clutch grabbing and shaky riding

[wilsonsandy07]

82 GS1100E hey folks, just got the bike running fairly well and have been riding her to work to test it out. its about a 35 mile ride, ive noticed a couple things id like to run by the forum and see if theres any good info or tips

- after the 35 miles or so, with the clutch all the way in the bike will still want to move. when i start it back up after its cooled off its completely normal.

- not super stable ride upwards of 90ish (no clue cuz speedo only goes to 80). tires have plenty of tread but they did sit for awhile and arent new.

[unfocused]

You should have a minimum 1/16" play at the clutch lever. I like about an 1/8th - although I don't remember which bike you have so you'll need to follow the proper clutch adjustment found in the FSM ( field service manual )

The early 750 engine has a trivial clutch adjustment procedure and I've dealt with it eventually needing to replace my friction discs and cleaning up the clutch backet because of notches worn into it. No cheap stuff available here.

My 78 GS1000 engine I've experienced clutch issues with and this turned into a friction disc replacement. I've also expereinced a broken friction disc that would cause clutch creep. I've broken several discs a couple of times. Long story, extended swing arm, fat tire and lots of throttle :-)

Also, the clutch cable needs to be routed in such a way that it doesn't bind up.

[wilsonsandy07]

You should have a minimum 1/16" play at the clutch lever. I like about an 1/8th - although I don't remember which bike you have so you'll need to follow the proper clutch adjustment found in the FSM ( field service manual )

The early 750 engine has a trivial clutch adjustment procedure and I've dealt with it eventually needing to replace my friction discs and cleaning up the clutch backet because of notches worn into it. No cheap stuff available here.

My 78 GS1000 engine I've experienced clutch issues with and this turned into a friction disc replacement. I've also expereinced a broken friction disc that would cause clutch creep. I've broken several discs a couple of times. Long story, extended swing arm, fat tire and lots of throttle :-)

Also, the clutch cable needs to be routed in such a way that it doesn't bind up.

Ah crap forgot to put gs1100ez

i have correct play in cable and correct routing, i just replaced my clutch pack so i shouldnt have any broken or worn friction plates yet. its really only when the bike is hot after riding for a good while.

[Rob S.]

How hot? Maybe you should consider an oil cooler. It's 'plug & play' on the '82 11E. It made a huge difference in oil temps on my 11EZ.

[unfocused]

Ah crap forgot to put gs1100ez

i have correct play in cable and correct routing, i just replaced my clutch pack so i shouldnt have any broken or worn friction plates yet. its really only when the bike is hot after riding for a good while.

Consider checking free play when it gets "hot" or as Rob S. said, consider an oil cooler.

When you replaced your clutch pack, did you:
Use a brand name?
verify that all the steels were flat and of the same? i.e. not miss matched.
verify no notches in the clutch basket fingers - not sure if your scoot is prone to this like the 8v engines.
just curious though, what oil are you running?

[rphillips]

This is interesting, I've abused GS clutches pretty dang bad, got them hot enough they would slip a little, but don't remember one getting tighter when hot.... an oil cooler may stop your problem, but for me these bikes shouldn't be doing that even without a cooler.

[wilsonsandy07]

This is interesting, I've abused GS clutches pretty dang bad, got them hot enough they would slip a little, but don't remember one getting tighter when hot.... an oil cooler may stop your problem, but for me these bikes shouldn't be doing that even without a cooler.

depending on how hot the day is upwards of 250ish id say, never gotten up to the 320 mark on the oil gauge. typically in right at about 210.

Consider checking free play when it gets "hot" or as Rob S. said, consider an oil cooler.

When you replaced your clutch pack, did you:
Use a brand name?
verify that all the steels were flat and of the same? i.e. not miss matched.
verify no notches in the clutch basket fingers - not sure if your scoot is prone to this like the 8v engines.
just curious though, what oil are you running?

i got the new clutch pack from z1enterprisez i believe
no missmatches or discrepancies
there definielty is some light notches in my clutch basket
running ecstar suzuki oil 10w 40? whatever the manual recommends. i forget the weight

This is interesting, I've abused GS clutches pretty dang bad, got them hot enough they would slip a little, but don't remember one getting tighter when hot.... an oil cooler may stop your problem, but for me these bikes shouldn't be doing that even without a cooler.

no issues at all with shifting or anything else, just seems like after a decent length ride pulling the lever all the way in doesnt always fully disengage the drive and could stall it. not a huge deal as im decent enough with clutch control but can be a pain in some situations.

maybe my case side lever is not oriented correctly and once the bike is at running temp its just right on the edge of grabbing/not?

[Cipher]

Refer to the adjustment procedure in the manual.

[wilsonsandy07]

Update

Re did my cable adjustment and still looking the same. Only when bike is warmed up, after a bit of a ride.

the only thing I can think to do is get her hot and then do the cable adjustment again, and try to get it right on the edge of fully disengaging when hot but still engaging drive when let out. And making sure it all still works as advertised when cold

[wilsonsandy07]

As for the shaky riding, turns out I’m running on 20 year old Michelin Macadam tires! I check the DOT date codes and both were over 20 years old! Needless to say inordered some bt46s and will be slapping them on this weekend

[Big Block]

How many miles have you put on it with the new clutch? I put a new clutch and clutch drum on my 1100E and it took about 200 miles on it before it really felt right. It was doing what yours is, hard to get neutral at a standstill, dragged a bit with bike stopped but shifted fine.I soaked them, adjusted it correctly and had a nice no kink route for the cable.

[wilsonsandy07]

How many miles have you put on it with the new clutch? I put a new clutch and clutch drum on my 1100E and it took about 200 miles on it before it really felt right. It was doing what yours is, hard to get neutral at a standstill, dragged a bit with bike stopped but shifted fine.I soaked them, adjusted it correctly and had a nice no kink route for the cable.

I’ve put about 700 miles on it. I too soaked my plates, made sure my routing is good and re did the adjustment. Need to adjust when the bike is hot and forget about it lol

[rphillips]

Got to try whatever you can, but "needing" to adjust the cable when bike and eng. are hot sure seems far fetched. Wondering if you've watched for, or noticed, any difference in the free play at the lever when cold and when the bike gets hot and problem occurs?

[wilsonsandy07]

Got to try whatever you can, but "needing" to adjust the cable when bike and eng. are hot sure seems far fetched. Wondering if you've watched for, or noticed, any difference in the free play at the lever when cold and when the bike gets hot and problem occurs?

No difference in free play at the lever.

[Carter Turk]

Did you put in new clutch springs? I didn't see a mention of that.