Seriously, the wrong grade of oil will cause slippage, and the clutch has been slipping since the service. Stop being a cheapskate and replace the oil already.
Agree: Food grade oil like extra virgin olive oil will most likely cause all kinds of engine problems including and beyond a slipping clutch.
Synthetic engine oil causes clutch slip = utter rubbish, a well nursed myth over more than thirty years since the first fully synthetic engine oils went out onto the shelf.
So called or marketed "High Mileage" oils contain seal & gasket conditioners which can possibly lead to failure of the clutch disc linings by swelling or disintegration. I would rather avoid them although I had to use Shell High Mileage 25W60 once to top up the Djebel 200 (The only multigrade available in Sutherland
) No ill effects.
Clutch problems:
A slipping clutch is caused by:
The linings being worn beyond limit (very rare)
The linings being "glazed" or "burned" from overheating. The most common reason of clutch failure.
The spring(s) having set (rare)
The clutch cable being ill adjusted (too tight) or seized in its sleeve.
The roller actuator is out of adjustment (too tight)
Set springs or the cable being out of adjustment will very quickly cause the discs to overheat and glaze.
The clutch usually slips in top gear accelerating hard at or towards of maximum torque RPM range.
A dragging clutch is caused by:
The clutch cable being ill adjusted (too loose).
The roller actuator is out of adjustment (too loose)
The hydraulic clutch mechanism is leaking or has a gas pocket in the system.
The steel discs are corroded.
The steel discs are warped.
The clutch hub and / or basket is worn.
Every wet clutch tends to drag a little bit. If you put the bike onto the centre stand or paddock stand with engine running and 1st engaged / clutch disengaged it should not require a lot of effort to stop the rear wheel from spinning though. Once stopped by hand or foot brake it should only resume its rotation slowly when you release it or ideally be kept stationary by the friction of the final drive. Make sure the engine oil is warm for this test.
A bike which wants to creep when in gear with clutch disengaged or a bike which reacts to throttle when freewheeling in gear with clutch disengaged is a clear indication for a dragging clutch as well as a gearbox which is hard to shift down (down only!)
A sticking clutch is caused by the viscosity of the oil temporarily "glueing" the friction discs and steel discs together preventing the clutch to disengage. It results in the famous "clack" when you engage 1st on a cold morning and ranges to the bike leaping forwards and the engine being stalled on some KLR's.
The sticking is normal and influenced by oil temperature and oil viscosity. Some bikes only show it after the bike has been standing for a longer time like overnight. I fouund a sticking clutch to be influenced by different makes of oil although they were the same viscosity. Some oils also seem to get less "sticky" after the first few hundred kilometres whilst others stay the same until the next oil change.
Clutch cable adjustment & check:
First adjust the cable to attain some play. The hand lever should move a few millimeter before it puts tension onto the cable. Make sure that you have play in every possible position of the steering
Then check that the cable is not seized in the sleeve. The play you adjusted into the cable should move freely from the clutch lever on the handlebars to the clutch actuator at the other end of the cable. Also turn the steering right and left while checking.
If you have arrived here, your clutch still slips and your actuator is cam operated either your clutch discs, your springs or both are stuffed and need replacement.
If your actuator is roller operated adjust the actuator correctly. If it still slips see above.
All the above applies to
proper multiplate wet motorcycle clutches. Stay away with your racing Duc's, BMW Boxers and variomatic scooters!
Topic: ..got the Kriek back... (Read 813 times)
