Strange clutch problem

[drewskies944]

I have a strange clutch problem that has developed. when warming up in the garage, clutch operates as it should. starting my ride, clutch is still fine. then with no notice, and once the engine is up to operation temperature, the clutch will no longer operate properly. the lever gets extremely difficult to pull, and the clutch will not fully engage although it does partially engage when all my strength is used to pull the lever as hard as i can. when i stop at a light and stop moving (after struggling to get it into neutral to avoid stalling because of the clutch not engaging) and have the bike at rest i can then wait a minute and then pull the clutch in normally and select first and accelerate away. but the problem comes back as soon as i go to shift into second. this problem started randomly during a ride last season, and I rebuilt the master cylinder in an attempt to fix it, but when back on the road today, the problem remains! UGH.

SO lets recap.

clutch works in garage and when stopped at a light, but acts up during riding once the bike is warm.

anyone heard of this before?

thanks

[ducinthebay]

I would start with taking the clutch apart. See that the center nut on the hub is tight, and the springs and pressure plate is in proper working order. Then of course, rebuild the bearing in the cover to make sure that that's all correct. Basically, take it all apart, clean it all up, look for problems, and put it all back together.

Now just to confirm, when you say engage, you mean dis-engage. Engage is when the clutch is out and the power from the motor is getting to the rear wheel. Dis-engage means that the motor spins up and the power does not get to the rear wheel. So the problem you are experiencing is that you can't get the clutch to dis-engage. Correct?

Try just pumping it up in the garage about 20 or 30 times to see if it acts the same. Helps build strong forearms 12 ways. Chance are that you only test a few times in the garage, after riding a few block, you have exercised the clutch a few more times. First thing is always trying to duplicate the problem in the garage.

Phil

[drewskies944]

I will test these things and report back. but yes, the problem is getting the clutch to dis-engage fully. When it does act up, it dis-engages to about half, where i can force gear changes, with the aid of properly placed rpm's for taking some load off the gearbox. I just want to ride!!!
keep the ideas coming guys!

I cannot get the clutch to misbehave when in the garage, or stopped at a light, the problem seems to manifest when in motion... could that help diagnosing the problem?

thanks guys!

[Skins]

I don't know much about clutches, but it sounds to me like something inside the clutch is probably loose, and slipping in and out of adjustment.

[dave906]

May be that the slave cylinder o-ring is starting to leak. When the engine and clutch heat up, the plates expand. If the hydraulic system is only just pushing the slave cylinder piston far enough to dis-engage when it's cold, it may not travel far enough when the plates have expanded and need to be pushed further apart to clear each other.

When you say that the lever gets hard to pull, do you mean that you can still pull it all the way to the bar but the clutch doesn't dis-engage, or that you can pull the level to the bar when everything is cold, but can only pull it it part way when it's hot and the problems are happening?

[ducinthebay]

By any chance is your clutch hose running anywhere near the rear cylinder or exhaust? How old is your clutch hose? Old rubber hoses degrade in odd fashion.

By any chance did you bleed the new Master Cylinder with DOT 5 fluid?

I would still start by pumping it 20-30 times in the garage to see if you can replicate the problem.

Cheers, Phil

[drewskies944]

Im sorry for the late reply. The fix to the bike was quick, but I was away from the computer for a few days. WOW! all of these posts are amazing and helpful! I appreciate the advice and learning we get from sharing this bountiful (and pertinent) information with our communities. So thank you all for your posts! I digest, indeed the clutch problem was solved quickly. Upon removal of the clutch cover the clutch basket assemble lay ahead of me, with the spring retainers fastened to torque. After a closer look, and then removing the clutch springs, I could see the 30mm hub nut... loosely laying.... in the basket. So the problem was found, and then solved after a simple re-finishing and installation of the nut, a blast of air to get rid of all that old dust. No damage was done structurally whatsoever, but the inside diameter of the clutch cover suffered some minor scoring from the heads of the spring assembly. Thats why they looked so clean and shiny! Haha. So now the paso is running great, the clutch is strong and smooth, and the weather is beautiful. Lets ride!

Rubber side down gents.

[pasophist]

Nice bike! glad it worked out!
Rubber side down.
Pasophist