dodgy clutch replacement

[contact23]

I recently had my entire clutch replaced by a local independent and after 100 or so miles the clutch is again in bother , now it makes a squeaky noise when I pull the clutch lever and only engages the drive very lazily when the lever is fully out , it feels like the clutch is worn, I wonder did the guy replace the clutch at all, and did he merely make an adjustment. I am bringing it back to the garage next week so my question is does this sound like a botch or has anyone had any unusual teething problems with a clutch replacement?

 

[ghiribizzo]

There's no adjustment - the clutch operation is hydraulic.
Squeak? When you use the lever in/out? Does it squeak with motor off or squeak as you ride away?
Back to your mechanic to look at.
There's nothing 'you' can do internally.
Unfortunately you're a bit far to have a look!
Good luck...

 

[fizzer]

how much did he charge you ,that should give you some kind of indication to the work done.

 

[DrAlf]

More info required. How many miles on the bike and who diagnosed the clutch issue? I'm not 100% sure on 1200's but it could be a knackered clutch slave cylinder? What's the fluid level like? Any leaks?

 

[The Grey One]

Wait until you have taken it back rather than assuming the worse (and spreading it on here). If your man is genuine he will sort it, if not you can then tell us all about it. Don't go back with the kind of attitude which is implied by the tone of your post. Explaining and demonstrating the problem politely is the best way forward. Mechanical things, by their very nature have problems and even new parts can fail. Remember that if the guy has fitted a part that has subsequently failed he is responsible for this but it's not his fault (unless he fitted a known sub standard part)

Good luck

John

 

[contact23]

The bike has 30 k on it and as a result of the lever getting stuck on the guard the clutch got worn and for the last year I've been nursing it along and raising funds for the job , 750 euro, it was slipping quite badley towards the end of its life so I presumed the clutch was knackered and decided to have the entire clutch pack replaced as its such a labour intensive job to do anything with the clutch , better safe than sorry! I don't know what brand of clutch was used and when I asked to see the old one he said he had it thrown out.
The mineral oil level is just below the cap.
I will report back when I go to the mechanic , I was asking on here about any faults on clutch replacement so I could at least appear as if I had some knowledge when I return with it, and as we all know there are some mechanics who will say it was ok when it left here!

 

[davegs]

The bike has 30 k on it and as a result of the lever getting stuck on the guard the clutch got worn and for the last year I've been nursing it along and raising funds for the job , 750 euro, it was slipping quite badley towards the end of its life so I presumed the clutch was knackered and decided to have the entire clutch pack replaced as its such a labour intensive job to do anything with the clutch , better safe than sorry! I don't know what brand of clutch was used and when I asked to see the old one he said he had it thrown out.
The mineral oil level is just below the cap.
I will report back when I go to the mechanic , I was asking on here about any faults on clutch replacement so I could at least appear as if I had some knowledge when I return with it, and as we all know there are some mechanics who will say it was ok when it left here!

I'll ,bet the old plate was reused!

 

[fizzer]

for that kind of money i would expect the clutch has been replaced,but as said talk to the fitter,if hes genuine he will iron out any problems.

 

[JJH]

Thrown out the old part? I would always insist on seeing the old one. Just to satisfy my courisity. Anyway he could just show any old one. The fact that he had nothing to show you is worrying do you know anyone who might have some experience on bikes? JJH

 

[The Grey One]

Thrown out the old part? I would always insist on seeing the old one. Just to satisfy my courisity. Anyway he could just show any old one. The fact that he had nothing to show you is worrying do you know anyone who might have some experience on bikes? JJH

Asking to see old parts is meaningless. If they are trustworthy there is no point and if they are not then you have no idea if the parts shown actually came from your vehicle. Unless all old parts are given to each customer, and they take them away, you can never be certain that the parts shown were in fact removed from your vehicle. I don't know about Ireland but in England everything has to be disposed of properly. I used to have regular collections of metal, batteries, oils etc. so stuff did not hang around for long. You can't draw any conclusion from someone not having the old parts other than they have been taken away. I am sure if you asked before work commenced the old parts would have been available.

