Slippin' clutch life

[asnore]

I was planning trip to Norway starting this weekend with my R 1100 GS '94, but now I realised that clutch started to slip after leaving it for 10 days without riding. It's like slipping at first, but after few minutes of riding without pressing clutch it seems ok. If I will give to service or try to change clutch by myself, probably I will miss the trip to Norway, so what do you think, a bit slipping clutch will make another 4500 km ?

 

[Tsiklonaut]

Is your clutch cable freeplay OK on handlebar? Maybe you didn't had it right and clutch just wore out quickly.

You can replace the clutch yourself if you've worked on your bike previously. BMWs own manual is the best, if you don't have it I'll send it, it's a PDF file, 25MB or something. Haynes manual recommend removing the whole rear part to access the clutch, but it's not neceserry - you can lift the rear frame up, leaving all the cables etc on place, it's easier this way. You don't have to remove the swingarm too if you have some additional hands helping you - you can remove the gearbox+swingarm in one part carefully not bending the clutch pushrod.

From travel reports I know a guy who has done something 5000km or more with slipping clutch from Pakistan to Turkey where it got it finally sorted.

Good luck!

 

[asnore]

Clutch freeplay is OK, I have the manual, and allready changed the gearbox, but as I remember it was not very easy job to remove gearbox. I am afraid, that till friday I will not make it.

 

[MikeP]

Is your clutch cable freeplay OK

My mate reported that his 1100 clutch was starting to slip but only in certain circumstances.

I checked the cable free-play and readjusted it (at the lever and the actuator arm), its been okay since.

In my experience when a clutch starts terminal slipping it will be in all gears and from certain revs upwards. After-all, 'clutch-slip' due to wear happens when the friction material can no longer "clutch & hold" the flywheel constantly as the loads increase with flywheel speed.

Disclaimer; Of course this all may be complete bollox as I'm only an interested amateur when it comes to mechanical gubbins!

 

[richie]

yep, check out the play at the arm underneath. Did that on mine and rode for another 20K before selling the bike. As far as I know, its still going strong. 90K when I sold it.

 

[davegs]

clutch slip

make sure that the operating arm on the gearbox hasn't seized up, this happens and is difficult to get at do check this as it happend to a friend of mine also broke two clutch cables through the problem.
dave gs.

 

[Greg Masters]

To have an idea of how long the clutch will last, you really need to know why it is slipping in the first place.

If it’s slipping because the friction plate is worn, it really won’t last much longer at all. There’s no option here but to pull the bike apart and fit a new plate.

If it’s slipping because of mechanical maladjustment, you need to get the adjustment sorted quickly as the very act of slipping will massively accelerate the wear rate of the friction plate.

It the clutch is slipping because of oil contamination, (which may be characterised by a judder when engaging), it could last a fair while if the source of the contamination doesn’t get much worse.

Until you get to the heart of the problem, I’d hesitate to embark on a long tour.

Greg

 

[asnore]

I am thinking more of some seal problem, as when I have driven for a while, clutch stops slipping.