My GSA is 10 months old, 4000 miles(I know i need to get out more..) and twice in recent weeks have had the clutch slip and a horrible burning smell.... i was working it hard at the time, long run, using the clutch on very tight corners and hairpins but is this right? An anorac tells me the early 1200GSA had a poor clutch and it was changed on the production line Setember ish, anyone esle shed any light on this. After 10 mins round the block the dealer cant find anything wrong....surprise surprise!
Clutch Slip/Burn
- Thread starter bmconvert
- Start date
(RIP) Bin Ridin
Registered user
Check if handguards are preventing the lever from extending fully....both brake and clutch have this issue.
Big Lee
Registered user
Are you sure it was clutch slip & not wheelspin? 
there has been a problem with engine gearbox seals leaking oil on to the clutch plates it does produce a burning smell the first signs on the extirior is oil showing on the gearbox engine joint .. my gs1200 seals failed and this is how it looked ..i suppose it could be contaminated before it shows on the joint
it smells a bit like hot metal just after welding ..
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bigchris
Registered user
Could this be a warranty job? Mines been doing this too recently and thought it was just roadkill burning on header pipes etc..
THE DOCTOR
Registered user
I've got that burning oil smell as well.
How easy is it to check the g/box oil level? I'm riding to France next month then Scotland the following week, I recon it'd be a good idea to check my level.
How easy is it to check the g/box oil level? I'm riding to France next month then Scotland the following week, I recon it'd be a good idea to check my level.
There are, I reckon, just three reasons why a clutch would slip:
It's entirely possible that you could wear your clutch out in 4k miles (however, you'd have to be pretty mechanically unsympathetic to achieve that - but if you regularly slip the clutch for example by using it to hold the bike on a hill or feeding the clutch in against high engine revs everytime you change gear, you could have worn it out!). The only solution is to have the bike apart and install a new clutch.
I don't know much about the 1200 specifically, but oil contamination is by no means unknown on earlier models. It requires very little oil to shag the clutch. I certainly wouldn't be worrying about the gearbox oil level in this scenario. Again the only answer is to have the bike apart and replace both the clutch and the first motion shaft oil seal.
Mechanical problems within the clutch itself are unlikely (but not impossible). Best course is to check that the clutch lever is fully released and that there is nothing interfering with the release arm or slave cylinder. If the pressure plate has broken, again, you'll have to fit new.
If you're going on a tour with a suspect clutch (don't!), it is essential that you look after it. When a clutch slips for any reason, the friction plate heats up. The wear on the friction plate is exponentially higher when it is hot compared when with at normal operating temperature. So if it's slipping, wick down the power asap until the clutch bites again. Then treat it with kid gloves until it has cooled down. You might get home that way!
Greg
- Wear of the driven plate
- Contamination of the driven plate
- Mechanical maladjustment or breakage
It's entirely possible that you could wear your clutch out in 4k miles (however, you'd have to be pretty mechanically unsympathetic to achieve that - but if you regularly slip the clutch for example by using it to hold the bike on a hill or feeding the clutch in against high engine revs everytime you change gear, you could have worn it out!). The only solution is to have the bike apart and install a new clutch.
I don't know much about the 1200 specifically, but oil contamination is by no means unknown on earlier models. It requires very little oil to shag the clutch. I certainly wouldn't be worrying about the gearbox oil level in this scenario. Again the only answer is to have the bike apart and replace both the clutch and the first motion shaft oil seal.
Mechanical problems within the clutch itself are unlikely (but not impossible). Best course is to check that the clutch lever is fully released and that there is nothing interfering with the release arm or slave cylinder. If the pressure plate has broken, again, you'll have to fit new.
If you're going on a tour with a suspect clutch (don't!), it is essential that you look after it. When a clutch slips for any reason, the friction plate heats up. The wear on the friction plate is exponentially higher when it is hot compared when with at normal operating temperature. So if it's slipping, wick down the power asap until the clutch bites again. Then treat it with kid gloves until it has cooled down. You might get home that way!
Greg
Check the clutch hydraulic reservoir level. You need to depress two tamper proof lugs on the cap with screwdrivers to undo it, its a bit fiddly. If the cylinder is full, get a syringe and draw a few CC off.
As the friction plate wears on the 1200's the fluid level goes UP not down. This eventually causes hydraulic lock and when the fluid gets hot and expands, it takes up a bit of the clutch action (normally during spirited riding, bit dont ask me how I know
).
Removing a drop of fluid restores its action to normal.
As the friction plate wears on the 1200's the fluid level goes UP not down. This eventually causes hydraulic lock and when the fluid gets hot and expands, it takes up a bit of the clutch action (normally during spirited riding, bit dont ask me how I know
). Removing a drop of fluid restores its action to normal.
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