Hello All
Works fine on the move but causes clunk when trying to move off.No basket wear or release problem and the plates are clean and oil always good.Seems the inner plates are binding whilst in neutral and is a real pain.Any one else suffering this? I may try a full cassette swap but fear a waste of money.
Ruining my life.
Cheers.
Clutch Binding
Re: Clutch Binding
Have you tried replacing fluid and bleeding the clutch hydraulics?
It may be that your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
VTR Firestorm and other bikes t-shirts
VTR Firestorm and other bikes t-shirts-
oldbikeman
- Posts: 280
- Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:32 pm
Re: Clutch Binding
Yip and I'm quite stuck over it.It all looks like new so I can only think to swap stuff.If other folk's are OK then there must be a reason .I have an old Kwak with a lot a miles on it and it's clutch is well grotty but still works a treat.I have had bikes with this before but come OK when warmed up.I've had all the plates on glass and are fine.You can see that the outer plates are parting through the oil filler plug hole and they come loose with your fingers it but still makes a horrible bang when I engage first.oldbikeman wrote:Hello All
Works fine on the move but causes clunk when trying to move off.No basket wear or* RELEASE!* problem and the plates are clean and oil always good.Seems the inner plates are binding whilst in neutral and is a real pain.Any one else suffering this? I may try a full cassette swap but fear a waste of money.
Ruining my life.
Cheers.
Re: Clutch Binding
What your milage?
Might be worth banging in new clutch plates and springs and seeing how it responds.
If it's clutch basket wear & tear then Tony Mons in Kent is testing something that might possibly cure it. Have a search for 'clutch wear' to find the relevant threads.
Might be worth banging in new clutch plates and springs and seeing how it responds.
If it's clutch basket wear & tear then Tony Mons in Kent is testing something that might possibly cure it. Have a search for 'clutch wear' to find the relevant threads.
It may be that your whole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
VTR Firestorm and other bikes t-shirts
VTR Firestorm and other bikes t-shirts
Re: Clutch Binding
If it's the 1st gear engage as you go to pull away, I think they all do it. The only time I can stop it from happening is if I hold the clutch lever in for a good ten seconds before engaging 1st gear, but this only seems to work on the first start up before the engine oil has been warmed up.
When I bought my Suzuki GS1000 many many years ago (it was my first big cc bike) that did the same thing. Like yourself I was annoyed by this. I replaced all the clutch plates including the steel ones, filed down any indents on the clutch basket and went over everything to do with the clutch with a fine tooth comb. It still did it
Personally I think it's to do with the size of the clutch (remember it's a big clutch that has to handle around 100bhp) and the amount of oil it holds between the plates themselves makes them stay stuck together until that 1st gear is engaged. That clunk is the bit where the plates separate. When I hold the clutch in on the initial start up for ten seconds this allows the centrifugal force to act in allowing the oil to be flung out which allows the plates to break free of each other. That's only my opinion, and if anyone else has a better idea of what's going on I'm all ears
Chris.
When I bought my Suzuki GS1000 many many years ago (it was my first big cc bike) that did the same thing. Like yourself I was annoyed by this. I replaced all the clutch plates including the steel ones, filed down any indents on the clutch basket and went over everything to do with the clutch with a fine tooth comb. It still did it
Personally I think it's to do with the size of the clutch (remember it's a big clutch that has to handle around 100bhp) and the amount of oil it holds between the plates themselves makes them stay stuck together until that 1st gear is engaged. That clunk is the bit where the plates separate. When I hold the clutch in on the initial start up for ten seconds this allows the centrifugal force to act in allowing the oil to be flung out which allows the plates to break free of each other. That's only my opinion, and if anyone else has a better idea of what's going on I'm all ears
Chris.
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oldbikeman
- Posts: 280
- Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:32 pm
Re: Clutch Binding
Hi
my bike has done 8121 pampered miles and this is really peeing me off.I cannot sit at lights without shutting the motor off which makes Towns a night mare.I would rather put extra load on the starter than ruin the engine.
I have to time the starter as I engage first or just pull the clutch in whilst in gear.When I stripped it the basket bearings were good as was everything else. Most large bikes don't have this bother so I must find a cure.I will fit a new plate set as soon as I get the hard earned dough.As another case my z13 after two plate sets has a badly indented clutch basket which I've filed at least twice and the inner looks just as bad and the result is never a squeak .Why me Why me!
my bike has done 8121 pampered miles and this is really peeing me off.I cannot sit at lights without shutting the motor off which makes Towns a night mare.I would rather put extra load on the starter than ruin the engine.
I have to time the starter as I engage first or just pull the clutch in whilst in gear.When I stripped it the basket bearings were good as was everything else. Most large bikes don't have this bother so I must find a cure.I will fit a new plate set as soon as I get the hard earned dough.As another case my z13 after two plate sets has a badly indented clutch basket which I've filed at least twice and the inner looks just as bad and the result is never a squeak .Why me Why me!
Re: Clutch Binding
Engaging first will always cause a bigger clunk than any other hear ratio because the whole drive train (including chain, wheel and sprockets) is at rest, whereas when you change from one gear to another some parts, if not all, of the gearbox are already rotating.
There's just a speed difference between the old gear and the new one, and due to the sequential design of bike gearboxes it always changes from one gear to one to a ratio either one up or one down from the one you're in, so you can't go from second to fourth the way you can on a car, for instance. So the speed changes are minimised.
The only exception is neutral to first, so the clunk is much more noticeable.
The clutch size isn't unusual for a bike of this capacity/power, and I'm investigating what other bikes take this clutch, to see if there are issues with other bikes that use it.
For what it's worth, SP1 clutches are not that much larger about 4 or 5mm I think. There's no reason it shouldn't be able to work properly.
Re the clutch fix, it doesn't look to be the magic bullet I was hoping for, but appears to help.
More work needed....
I'll post details in the thread already running for that mod.
There's just a speed difference between the old gear and the new one, and due to the sequential design of bike gearboxes it always changes from one gear to one to a ratio either one up or one down from the one you're in, so you can't go from second to fourth the way you can on a car, for instance. So the speed changes are minimised.
The only exception is neutral to first, so the clunk is much more noticeable.
The clutch size isn't unusual for a bike of this capacity/power, and I'm investigating what other bikes take this clutch, to see if there are issues with other bikes that use it.
For what it's worth, SP1 clutches are not that much larger about 4 or 5mm I think. There's no reason it shouldn't be able to work properly.
Re the clutch fix, it doesn't look to be the magic bullet I was hoping for, but appears to help.
More work needed....
I'll post details in the thread already running for that mod.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
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oldbikeman
- Posts: 280
- Joined: Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:32 pm
Re: Clutch Binding
Not just a clunk nearly a bang.If I just ignored it and banged away it would cause serious damage.Some synthetic oils can cause this due to extra magnetic effect on the metals in the plates and also too thick a oil causing drag but I have tried to get around this with mineral oil and no change.Seems I am a bit unlucky,when I find the answer I will post it .
Thanks All
Thanks All
Re: Clutch Binding
Bleed the clutch line again. Even though it looks ok (no bubbles) and feels ok, keep going for 20 minutes after the last bubble is seen, and have an assistant keep topping up the little reservoir with a syringe.
These are tricky because there's very little pressure to pump against, unlike a brake line where the pads push against each other, via the disc.
These are tricky because there's very little pressure to pump against, unlike a brake line where the pads push against each other, via the disc.
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.