Help! Clutch slipping? Final drive issue?

[bwv]

Is the clutch lever returning all the way when you let go of it?

If there is anything preventing the lever from returning fully (hand guards, wrong after market levers, aftermarket rubber grippy things... dirt, rusty pivot, etc...) it may not allow all of the fluid to return to the resorvoir... just a thought...

But...being a 2008, with 6000 miles... it wont hurt you to bleed half a can of brake fluid through the clutch master and slave in case theres condesation or somthing...it's easy and should probably be done soon anyway right?

I had a grabby clutch... I usePlain Dino Rotella... i had to do a clean and soak for the grabby...and took pics.. lot's of other guys here helped me out. (Not your issue..but here's pics...)

This(clicky) is what it looks like apart

I agree with the guys above... change the oil first thing... but would add... take the clutch apart now if you can...it is too easy a job to not to be sure... physically clean (dont just spray...rub) the discs with a lint free rag and some brake parts cleaner..you will get to see if they are ok, or if they are whooped.. and then soak them in 15w40 or higher conventional oil (this will assure you it is not energy conserving) don't use additiives.

Somone could have put Slick50 or some other stuff in there... you wanna get it flushed out and wiped off.

The good news... if its whooped, you already have it apart.. and discs (if the steelies arent damaged) can be had for less than 100$

 

[Donal]

Excellent clutch stripping & cleaning procedure by mcatrophy click here

 

[bwv]

^^^ What he said ^^^^ amazing documentaion of the job.

 

[shakin]

as someone previously mentioned, check the lever to ensure it's installed correctly. i remember that some took their lever mechanism apart as it was squeeking and they didn't reinstall the bushing and pin where the lever attaches. it looked fine but once we took it apart and pu it back together correctly the clutch slipping stopped.

this being said i can't view the video clip due to hospital web speed downloading being nonexistant.

this is a very easy thing to check, before committing to any fluid maintenance.

 

[CHIA]

Hey Guys, been busy dealing with bike most of afternoon......did oil change, both engine and final drive.

Took out for ride, to go through the gears, see if I could work some fresh oil into the clutch, and hope that

it made a difference, with the intent to drop it again, and get a second fresh batch in.

Came back from what seemed like 10000000 gear changes, my hand was actually sore, and really, nothing

had changed. At this point I thought, why bother dropping the oil again, I just do not believe it will make a diff.

So, decided to dive deep, and with the help of the great instructional pics posted, as well a bike mechanic bud

looking over my shoulder when it came to removing and inspecting the plates, it was his expert opinion that they

were burnt......replacements needed for a good number.

I guess they started to go early in my ride yesterday, and after putting the bike through some pretty spirited paces

for 800kms, that was all she wrote.

So, now I see if anyone has those parts available locally....guessing that may be a tall order, and absolutely cannot

stand the idea of my new bike in a shop, with me unable to ride!!!

So, the new question, for anyone in the know.....where might I find these parts in the US, who can ship reasonably

quick, and are competitively priced? I'm not going on a road trip in the next few days, but want it done sooner than

later.....local guys said if not available right away, wait time would be upwards of 2 weeks.....not acceptable to me,

especially this time of year, with the end of the best riding season weather fast approaching.

I find out availability tomorrow morning about 11am local, but in the mean time, would like to know Option B.

Appreciate all the excellent advice, and activity, again, very much appreciated, quite a wealth of knowledge within

the FJR riders, and nothing better than documented mods/repairs, with step-by-step and images, awesome!!

 

[escapefjrtist]

Take a look at Cycle Parts Warehouse and Boats.net for competitively priced OEM parts. Don't know about their shipping across the border and timing involved, but it's a worth a look.

I'd be happy to receive the parts on the US side for you and meet somewhere near the border. Not aware of any of the PNW bunch that has a set of friction plates laying around.

Good luck!

--G

 

[CHIA]

Take a look at Cycle Parts Warehouse and Boats.net for competitively priced OEM parts. Don't know about their shipping across the border and timing involved, but it's a worth a look.
I'd be happy to receive the parts on the US side for you and meet somewhere near the border. Not aware of any of the PNW bunch that has a set of friction plates laying around.

Good luck!

--G

Thanks, but I should have mentioned, I can just have stuff shipped to Blaine WA, not too far from me, and saves costs + time.