I am not defending anyone here just trying to point out that you should always give the person responsible for the repairs an opportunity to put this right. Making assumptions as to guilt and comments about people cutting corners are not helpful at this stage. My experience in the motor trade is that there are indeed dodgy dealers but there are also dodgy customers. Of course it is disappointing and annoying to have to go back but unless the guy really is a rogue he did not deliberately do a bad job of fit a bad part. Go in in that in mind and you are likely to get a good outcome. Going in guns blazing is going to get his back up, it's human nature .

I hope it is sorted quickly and also if he does turn out to be dodgy that we all hear about it,

John

 

[JJH]

Yes I agree but I spent 18 years working in the motor trade and I kinda know what I am talking about. I like to see old parts just to have a look and see for myself the wear/damage on the part. Of course he might have used a recon disc and had to give the old one in exchange or any number of reasons. €750 is a lot of money and I would be very worried in the same circumstances. I would love to know who the dealer is. Not on open post please. JJH

 

[Steptoe]

I make a point of showing the customer the old parts, whether they ask or not.
Plus the friction plates have dates stamped on them so unless the person doing the work has a large selection of worn plates you can't just produce any old plate. , i.e. if your bike is a 2006 model the friction plate will have either a late 2005 or early 2006 date stamped on it.
Even better if the bike has had a clutch fitted previously as only the owner would know what date it was fitted so the replacement friction plate would have to be a close match to the date the work was done previously. .

 

[Bendy toy]

Simply take it back and let the mechanic sort it out.

 

[Popell]

Yes I agree but I spent 18 years working in the motor trade and I kinda know what I am talking about. I like to see old parts just to have a look and see for myself the wear/damage on the part. Of course he might have used a recon disc and had to give the old one in exchange or any number of reasons. €750 is a lot of money and I would be very worried in the same circumstances. I would love to know who the dealer is. Not on open post please. JJH

While 750 seems a lot of money, unless I got a 'new one ripped', my recent replacement clutch (just the friction plate as it was contaminated by oil from the various seals) cost near 700 sterling - including a replacement heated grip and servo brake fluid flush. Original quote for entire clutch (all three parts) was £910!!
Main dealer as I haven't found inde local to me yet.
FYI, was shown the parts without asking (I would have asked anyway), bike has 17k on it and the clutch plate was annoyingly unworn and looked in great nick but was obviously contaminated - symptoms had been the clutch slipping after a while on a spirited ride, almost as though it was heat related...

 

[Steptoe]

The OP's problem sounds more a clutch slave cylinder failing rather than a clutch unit fault.

 

[JJH]

I would rather replace entire unit while the bike is striped if clutch was slipping = heat = weak pressure plate. My reciently traded in 12 rt had 92000 km on it without a clutch change. I have had 6 BMWs 3 rts 3 gs's oh and a r100/7 with a sidecar. Never had clutch bother. Just lucky. JJH

 

[Bendy toy]

The clutch on my GSA (47K) is not releasing as it should. Probably a slave or master cylinder issue but I'll need to get it checked professionally.

 

[Bendy toy]

The clutch on my GSA (47K) is not releasing as it should. Probably a slave or master cylinder issue but I'll need to get it checked professionally. Ive just found this. It looks like I need to change/bleed the clutch fluid. Maybe the OP's bike has a similar issue

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showth...ng-Gear-Change&highlight=1200+clutch+symptoms

When problems like this persist with brakes its likely to be worn seals in the master cylinder. They can be enough to let air in but hydraulic pressure seals them enough to stop oil getting out. The clutch gets used much more than the brake so seal lips could well be worn.

 

[contact23]

Update; I think steptoe and ghiribizzo nailed it with the slave cylinder , I returned it to the bike shop and fair play to the owner he took it in removed the slave cleaned it up refilled with fluid, and it now feels perfect, thanks for all replies , much appreciated.

 

[JJH]

Nice to hear JJH