08 FJR R&R Clutch Plate Soak

[TechMaven]

I know this thread is two months old...however, I wanted to share my recent (as in today) experience with my local Yami-dealer with regards to this specific clutch issue.
I took my bike in today to have the ignition recall taken care of. While there, I explained to them the annoying clutch issue I was having (to which this thread is the solution) hoping I could get them to take care of it via soaking the clutch plates for me under warranty.

First thing the Service Manager asked was what oil I was using. I told him Rotella T. He responds by saying that Rotella doesn't have friction modifiers, so it is not recommended to use Rotella as it could be causing the problem. :dribble: I remained positive.

I politely said "that's one of the reasons folks with wet clutch bikes use Rotella - aren't oils with friction modifiers to be avoided in bikes with wet clutches? The whole point being that it could cause severe issues"?

He stammered for a second, and then responded "well...now we're getting into chemical theory..." yada yada yada.

I remained positive and explained the oil didn't matter, because it was doing this before I added Rotella.

I mentioned that this clutch issue seems to be pretty common, and the solution is to soak the clutch plates.

He responds chuckling, "the clutch is constantly soaking in a bath - they're always soaking".

Ok. Yes, it is a "wet clutch"....but constantly soaking in a bath??? Has he even looked at an FJR?

They took care of the ignition recall (hopefully they were competent enough for that). I didn't argue the clutch any further, as there was no way in Hell I was going to let them work on my clutch, even if they offered to under warranty. I'll do it myself - with much thanks to this and many other posts on this issue. I said thanks, and was on my way. I'll be soaking my clutch plates this weekend.

Thanks for letting me vent. And thanks for this thread.

It's always nice when a single post affirms and answers my questions..Thanks!!!

 

[PA1195]

Yet another soaker reports. New '08 with "0" miles - waiting for the driveway ice to melt as still winter pretty much here in spots and only +35 today.

Tried earlier running the bike in the garage some with the clutch disengaged in gear with the hope that some oil would get on the plates. Not worth repeating.

Pulled the cover tonight and all were bone dry except the first and last. Soaking all now overnight. Ty-Rapped the bundle at one point loosely to keep the assembly in order. Also have a new gasket as the old one is one of those soft silver composites that squishes out to seal. Why risk a leak for a $15 gasket.

My Dealer suggested just loosening the clutch pressure plate, and spraying oil over the top of the clutch plates. That method should work as well providing you rotate the center clutch assembly which is attached to the transmission to spread the oil while in neutral.

There's four small #40 holes in the basket that may over time allow oil to move out into the assembly, but why bother to see if it works after so many report success with the direct soaking.

My '06 and '07 jerked like goosed mules going into 1st, shifted hard, and now I know why. Shoulda' used better carrots I guess. All three bikes clutched fine when new and didn't jerk into 1st. The earlier ones developed the clutch issues after 1-2K miles, probably from sticking plates due to the lack of adequate running lubrication. I could easily push the new '08 in first with the clutch disengaged, but not the others after some mileage.

Thanks for the advice and thread.

Gary in Fairbanks, soon riding after seven months of winter.

 

[SilverHound]

This board is great! I am having the exact same problem with my '08 and now I know what the solution is.

I finally got out for decent ride over the last couple days and in the 800 miles I put on the bike I noticed the following:

1. Cold start, bike lurches into 1st.

2. Parked in gear overnight, bike will not roll with clutch pulled in. Have to put it in neutral to start or else it will travel forward if in gear with clutch pulled in when cold.

3. 2 second delay on clutch while in motion for downshifting. You can actually hear and feel the delay.

4. Lower speeds, tranny/clutch sounds like it's full of marbles, also feels like drive train lash.

I knew something was wrong as I have never had a bike act this way, got back from my trip, searched the forum and wave of relief washed over me when I saw that this was a known issue. I'm not even going to try and talk with the dealer about it. I'm sure I'll save both time and aggravation just doing the plate soak myself.

 

[CHRIS_D]

I finally got around to doing my 07. What in the world was I waiting for, The bike shifts like a dream now!!!!!!!!!! I just can't believe the difference that it has made. :yahoo: :yahoo:

 

[dean]

i'm going to do this with a buddy (hey chris/fjrflyer, holeshot bill is going to help), but a couple questions: it's an 07 with roughly 10k miles on it. should i use the same clutch plates, or get new; and if new, should i go with oem, or aftermarket?

thx!

 

[OK Red]

After my initial shot at soaking in place (it was better but still not what I expected) I am now soaking mine. During disassembly I did note that quite a few of the clutch plates were still sticking to the friction plates, and that the friction plates did have some schmooey stuff on them that I wiped off before I started the oil bath. I'll report back after reassembly... and after it stops raining.

 

[Checkswrecks]

i'm going to do this with a buddy (hey chris/fjrflyer, holeshot bill is going to help), but a couple questions: it's an 07 with roughly 10k miles on it. should i use the same clutch plates, or get new; and if new, should i go with oem, or aftermarket?
thx!

Unless you spend your free-time pulling hole-shots at the drag strip, just re-install them.

And guys, they don't need to soak overnight. Just wipe off the black gunj (if any), drop the plate in a bucket with oil, do the next, etc. You just have to get them unstuck from each other and some fresh oil between them. Oh, and there's usually one last plate that you need a hook or scribe to get out of the basket.

 

[RadioHowie]

Anybody figure out why Yamaha is using cookie dough to hold the plates together during inital assembly?

