Clutch Slippage help

[adelii]

Now that the carb issues are all fixed on bike i realized that the bike clutch slips after 6k rpm. I have to let go of the throttle then try again. Is there an adjustment? Or are the clutch pads fried? Tge bike has about 29,000 miles.


anybody have issues like this?


my brother had a bike that did the same thing, a more modern bike, sv1000 and he just had to change the oil viscosity and the problem went away. i hope its something simple.

[ViperRon]

Oil with friction modifiers do not normally work well with these clutches just do a search here and you will find many oil threads. Plain dino oils work best so oil is a possible issue. You have to have a good cable no binding the clutch leaver should snap back not slowly slide back and should have the little gap of freeplay the manual calls for. there is a write up on adjusting the clutch and if done by the book should work fine. If it is not adjusted right it will slip and if adjusted the other direction it will drag and cause shifting issues. TC and others have written up good pictorials on remove and replace the clutch along with measuring the fibers and cleaning the metal plates as well as replacing the springs. Barnet springs do not use EBC there is a thread here that gives the part number and sits to look at. Last if all the above does not fix it then look into new friction plates but do all other things first.
If the bike has set for some time the plates could have rust or sludge on them cleaning does miracles.

[BA80]

Now that the carb issues are all fixed on bike i realized that the bike clutch slips after 6k rpm. I have to let go of the throttle then try again. Is there an adjustment? Or are the clutch pads fried? Tge bike has about 29,000 miles.


anybody have issues like this?


my brother had a bike that did the same thing, a more modern bike, sv1000 and he just had to change the oil viscosity and the problem went away. i hope its something simple.

Generally there are 3 things that'll cause clutch slip;

1; oil issues. Just plain old 20/50 with no additives works best. Look for the API service stamp that's blank at the bottom.


2; improper adjustment. As was stated, follow the directions.

3; weak pressure plate springs. Easy fix, takes 30 -45 minutes.

Here's the replacement springs you need;

http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/SearchResults.asp?search=501-58-06045&mfg=&Search.x=14&Search.y=10

Or a little of all of the above.

Change the oil, replace the springs, and do a proper adjustment and you'll be golden. All of that will run you about $40.

[adelii]

exactly what i was looking for, thanks for the info.

[adelii]

Is clutch pull harder then most bikes on this bike? i find it unusually hard compared to most bikes. Normal?

[BA80]

Check your clutch cable and see if it's sticky. That can cause slippage too.

The 11 has a manual cable clutch release designed in the 70's. It ain't a Beamer.

[adelii]

yea i thought so

[dbeardslee]

In addition to what's already been mentioned, if the bike sat for a long time the friction plates may have deteriorated. If you change (or changed) the oil and see something that looks like kitty litter in it, it's an indication that the friction plates are shot - which will also cause slippage. JAT

[BA80]

Doug, that would be an inoperable clutch, far beyond slipping I would think. I've never run across it so I can't say for certain.

[adelii]

the bike only slips when i romp on it, about 5k rpm. runs good under normal easy riding.

[dbeardslee]

Doug, that would be an inoperable clutch, far beyond slipping I would think. I've never run across it so I can't say for certain.

When I first got Betsy the clutch was froze up and I had to pop it loose with the starter. I did an oil change and had quite a bit of kitty litter in the oil. The clutch still worked but it slipped under hard throttle. Tooling around at low rpms it was fine.

[adelii]

Is Barnett the premium clutch kit?


how about clutch cable?

[motoman]

Doug, that would be an inoperable clutch, far beyond slipping I would think. I've never run across it so I can't say for certain.

All good advice including BA80's. My added advice is likelihood of throw-out assembly under right sidecover is not adjusted correctly. An easy 5minute check and fix before suspecting anything farther. Totally loosen cable at handle bars BEFORE making any re-adjustment at throw-out assembly!

[BA80]

Is Barnett the premium clutch kit?


how about clutch cable?

The Barnett springs are a little heavier than stock. All the other replacements don't seem to hold up. They weaken pretty quickly.

The cables are pretty cheap on ebay. I have 2 new ones I keep around. One in my fairing and one in the garage.

A spare clutch cable and a spare throttle cable are a good idea to carry all the time.

I broke a clutch cable in a traffic jam on the way home from our epic trip out west last spring. Glad I kept the spare, I was back stuck in traffic in about 20 - 30 minutes.

[ViperRon]

Be careful about cheap cables on Ebay. On my first rally at lunch time I broke a brand new cable and we did a 15 minute swap repair on the side of the road because TC had a spare thank god. Greg you would not know about this as you were in the hospital. Just be careful as some of the cables made have an internal plastic coating and it will not hold up to the XS11 strong clutch and begins to bind. Just be weary and carry a spare as mine was only 3 weeks old. My bike engine had set for several years and I flushed it out but still the clutch plates had rusted. As I replied in the first message Use the right oil adjust the clutch do not go for the big stuff till the small and simple are taken care of first like Motoman suggested. Barnett springs are the only ones to get. If and only if everything else does not work then think about any clutch kit.

First time owners success with correcting problems is proportionally related to following recommendations step by step and not throwing parts at the problem