Help! Clutch slipping? Final drive issue?

[CHIA]

Bought a 2008 of a fellow 2 weeks ago. Only 10,000kms (approx 6000 miles), original owner, very clean.

Today I took it out for my first real day ride, other an a couple 1.5hr cruises locally, and was pretty upset

at something I'm not familiar with, and hoping the collective knowledge could perhaps offer some insights

based on a short vid I uploaded.

It almost felt as if I was driving a bike with a CVT transmission, where the motor appeared to rev, but the

bike did not immediately accelerate, appeared to slip before starting to engage.

It seemed to be apparent in all gears, and mostly between about 4000-6000 rpm, at which point it would

begin to "catch".

This is only a short vid from today, but I think you will hear the obvious problem......any ideas??

 

[Queensland Ken]

Clutch

And you kept riding like it, oh well has to be done anyhow.

 

[CHIA]

Really??? In only 10,000kms the clutch is buggered ???

Those were the first turns of the day, where i was on the throttle a bit harder.

Once i realized something was wrong, I was much less aggressive......was really freaking me out!

 

[C&C]

Could an energy conserving oil (car engine oil) been used in an oil change? If that could be confirmed, I would change to a motorcycle oil or any recommended non energy conserving oil (check we have a gazillion oil threads here) before calling the clutch 'toast'. Wouldn't hurt to bleed the clutch system either. Two simpler checks before diving into a clutch replacement.

 

[Queensland Ken]

Hi Chia,

Have you been using the right oil ??

The plates are definitely slipping on your bike.

Any consolation is that they are easy to check, not that daunting at all.

Take pics as you dissemble them and keep everything in order as you remove them.

First of all, you can try releasing any "built up" pressure on the hydraulic system, make sure your oil "returns" to the master cylinder.

Work the clutch a few times then release the bleed screw, (while clutch is out), on the slave cylinder, it shouldn't squirt out.

If it squirts there could be a blockage in the valves of the clutch master cylinder, residual pressure in the system.

 

[Fred W]

Yup, what the others said. That is the sound of a clutch that is slipping for one reason or another.

The clutch may be toast in such short mileage if the prior owner abused it, either through ineptitude or unusual riding (lots of full throttle dragstrip strats or lots of intentional low speed clutch slipping) First thing to do is stop doing what you are doing in that video until you resolve the issue or the friction plates wioll be toast for sure.

It could be a wrong type of oil was used with friction modifiers that are causing the slippage. Do an oil change with a known good JASO MA rated oil. Run the engine for a while with the new oil for an hour or two and then change the oil again. Why? Because when you drain the oil on an FJR there is an entire quart of old oil left behind. You want to get as much of the old oil flushed out as possible. You don't need to use expensive motocycle oil, just one that is rated JASO MA. That is the rating for use with wet clutches.

It could also be a mechanical issue that is not allowing the clutch full spring pressure on the plates. With a bike so new, that is pretty unlikely, but when/if you eventually have to take the clutch apart to measure the plates thicknesses pay close attention to their assembly order (especially the springs) and how much pressure the slave cylinder has at rest.

Good luck with your troubleshooting

 

[Bounce]

Agreed with above:

1. Flush the clutch

2. Change the oil to something without "friction modifiers" (at this point dino oil might be best)

3a Ride conservatively for 2 or 3 oil changes @ 1000 miles each (wait and see)

3b. OR - pull the clutch and take a gander

 

[CHIA]

Thanks for the words of wisdom guys.....posted this on the 'other' FJR forum, and received similar advice. Will change oil today......fingers crossed!

 

[CHIA]

I'm not at all familiar with how to 'flush the clutch'..... Are there any good resources to look at on this process??

 

[Bounce]

It's hydraulic. If you've done it with brakes, you're there.

The bleeder zerk is on the left (clutch) side of the engine right where the clutch hose enters the engine casing.

https://www.fjrtech.net/getdbitem.cfm?item=32

 

[Fred W]

I'm not at all familiar with how to 'flush the clutch'..... Are there any good resources to look at on this process??

Flushing the clutch fluid isn't likely to net any improvement in this particular instance .

Your problem is clutch slipping, not clutch dragging, which is what you would expect to happen if you had air in the lines. Flushing the hydraulics would get the air out. The clutch fluid never gets hot enough to boil, so you wouldn't get additional pressure on the slave even with water contaminated fluid.

 

[jcyuhn]

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=147837Does the clutch slip on both shorter and longer rides? When the bike is cold as well as hot?

I recall (but can't locate) a thread in which a rider was having clutch slip on a long tour. The problem turned out to be residual pressure in the clutch hydraulic circuit, but only after the fluid got good and hot. He could temporarily alleviate the problem by quickly opening and closing the bleeder screw on the slave cylinder. I don't recall the long term solution, but expect he needed a new clutch master cylinder, or at least a rebuild.

Edit: Not the thread I was thinking of, but similar: https://www.fjrforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=147837

 

[CHIA]

I have a feeling (and crossing my fingers), that the oil issue may be the culprit.

I noticed the oil was darker, appeared overfilled, when I got home after buying the bike.

I emailed the seller, and asked when he did the last oil change, and have never heard back, so

the suspicious side of me has been wondering about that for the last week.....now this comes up,

and some of you suspect oil.....I'm wondering if the lack of reply, and slippage are related.....

I will go get oil, and do the change. Will I be adding to the problems by riding it to a local shop,

where I can probably borrow a hoist of a guy I know? I would really like to have this up at eye

level, especially if I have to do it twice, as apposed to in my driveway.

I need to warm it up before changing it, so thought if I was gentle, this may kill 2 birds, but if

you feel I will be adding to my problems, I would sure appreciate the input.

 

[Geezer]

It is very easy to change the oil on the center stand, so you don't really need the lift or hoist, but I doubt a short gentle ride would make things much worse.

Also, it won't hurt to drain the oil cold. Just leave the drain open for a longer time for the oil to drain. Make sure you change the filter as well.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I will go get oil, and do the change. Will I be adding to the problems by riding it to a local shop,where I can probably borrow a hoist of a guy I know? I would really like to have this up at eye

level, especially if I have to do it twice, as apposed to in my driveway...

FJRTech_article

 

[mcatrophy]

Question for the collective. Will simply changing the oil be sufficient? We already know that the clutch barely gets oiled normally, so to expect an oil change to re-oil the plates may be a bit much to expect. Maybe a full-on clutch plate (clean off and) soak will be necessary.

 

[Fred W]

You may be right.

Others, with the opposite problem (grabby clutches supposedly caused by using Rotella T synthetic) said that they had miraculous improvements after a single oil change. But they were not trying to flush away a bunch of friction modifiers. This may require removal and cleaning of the friction disks.

 

[Constant Mesh]

Did it have the original rear tire? If it did one might believe the previous owner didn't abuse the clutch all that much. On the other hand if two new rear tires have been installed in 6,000 miles anything is possible.

 

[Fred W]

Not necessarily. If the clutch is slipping the tire probably isn't.