Clutch Problem

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:01 am

I did a good 200 mile ride on the 750 this weekend and encountered a clutch problem. The first 50 miles of the trip was uneventful. Then I started having problems finding neutral. All the other gears shifted fine up and down. I could hear the clutch engaging when I pulled the lever in (vented clutch cover) and with the bike turned off I can see the clutch control disc engaging. If I shut off the bike I can get neutral without a problem. As I continued to ride it became impossible to get neutral (while the engine was running) and first also started to take a bit of effort.

After I got home, the first thing I did was check my plate clearance to the stop ring. It's 6mm, right where it should be. All of the discs and plates look good and meet specs. No broken springs. No leaks around the piston and fluid level is where it should be. Any idea what I need to check?

ducinthebay · Post by **ducinthebay** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 4:15 am

If the end of your ride took you through town, then all you are experiencing is a hot clutch. How does it ride once it cooled down?

Cheers, Phil

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 5:35 am

That may be possible but we were in the local mountains for most of the day and it was rather cold. Also, I've done long rides before in warmer weather without this happening. I'm also running with a vented cover now.

I'm starting to think it may be something in the transmission because when its on the lift in the garage (not running) and I shift it into gear it feels like it isn't dropping all the way into gear. Then when I go to take it out of 1st and back into neutral it's acting like a false neutral ( "N" light is on) and I can hear a clicking noise when I turn the rear wheel like it's caught between 1st & neutral. If I fiddle with the shifter at some point the shift into neutral becomes positive and the clicking goes away. It's time for an oil change anyhow so I'll see if there's any metal in the oil.

viper1 · Post by **viper1** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:06 pm

Whens the last time you switched or changed the fluid? When it gets hot it starts to fail over time. I've had it happen, but then again I've had the "hot" clutch plate issue as well....and I have vented clutch housings on all my Ducati's. Change the fluid and see how it feels?

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:26 pm

Oil was done less than 2k miles ago (changing it now to see if there is any metal in it), clutch bled about 6 months ago.

I was looking again at the clutch FAQ on this website and it shows the last friction disc (yellow) as being 3.5 mm and the drawing makes it looks like it is one sided. Is this the case? The part number for that disc is also different on the micro-fische from the other discs. I have a couple of spare plates and 3 of them are about 3.5mm that are single sided. If that's the case does the clutch control disc sit against the metal on the one sided plate?

Mc tool · Post by **Mc tool** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 1:31 am

Yeah that last plate only has friction material on one side , and the metal is thicker . the gearbox symtoms you describe whilst on the stand all sound normal to me . Being a "dog engagement" type of gear box unless the gear dogs either line up or the box is spinning it may not click in and out of gear , try rotating the back wheel ( and thus the gear box ) back and forth whilst working the gear lever . As for the clutch , it is dragging because , it needs bled , the pump seals are knackered or the plates themselves are warped or sticky . Have a good look at how it supposed to go together ,took me a while to get mine sorted ( learning all the time ) but once I did it worked real good
Hamish

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:29 am

Thanks McTool. Do you know what your clearance is between the outside plate and your retaining ring? I've repacked the clutch with the thicker, one sided plate on the outside but it only leaves me with about 2.5mm of clearance. I was told you wanted closer to 6mm.

Mc tool · Post by **Mc tool** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:24 am

Ha ha , here's the thing , I sussed my clutch before I heard about this 6mm gap thing so I cant say for sure . I got a pic of how the clutch is supposed to go together , and how to I D the various plates and worked off that ,#ucked if I can find it now ( new hard drive ). Mine is up on the bench ( the bike ) so I can have a look at what I did if you want , Im trying to remember how it went together but I think im getting mixed up with the SS , but anyhow I have to take the cover off to sort the piston bearing seal thing , again I had come up with my own solutions , a valve shim/bucket off an unknown motorbike engine ( it even had a groove for an o-ring ) ,found in a box of shit in the shed of a guy who had breathed motorbikes for 80 odd years ( sad day )........... and 3 skate board bearings ( 2 for spacers ) ..... yahoo .. got rid of the squeal !

angelix · Post by **angelix** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 3:43 pm

I had something similar on my 907, i was ready to take apart the clutch when I checked the gera pedal, it looked free but did not feel right, two drops of oils sorted out the problem...

having said that, it could well be the MC that needs a good bleeding or the MC seals that are at the end of their life.

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Wed Jan 22, 2014 5:47 pm

Clutch M/C was rebuilt about 6 months ago and fluid replaced. The clutch has been working great for the past 6 months. I repacked the the clutch assembly with spare discs and plates I had. Also changed the oil. No metal fragments in the oil so that was encouraging. I haven't had a chance to get the bike off the lift yet so I don't know if it's any better or not.

jayh · Post by **jayh** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:01 am

Have you checked your selector dog adjustment ? also less likely but a major cause of difficult or clunky engagement is drag on the rear wheel,either by a vibrating brake pedal pumping the rear brake over bumps or chain dragging on tyre. J.

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:12 am

Jay - how do you do the selector dog adjustment?

jayh · Post by **jayh** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:04 am

It is only a suggestion Ahdoman,

Unless you have been inside the altenator cover recently,it is unlikely to be the problem,but never the less it could be the culprit.You have to pull the altenator cover to inspect and adjust the selector.

instructions are in the workshop manual in G's download section.
https://www.box.com/s/ged1902olfpn1i1lq5oa

I know you have recently checked most of your clutch operations,but it it were mine,and based on my own experience ,it is usually something really simple and inexpensive,so I'd be double checking everything starting with the most basic things,before starting at the other end of the scale. J.

stylianos62 · Post by **stylianos62** » Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:20 am

.... something more simple easiest and cheapest to find out .... one night without moon .... take out from clutch one pair of disks ( drive-driven ) and ride again to test the behavior of 1st gear to traffic lights . Mine working better now than a .... Honda !

ahdoman · Post by **ahdoman** » Sat Jan 25, 2014 3:42 pm

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to take a look at the dog selector. How much oil comes out when I pull the alternator cover? Also, I didn't see a gasket for that cover is there one?

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