slipping and revving

[screamin deal]

The last few days have been beautiful so I take the old girl out for a ride. Still not perfect on the air to fuel even though I stepped up one size on the jets. Anyways she was running good enough for a short putt. I just get on the old country road and start to give er some gas and the motor revs up and the bike keeps same speed then the motor slow and both bike and motor slowly accelerate. Can't say speed or rpm because my guages are fubar right now. They were going to be next but it sounds like I might have another problem .Anyone got any ideas.

[prometheus578]

The last few days have been beautiful so I take the old girl out for a ride.

If you're married and your wife reads that line... you'll have another problem on your hands.
Be that as it may....
First... check that your clutch cable has a little slack in it. The clutch lever should have a little play in it. If not, then the clutch pack may not be fully engaging and you're getting slippage.
If that's all in order, then... you may need to replace your clutch plates, as they're worn and the clutch is slipping.
Now then... if you've just changed your oil and didn't tell us... and you used some super slippery synthetic junk... that can cause clutches to slip, too.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Prom, You're slipping about as bad as his clutches!

Sorry Prom,

But you forgot to mention that he may need to just do the adjustment at the side of the engine under the 2 phillips screwed adjuster clutch cover plate on the right side. If the throwout rod is adjusted too far in towards the clutch, then it won't allow the clutches to engage fully, hence the slippage!

So...aside from the proper amount of slack in the cable, make sure you have the throwout rod tension set right, see the tech tips for details and how to!
T.C.

[prometheus578]

What would the great Holmes think of all this?

I slippeth not, Sir!

Well, let's see... two main points I addressed.
Oil, and also the clutch lever adjustment.


Firstly, I recall that he had a flooding carb issue and that he recently changed his oil. Now, he never stated what type of oil he put back in. He also never stated that previously he had any trouble with clutch slippage. So... one might logically conclude, in the manner of Sherlock, given the sparsity of details provided... that this recent outburst of clutch maladies might be oil related.

Also you would note, T.C.... (if you were the type to note things...)
that he hasn't ridden his bike for a little while (how long, he doesn't say) but, since the weather is nice now, he decides to go for a little spin.

Now.. some people, when prepping their bikes after not riding for a while (be it days or a few months)... walk around their bikes checking this, checking that... making a few adjustments here and there as it might be.
If this is the case, it's just possable that he said to himself,
"Gee.. that clutch lever play feels a little sloppy... I think that I'll tighten it up a bit."
Again.. if this were the case... it's just possible that he overtightened the cable adjuster at the lever, causing the clutch to not fully engage.

Again, as he's never complained about his clutch slipping before.... this might lead some to conclude that it's sudden onset was caused by something that he recently did.

Working on that assumption... I find it highly unlikely that, during his quick, pre-ride walk-around, he said to himself,
"Gee... why don't I take off the clutch cover and mis-adjust the clutch play and throw out rod!"

[screamin deal]

I did both

Yes I changed my oil, I used Castrol gtx, just looked at the bottle it has some unique anti sludge..... I am changing it again. I also had noticed during my test run that my clutch was not disengaging my motor when pulled in soooo I adjusted it at the handlebar , maybe too much I will recheck. Besides having great information you two are cracking me up.

[webbcraft2150]

We have to humor Prom every now and then. As you can see by the clock times he sends a repy, he spends an awful lot of time at home, awake, and by himself. TC has sorta taken him under his wing and trys to keep him on an even keel. Prom is truly a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the XS11. It just takes awhile for those seeking his profound wisdom to not feel lower than whale sheet when he answers a post. Most of us have grown accustom to his verbal jabs and thrusts and no longer require professional help to bring our self esteem back up.

Now back to your clutch. If the cable is adjusted right, you MIGHT need new discs and springs, but I would bet on the springs being weak. I replaced my clutch and every disc and steel was well within specs at over 65k on the clock. EVERY spring was out of spec. Springs are inexpensive and can be replaced without pull the whole clutch. Watch out for "breaking the star".

[prometheus578]

"Man! Am I good, or what?"

Heheheheheee.
Probably not the oil, Screamin Deal, as a lot of us run Castrol GTX 20w50. So, unless they changed their formula...

