Strange clutch problem... Help please!!!

HongKongPhooey

Registered
Hi, I need some advice please, been going through the other topics and haven't had any joy...

I fitted a braided hose to the clutch on my gen 1 (07) and bled it up. It bled up nicely with a mity vac..... but..... Now the clutch engages/disengages with about 1-2cm of lever travel. Maybe some of you like this but I prefer the standard clutch 'biting point' and found this a bit extreme, almost to the point of slipping. I took it to a mate who runs a very good bike shop and he said that it was ok in that it isn't a bleeding problem as the clutch wouldn't engage if there was air in the line, mine is enaging too soon (too efficient)

I took the braided line off and fitted the standard one again but now this too has the same biting point.

I've tried it with dot 5 and dot 3/4 fluids with no change. I've had to fit a pazzo lever (well a Chinese copy) so that I can adjust it right back to near the original biting point (number 2 adjuster, would use no.1 but it doesn't activate clutch switch!!)

Short of leaving some air in the line I don't know what else to try.

Any suggestions please guys?


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.903129,0.331268
 
what is a standard biting point ? i would guess that you had degenerated fluid in the system / possibly some air , now you have new fluid , bled correctly it has given you a different biting point , you will get used to it in time :beerchug:
 
Yeah I see your point but on every bike I've owned, the clutch starts to engage when the lever is not far out from the bar, including my last busa in '04. My clutch now doesn't even start to engage until the lever is approaching fully out!
 
Check the brass drum that the cable sits inside of the lever for wear when I put the custom levers on mine also let out at the end of the travel so i took a brass bolt of the same diameter cut the head off and drilled the hole for the cable just a bit shallower and walla earlier release. If yours was normal before the line change then I gotta say it's air
 
A mate just said that there must be a way that a hydraulic clutch system self adjusts as the clutch wears and maybe this is the problem.... As with a cable clutch it has to be adjusted. Anyone have any knowledge of this and whether that could be the reason?
 
the only other explaination could be that the slave cylinder is sticking (ie not returning properly) causing the clutch to bite late , the only thing to do would be remove spocket cover/slave cylinder and clean/check the piston is moving its full travel in and out , you do get a fair bit of crud build up from the chain

worth a look there is no adjustment :beerchug:
 
also check clutch push rod is not bent ( from previous chain failure )
good luck . just for the record mine bites about 3 parts of the way out :whistle:
 

I agree with 03Busaman. I recently was having the same problem, would let the clutch almost out and then the bike would want to jump out and not go nice and smooth. I hated it! I bought a used handlebar complete off of the "bay" something, changed JUST the Clutch Lever. Making sure that the brass piece was orientated in the right direction, I installed the lever. Walla, my problem was fixed!

I then drove the bike to Switzerland the following weekend... wow, it was nice to be able to take off nice and smooth!

Make sure that the brass dingy is facing the correct way and that the little plunger fits into the brass piece properly. If that doesn't work, change out the brass piece with your ORIGINAL.

Hope it helps!

Buddha65281
 
saw your post and think i may have your answer this happened to me after doing a clutch job went through all the answers you're getting and wound up at the slave cylinder support.... , squeeze your clutch as you are looking at your gear cover / slave support a small crack will probably appear while engaging you will have to purchase a new one chrome one on ebays about $130, and i suggest a clutch slave support to keep it from happening again if this happends to be your problem hope this helps...
 
Thanks for the advice.... I should have mentioned that I have a 'big cc racing' clutch slave support on it already... I will have a close look but hopefully this isn't the cause. With a 4yr old not giving me any peace I haven't had a minute to go over the bike again yet!!
 
Worst case scenario ur master cylinder blew no fluid would leak out necessarily bu ur pressure would not be held consistently..
 
I'm giving up, had the whole thing stripped again and rebuilt with the Hel line and bled twice, not a hint of a bubble and still the same. No cracks on slave cylinder. I think I'm just gonna have to get used to it, at least the clutch works!
 
To see the crack in the support / sprocket cover you have to remove the after market supposed bracket it's probably letting just a little bit of air in there enough to create a cushion
 
Does the clutch lever feel a little stiff it should have some resistance on it. On mine I only used the mighty vac to get the bulk of air out after that I just had tube attached and pumped clutch level and keep it held in while I busted open the bleeder valve and closed it without letting off the clutch lever and repeat.
 
It feels what I would call 'normal'. There is a little resistance and I can see in the bottom of the reservoir that it is working. If I pull it in and let it out fast with the engine off i can hear the clutch plates working.
 
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