Smelly clutch

[R Savage]

Ever since I've had my 1150GS the clutch has had a tendancy to get hot and smell - both in traffic and on a non-stop run. The first time it happened I took it to my dealer (SLM) fearing clutch slip. After a test they said it was quite normal for GS clutches to smell hot and it was not slipping.

So, anyone else suffer from a stinking clutch? Would a generous puff of clutch cleaner through the bellhousing hole have any beneficial or, more important, detrimental effects?

I have noticed that the GS clutch has the least 'feel' of any hydraulic clutch that I've used. Can anything be done about that?


TIA

Richard

 

[[email protected]]

Richard, be careful with the clutch!

I got stuck in a deep mud hole and it took me half an hour to get off. And in the deep sand I got in trouble, too. Both times the heavily grinding clutch did produce blue smoke an smelled yet nearly half an hour later. You can kill this clutch with extreme usage.

But beside this extrem usage I had never any problem with the clutch.

OH

 

[MikeO]

I've come accross a hot smell from my ADV's clutch when it's working hard - heavily laden off road etc - but quite why yours smells on a run, when it's doing no work at all, is a mystery.

Mike

 

[split28]

Did some moderate offroading last week and the clutch smelt a bit also found that I suddenly couldn't change down through the gears even though clutch lever was fully pulled back!

Then after a couple of miles it righted itself? Hasn't done it since...I'm no mechanic so haven't a clue what caused it, anyone out there give a reason.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

I wash mine every night - seems to stop most of the smell........








oooooooooh, clutch ??

 

[(RIP) maverick]

Make sure there is enough free play on the clutch cable and that you don't slip/drag it to much. The GS clutches can be a bugger when not treated right.

 

[pikeydave]

With hydraulic clutches when you start slipping/abusing the clutch friction plate the heat generated can boil the hydraulic fluid in the slave cylinder causing vagueness and creep. Prob with mine was a weeping slave cylinder so here's another scenario. Maybe a little bit of hydraulic (well it's only DOT4!) fluid is getting on the friction material?
My GPz900 was notorious when hot in traffic to start boiling it's fluid. Ended up one day trying to push a 2CV out into traffic!

 

[schnauzer]

When stuck in the queue to get out of the Motogp last year my clutch stank like hell by the time I got going.......