Does this sound like a clutch problem ?

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone -

I had a buddy stop over today with his 1980 GS1100E.

He has a problem where his bike feels like it wants to creep forward when the bike is in first gear, and the clutch lever is pulled-in.

Also, the bike will not go into neutral when sitting in first gear, with the engine running, and the clutch lever pulled-in. It goes into neutral just fine when the engine is not running.

When the clutch lever is pulled-in, and the engine is running, steping the shift lever down into first gear causes a major CLUNK. (a horrible sound)

Going down the road, the shifting is not what GS Suzuki owners are used to.......the bike shifts up and down through the gears, but it takes extra-effort to go from one gear to another.

Recently, new clutch springs were installed by a local repair shop because the owner felt the clutch was slipping at certain RPMs. The slipping problem was corrected. The clutch plates were also checked by the repair shop with a micrometer, and were well within specs.

The clutch cable is the original one that came with the bike.......25 years old.

We made adjustments to the clutch at both ends of the cable to verify that the clutch was engaging completly.....and to see if the problem was the result of a sticky cable. It appeared that there was plenty of movement in the cable at the clutch end......

Any suggestions ?

markn.

[scotty]

Your clutch seems to be sticking-this usually happens when they are not warmed up or when the viscosity of the oil is too high during warmup --another reason could be the old cable is stretching. try to use an oil that is lighter than 20 whatever.
I haVE 6 HD SPRINGS IN MY SUZY AND THAT CONDITION USUALY ONLY HAPPENS WHEN I HAVE JUST REPLACED THE CLUTCH DISKS OR WHEN I AM NOT USING A MULTI VISCOSITY OIL WITH A LOW NUMBER LOWER THAN 20.
Another time it happened when i installed Barnett fibers which are noted for dragging. I am asuming that the thing operated properly before the spring mod((did it???)) Why did you folks install the springs??

Sorry about caps

[Anonymous]

Your clutch seems to be sticking-this usually happens when they are not warmed up or when the viscosity of the oil is too high during warmup --another reason could be the old cable is stretching. try to use an oil that is lighter than 20 whatever.
I haVE 6 HD SPRINGS IN MY SUZY AND THAT CONDITION USUALY ONLY HAPPENS WHEN I HAVE JUST REPLACED THE CLUTCH DISKS OR WHEN I AM NOT USING A MULTI VISCOSITY OIL WITH A LOW NUMBER LOWER THAN 20.
Another time it happened when i installed Barnett fibers which are noted for dragging. I am asuming that the thing operated properly before the spring mod((did it???)) Why did you folks install the springs??

Sorry about caps

Scotty -

He had the springs replaced because the clutch was slipping. After the springs were replaced, the slipping problem stopped.

You mentioned stretched cables......my buddy wondered about the same thing. I didn't think it mattered as long as there was enough room to take up the slack, and to be certian the clutch was being pulled completely away from the flywheel.....mmmmmm, kinda' interesting.



markn.

[Anonymous]

Clutch

I went through this last year with an '81 GS850G I'd just bought....

On that bike the solution turned out to be replacing the friction plates in the clutch.

- Bill

[Anonymous]

Re: Clutch

I went through this last year with an '81 GS850G I'd just bought....

On that bike the solution turned out to be replacing the friction plates in the clutch.

- Bill

Bill -

A new clutch cable has been ordered. The owner felt this was a good place to start looking......and probably the least expensive.

I will update this thread after the cable arrives........

markn.

[mcycle-nut]

I had the same thing happen with my GT250. It had Barnett springs and plates in it, that is until one spring self destructed. I put in some old stock ones (undersized), and that cured all the problems. However, the clutch does slip when I wail on it. New springs are on my "to do" list for next fall. :roll:

I also have sort of the same problem with my 750, but it's not as extreme. Neutral can be a pain sometimes, but that's about it. Again, Barnett springs. With the stock springs the clutch was slipping when I wailed on it. No more. :twisted: My wife complains the clutch is "too stiff." WAAAHH! To bad! It's my bike!

[Tool]

Re: Clutch

I went through this last year with an '81 GS850G I'd just bought....

On that bike the solution turned out to be replacing the friction plates in the clutch.

- Bill

Bill -

A new clutch cable has been ordered. The owner felt this was a good place to start looking......and probably the least expensive.

I will update this thread after the cable arrives........

markn.

I've just replaced a generic brand cable with a OEM Suzuki item. The Suzuki cable has much better feel and travel than the generic cable ever had. The generic cable has a thicker inner and I can only assume had some stretch because it was very hard to balance minimum freeplay with full disengage(?). You either got slippage or a clunk, but not a sweet spot.

The Suzuki cable is well worth the extra cost - such as it is.

[Anonymous]

I think that adjusting the clutch will fix it. It is simply not disengaging far enough and this can be adjusted. It is like not being able to pull the lever far enough to totally disengage the clutch. Try adjustment first.