

Took about four hours to strip it down. The most awkward parts were -

finding a way of securing the front of the bike as the centre stand goes with the subframe assy leaving the front a bit on the wobbly side whilst it's balanced on my crappy old jack.

Getting the gearbox off - stuck on the two dowels:mad:

Don't know whether it'll hinge up or not. It may do ,but i think it'd probably be as much, if not more, work.

Apart from that it's a fairly straightforward job. I used the Reprom CD which just about covers it all. It misses out cutting a couple of cable ties here and there but there easily spotted when you remove the rear section.

Just waiting for a delivery from Motoworks then i'll be back in the garage to rebuild it.
 
Thanks.....................................

Thanks ST, that helps a lot. Wish me luck, I think it'll take longer than 4 hours to clear enough space in the garage to get started.

All the best,

Keith.
 
Well bikes now back together and been for a short ride. The clutch action feels a lot lighter than it did before, but apart from that normal service is resumed.

As for the job, it's not as bad as i'd expected. Take your time and follow the service manual and you can't really go far wrong. I didn't use any of the special tools mention apart from two studs to hold the headstock frame whilst the bike is split. I made them out of a couple of 8mm bolts with the heads cut off and slots cut for a screwdriver.

Things to pay attention to are-

Making sure that you've removed all the cable ties as you spit the bike (not all of them are shown in the Reprom).

Take car of the solid metal brake lines when splitting and joining the bike. It would be easy to bend them.(this may not apply if you've not got ABS:nenau)

Make sure you know the routing of the electrics and fuel lines for the throttle bodies as they follow a bit of a convoluted route and only fit one way. Might be a good idea to take a couple of photo's as you go.

It's a good idea to clean the gearbox dowels and give them a bit of copperslip. My gearbox was well stuck. Hopefully if it has to come off again in the future it'll be easier.

As for total time, well you could probably do it in a day, but an easy weekend would be a better bet.
 
st247 said:
Well bikes now back together and been for a short ride. ........................Take car of the solid metal brake lines when splitting and joining the bike. It would be easy to bend them.(this may not apply if you've not got ABS:nenau)
Click to expand...


Good job st247.:bow

Unfortunately the gearbox oil seal on my bike appears to have failed and I’m seriously looking to split the bike and replace the seal and clutch plate. I’m reasonably happy about splitting the bike but a little concerned about bleeding the ABS. How did you do yours - did you use the method and tools specified in ADVrider?

Any advice would be appreciated.
 
torque said:
Good job st247.:bow

Unfortunately the gearbox oil seal on my bike appears to have failed and I’m seriously looking to split the bike and replace the seal and clutch plate. I’m reasonably happy about splitting the bike but a little concerned about bleeding the ABS. How did you do yours - did you use the method and tools specified in ADVrider?

Any advice would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I followed the reprom CD's instructions, took my time and probably bled more fluid through than was actually required. I didn't use any filler attachment for the rear brakes circuit (at the ABS pump), all I did was open and close the bleed nipple a couple of times then topped the reservoir up . I have no way to check apart from the fact that there's no ABS warning lights on and the rear brake (the only circuit that you break into) feels as good as before.

Have PM'd you aswell.
 
st247 said:
Well guess i've answered some of my own questions-

bikeclutch006.jpg


bikeclutch002.jpg


bikeclutch004.jpg


bikeclutch005.jpg
Click to expand...

Are those wellies from shot BMW dealers. talk about about taking the P these boys had been walking around ina lot of crap. I bet you enjoyed pulling that lot down Phew what a bloody job well done mate:beerjug::thumb2:clap
 
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