Shipping to Canada from the US.....just brutal, long waits, very expensive, simply not worth it most times. Not as bad for an

individual via USPS, but most companies tend to use the big fast guys, who nail us for over-border stuff.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Take a look at Cycle Parts Warehouse and Boats.net for competitively priced OEM parts. Don't know about their shipping across the border and timing involved, but it's a worth a look.I'd be happy to receive the parts on the US side for you and meet somewhere near the border. Not aware of any of the PNW bunch that has a set of friction plates laying around.

Good luck!

--G

Thanks, but I should have mentioned, I can just have stuff shipped to Blaine WA, not too far from me, and saves costs + time.

That'll work too. From my ordering, typical shipping for the companies I listed are 5 - 7 business days. Not great, but not too bad either. Another one to check is Cucamonga Yamaha in Cali. Their prices are sometimes competitive depending on the part.

--G

 

[LAF]

Take a look at Cycle Parts Warehouse and Boats.net for competitively priced OEM parts. Don't know about their shipping across the border and timing involved, but it's a worth a look.
I'd be happy to receive the parts on the US side for you and meet somewhere near the border. Not aware of any of the PNW bunch that has a set of friction plates laying around.

Good luck!

--G

Thanks, but I should have mentioned, I can just have stuff shipped to Blaine WA, not too far from me, and saves costs + time.

Shipping to Canada from the US.....just brutal, long waits, very expensive, simply not worth it most times. Not as bad for an

individual via USPS, but most companies tend to use the big fast guys, who nail us for over-border stuff.

Call Barnett and order their clutch pack. I did at 0 miles. They may be able to get it to you quickly.

 

[Fred W]

I doubt that you cooked the clutch yesterday. I would be more apt to believe that the prior owner did before you even boughtr it it since it was already slipping when you first rode it. Still, on the grand scale of things, this is a minor speed bump in the road. Relatively easily amd cheaply rectified.

Although the steel plates may have overheated, I doubt they are worn. Much more likely the friction plates are (worn) and maybe the spring has lost tension from overheating. You can replace the blued steel plates at the same time, but it probably isn't necessary.

One warning about Boats.net (also DBA Partzilla.com) They will probably have the lowest prices, but they are not very fast at shipping the parts and some of us have had issues with incomplete orders and non-existent customer service. YMMV

 

[RadioHowie]

Just a WAG on the originating cause of the slipping clutchiedoohickythingie.....

So, someone sells a bike with only 6k miles on it. Possibly NOT a confirmed biker who probably fried the clutch with constant 2nd or 3rd gear starts...IOTW...lazy. Had a friend (40 years ago) who drove a late 60s VW. She did NOT like using the clutch, so always started from every stop in 4th gear....fried a clutch about every month for the 6 months she owned it. Dumped the car because "the damn thing was SO unreliable!" :rofl:

 

[CHIA]

New clutch installed today, bathed friction plates, replaced all fibre and steel, feels great now.

 

[Fred W]

Congrats.

Did you happen to measure the thickness of those friction plates? It would be interesting to know how worn they have to be for it to start this kind of slipping symptom.

 

[CHIA]

Congrats.
Did you happen to measure the thickness of those friction plates? It would be interesting to know how worn they have to be for it to start this kind of slipping symptom.

No, but they were really burnt, was quite obvious compared to new, smooth, no ridges.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Day-um!

6000 miles and a toasted clutch?

THAT takes some SERIOUS effort! I hope that the previous owner doesn't hang around here - it's been a while since we've had a proper Friday Dog Pile.

CHIA - glad to hear your scoot is fixed. Very glad!

 

[ionbeam]

Another glad it's fixed. I can't imagine what the previous owner could have done to toast the clutch in 6k miles. Hopefully it was something like

and not drag races. I don't recall any clutches being fried in that short a period of time.

 

[CHIA]

I'm of the assumption that he put the wrong oil in, incorrect friction modifiers, which started the initial slippage.

Once this started, my day ride burnt the clutch completely.

I think it started slipping about 300kms in, on a 800km spirited ride.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Congrats on the relatively easy fix Chia! Now ride the bike and enjoy the heck out of it.

--G

Edit -- Where did you end up sourcing parts?

 

[CHIA]

Yes so looking forward to enjoying it, planning a few day ride with some buds in WA actually, should be great!

Parts.....have a bud who runs a Yamaha marine dealership, so he got me what was available locally, which were

the steels, and the fibers were 2-3 weeks away in Canada, so ordered from jcmotors.com, who by the way were

very good to deal with, ordered Fri, arrived Wed, EBC, $76.50 shipped.