Slippage under acceleration

[angelican]

I would like to know if factors such as lubrications would affect slippage with the clutch? At 27,000 mi. with a 1978 xs1100e, I wonder? Yes age might be a factor,or former owners riding habits.. I need input before I tear down

[petejw]

Hey there,
Oil can be a contributing factor for a slipping clutch,
are you aware of the adjustment at the clutch actuator
as well as at the lever?
If you do a search on here , it should provide threads on adjustment.

[oseaghdha]

Likely the problem is 30 year old springs.
But, as long as you're in there throw in some new frictions and forget about it for another 30 years.

[dbeardslee]

I would like to know if factors such as lubrications would affect slippage with the clutch?

It isn't recommended to run oil with friction modifiers. You can tell by looking at the sae circle on the oil can - there should be no writing in the lower part of the circle. These bikes have a wet clutch, so the same oil you put in the crankcase lubes the clutch plates. I run the cheapest 20w50 dyno I can find, and just change it every 2k miles.

[TADracer]

I vote for weak clutch springs. New clutch springs might be what you need and these are easily changed with the bike on the side stand. While you are in there you may want to check the steel plates and see if any are glazed. to do this you will need an impact to get the large nut off of the carrier. If any steels are glazed, you can refinish them by hand using some 400 grit sandpaper.

But FIRST, if you are running synthetic or automotive oil, try changing to motorcycle oil designed for wet clutches and ride for a few days or a week to see if there is any improvement. I use Castrol 4-T but that is just my preference. If no improvement in your clutch performance then go for the springs. They are cheap at only $10.00 or $15.00 per set and you dont even have to drain the oil if you change them with the bike on the side stand.