Clutch, anybody had this experience?

[GSMax]

Yesterday while on highway changing from 4 to 5th gear and hit the throttle. Clutch slipped until i closed the throttle a bit. After that i tried to reproduce it in 5th and 6th gear but everything seemed to be ok. R1200 GS/2010

Regards from Slovenia

 

[Shep]

Check that your handguards are clear of your clutch lever

 

[GSMax]

Thanks for suggestion, but that was first thing i checked yesterday.

 

[gipsymagpie]

Mine was oil on the clutch when that happened (ok if under warranty, otherwise bad). Unfortunately the bike needs to come apart to take a peak.

 

[Cobweb]

Mine was oil on the clutch when that happened (ok if under warranty, otherwise bad). Unfortunately the bike needs to come apart to take a peak.

Had a new clutch fitted to my 2011 this week after just 2000 miles. It's always had a very slight judder when first pulling away since it was new but Monday it gave up altogether. Wollaston BMW fitted a complete clutch under warranty and the difference is amazing, smooth as silk now. No oil on the plate so probably a pressure plate failure is the best guess.

 

[xjrjason]

1st thing to check is the fluid level isn't too high in the clutch master (on the handle bars)

Supposedly the oil can expand with heat and cause the clutch to slip. (This was the first suggestion by South London Motorcycles, when it happened to me)

After that they agreed it was the clutch slipping. Due to a crank seal leaking, new clutch and seal, was needed.

 

[GSMax]

1st thing to check is the fluid level isn't too high in the clutch master (on the handle bars)

Supposedly the oil can expand with heat and cause the clutch to slip. (This was the first suggestion by South London Motorcycles, when it happened to me)

After that they agreed it was the clutch slipping. Due to a crank seal leaking, new clutch and seal, was needed.

Thanks, it sounds reasonable in my case. No problem when cold, but hot ambient and 300 km can make some trouble when overfilled. will check that and report.

 

[Wapping]

Yesterday while on highway changing from 4 to 5th gear and hit the throttle. Clutch slipped until i closed the throttle a bit. After that i tried to reproduce it in 5th and 6th gear but everything seemed to be ok. R1200 GS/2010

Regards from Slovenia

As the problem seems to have gone away and not come back.

Are you very sure it was clutch slip? Clutch slip manifests itself as rapidly rising rev's (caused by twisting the throttle in the hope of accelerating) with no good corresponding increase in forward speed. You do not tell us if it slipped on initial acceleration from stopped or when accelerating from first to second, 2 to 3, 3 to 4.... only that it did not occur between 5th and 6th. Reading between the lines of your post, it seems to have happened once, just between 4th and 5th gears, when accelerating on a major road.

I suspect you simply failed to engage 5th gear properly, meaning the bike fell into a false neutral between 4th and 5th gears. You then hit the throttle, with no corresponding acceleration (but loads of rev's) as you were not in gear. Closing the throttle unloaded the gearbox and the gear engaged properly curing the problem.

If everything is now fine, your very temporary problem is over.

 

[hiup]

Try removing a little fluid from the clutch reservoir. As these clutches wear the fluid in the reservoir increases. Can cause the clutch to 'slip' a little under load/when hot.

 

[Pukmeister]

The clutch on my 2008 GSA slipped when accelerating up into 5th gear, I suspected either oil contamination or glazing of the friction plate.

Since doing a lot more touring on the bike, the slipping hasn't reoccurred so I presume it was glazing which has now worn off.

 

[Rasher]

Had a new clutch fitted to my 2011 this week after just 2000 miles. It's always had a very slight judder when first pulling away since it was new but Monday it gave up altogether. Wollaston BMW fitted a complete clutch under warranty and the difference is amazing, smooth as silk now. No oil on the plate so probably a pressure plate failure is the best guess.

Mine has always been a bit juddery on pulling away, I assumed it was just the lumpy motor - could this be an issue and if so how do you prove if it is faulty or not?

 

[Wapping]

how do you prove if it is faulty or not?

By comparing it with another 'non-juddery' one, perhaps? Just a wild guess, mind.

could this be an issue

No doubt it will now develop into one