Yeah, Webbcraft...
It's the little things that I do for (to) others that give my life so much pleasure.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Deal,

Yeah, when dealing with Prom, Friction modifyers are good to have!

Castrol GTX is just fine, they have just been using their spin dept. to promote their antisludge properties. I went to their website and looked up the GTX oil, but they don't show the actual API seals, but their descriptions of the oil is the same as it was before. SO...like Prom said, it's probably not the oil.

However, have you lubricated the clutch cable lately, it can get corrosion inside it that can inhibit it's full travel, and so after you pull the lever, it won't necessarily release all the way due to excessive friction within the cable.

But yes, the springs get sprung fairly quickly, like a matter of a few years.
T.C.

[screamin deal]

another test run

I'm riding down the road at about 45 in 4th I grab some throttle no clutch and the motor revs and then catches to accelerate.Hmmm . I shift to 5th and am cruising along at about 65 I grab a handful of throttle and again it revs and then catches and slowly accelerates. If I throttle slowly it works fine. From a dead stop it accelerates fine in 1st and 2nd then she starts to act up. Please don't say transmission. Gentlemen, I am scared. Does my bike need a serious operation ?

[DGXSER]

Transmission seems to hit 1st and 2nd more so. But the Gurus like TC and Prom will give you much more "expereinced" info on that. Stills sounds like a slipping clutch to me though.

Had a VW bug once that only showed the clutch issues on the highway same thing, would slip then catch and be ok till I put power to it, then slip again.

The springs are pretty inexpensive form what I have seen and easy to get to really.

Even the tranny work is doable, heck, even I did it and it worked!

[Ivan]

If the clutch is adjusted right, then you have a few options, none of them difficult.

You can put an extra steel in the pack

You can put bigger beefier springs in teh clutch (I think Vesrah makes them)

You can make spring shims.

In the original post, it said you have the fuel and air mix almost hammered out, and I'll bet the weak clutch has been there all along, and that you have just realized the true power of the engine, and the clutch can't keep up.

I have used everything from super slick synthetics to diesel engine oil in my XS, and haven't noticed one oil slipping worse than the other, but that's just me and I live in Kansas. I usually put some of that Lucas oil snot in it too, so maybe that has something to do with it. I can tell you this, I haven't had one single water leak in my XS since I have used it. All that is to say, I don't think oil type matters if your clutch is up to the task.

[XSPastor]

Slip slidin' away...

It seems, by all the symptoms, to be a plain old ordinary slipping clutch; if it is adjusted correctly. Replacing the springs and making sure the steels and friction plates are within spec will probably clear up your problem. You could sand the steels a bit to deglaze them while you've got 'em out. Weak springs are the most likely cause. Cheap and easy to replace. This is not a tranny problem.

[prometheus578]

If your cable and lever are properly adjusted, then it's just the clutch plates slipping... not tranny/gear problems.

A slipping clutch is always felt in the higher gears, not the lower. Higher gears are for speed, not power. What this means is that in fourth or fifth gear you can make the rear wheel turn faster, but there's no power behind the gearing. This is the same reason why you can't take off from a red light in fourth or fifth gear. (of course, you're not supposed to take off from red lights... only from green lights)
Anyway... with a slipping clutch, at higher gearing, there is not the power available to make the rear wheel spin faster, so it's easier for the clutch plates to just slip and spin instead of transferring power.

Adam79 just did a tranny fix but also replaced his clutch. A lot of info in that thread... but the clutch stuff starts around page #4.
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20684&page=5

[DELL82]

I too am having this problem.
snip
I'm riding down the road at about 45 in 4th I grab some throttle no clutch and the motor revs and then catches to accelerate.Hmmm . I shift to 5th and am cruising along at about 65 I grab a handful of throttle and again it revs and then catches and slowly accelerates. If I throttle slowly it works fine.
snip
When my motor starts to rev then the clutch catches and the rear wheel jerks forward, like I was releasing the clutch handle from a slipping position.

Have replaced the clutch cable, slight kink and a rusty spot in old one, oiled and adjusted the clutch and hand piece to proper spec. 55000mi on clock.

If I need springs where can I get them?
Dell82

[XSPastor]

Ebay Clutch springs

I used these and have had no problems...

Ebay Clutch springs

Don't worry about the year they state - they're all the same.