Or is it RTV that OK Red referred to as "schmooey stuff"?

Oh Red, nice use of technobabble.

 

[fjrthree]

I really need and want to do this. However, I`m not confident that I`ll get her back together correctly.

Have never messed around on the insides. Reading everything and seeing the pictures gives me a good idea what to do, but a video putting her back together would be great. If someone could, please video the process then youtube it.

Also read a review on sport touring bikes, probably in 2008, and the writer made a comment on the clunky shifts. May have won that test had Yamaha soaked the plates.

 

[OK Red]

The results are in, and the difference is significant. I noticed it as soon as I went to back the bike out of the garage in neutral - all this time I thought that it was so hard to back out because it was just a really, really heavy bike (my last bike was a VFR 800, no lightweight but still 150# lighter than the FJR), when in reality it was because the clutch was never fully disengaged from the engine!

Took it around the block (a short break in the fricking monsoon season) and the shifting was much more predictable - no more 'good shift - bad shift' sequences and no more feeling like I had to kick the gearshift lever with my heel to get it to downshift. Yippee!

Or is it RTV that OK Red referred to as "schmooey stuff"?
Oh Red, nice use of technobabble.

Actually, since I do have an Engineering degree, we can conclude that 'schmooey' is indeed a highly technical term. Of course, the Engineering folks don't let me play in their sandbox anymore (it was terribly complicated, scheduling is so much easier) so then again maybe it's not...

My guess on the nature of the stuff is that it may well have been some sort of packing grease. There is a lot of utility industry experience with grease that hardens over time.

 

[lazbm]

[SIZE=10pt]Can't this be taken to the dealer if still within warranty? I guess, it is a matter of trusting the dealer - is that what makes you do it yourself?[/SIZE]

 

[CHRIS_D]

[SIZE=10pt]Can't this be taken to the dealer if still within warranty? I guess, it is a matter of trusting the dealer - is that what makes you do it yourself?[/SIZE]

You're are darn right. Here's a picture of my dealer at a local rally, his name is Billy-Bob :dribble: Would you trust him???

 

[PA1195]

You're are darn right. Here's a picture of my dealer at a local rally, his name is Billy-Bob :dribble: Would you trust him???

Sure, BB looks mostly normal to me. Just played with snakes too much as a kid. It's the guy belly flopping into 6" of muddy water that needs help. Looks like he's not alone enjoying the mudder party.

Gary in Fairbanks

 

[rok312]

[SIZE=10pt]Can't this be taken to the dealer if still within warranty? I guess, it is a matter of trusting the dealer - is that what makes you do it yourself?[/SIZE]

Uhh...see Post Number 7 in this thread.

 

[Patriot]

i hate to drain $10/ qt oil and i don't want to wait 3k more miles to do this.
al

Ten bucks? a freakin quart? Shit man I don't spend that for a gallon..

:jester:

good of you to let me know - now is there anything else (that i could care less about) that you'd like to tell me?

oh and it's $8.75 p/qt to be exact B)

good price for motorcycle Mobil1 Racing synthetic 10w40

Shell Rotella synthetic at Wally World in the dark blue gallon - $19 or $4.75 quart plus the extra quart at $4.99

 

[lazbm]

[SIZE=10pt]Can't this be taken to the dealer if still within warranty? I guess, it is a matter of trusting the dealer - is that what makes you do it yourself?[/SIZE]

Uhh...see Post Number 7 in this thread.

Called my dealer today ... was hoping he would be different from the stereotype. His response:

• "I heard about this from another customer a few weeks back" (implying he hasn't heard from Yamaha, nor worked on this problem yet).
• "Which oil do you use? You got to stick with Yamaha recommended oil, or else you have all these issues" (Dang! Thought my snake oil was better than Yama's).

 

[FJR919]

I did the plate oiling on my '08 with 2300 miles. It too had the slightly stiff shifting and wouldn't roll with the clutch pulled in first. When I opened it up I found what the others did; the first and last friction disc were oiled, but everything in between was dry. Shifting has improved and the bike will roll when the clutch is pulled. I have to wonder if the clutch issue will reoccur down the road. Once the plates are wet is there enough oil splash to keep them wet or will the oil that I put on eventually work its way out? That clutch is mounted high and I wonder how much splash it gets. It would be good for those who did this fix to post up after a few thousand miles to see if things are still good.

Thanks to those who posted and made me aware of this. Chris

 

[shuswaper]

FJR919, I did mine a year ago...about 14,000 kms later, there is no discernible difference in clutch action...still smooth as butter as it was right after the soak. I do not think the clutch pack will revert to its factory dry state. :assassin:

 

[n1acguy]

My dealer seemed clueless about the clutch problem, even though it was like that when I picked it up. Didn't get better as I rode it. It was getting real hard to find neutral, and the clutch had started to drag for a few seconds after I pulled the lever. I was really missing the positive neutral finder my suzuk had. The clutch soak cured it all. Trans shifts nice, and neutral is easy to find now.

I get a lot of noise from the shaft area that is not coming from the final drive. I wonder if the splines are dry.

I love the bike, but they sure seemed to cut a lot of corners putting it together.

 

[dbx]

I get a lot of noise from the shaft area that is not coming from the final drive. I wonder if the splines are dry. I love the bike, but they sure seemed to cut a lot of corners putting it together.

I'm not aware of any noise coming from the shaft area on my bike. It's easy enough to inspect and lube the shaft splines, if you think that's where the noise is coming from. I'd check it out.