1985 gs1150e clutch sticking

[Ben]

Hello

I recently puchased a gs1150e and its running well exept the clutch never seems to disengage fully, still very drivable but cant find neutral unless I am rolling and I feel the bike pulling a bit when I am stopped. I have adjusted cable tension and tried moving the clutch arm. I hit the limit of how far the arm would pull and still had the problem so it does not seem to be a cable issues. It also improves somewhat as the bike heats up and oil gets slicker.

Thanks for any ideas

Ben

[Robert Corrie]

Could be an old Barnet clutch. The ones I used to put in my 1150's would "Drag" when the engine and oil were still cold. Change the oil first. Then the cable. Then the clutch.

[ToddB3]

I know sometimes on a bike thats been sitting for a while the clutch plates can dry-out somewhat. Try changing the oil and lubing the cable like mentioned above and start the bike with a couple of rubber bands holding the clutch lever in. Let the bike idle like this for a few minutes, it might save you from having to install a new clutch for a while.

[Ben]

Thanks, oil viscocity?

Thank you for the replies, oil has been changed and cable is fine, no drag there, would different oil viscocity make any differnce. The bike is totally rideable right now so I dont think I would bother with a new clutch for quite a while.

[Anonymous]

Dragging clutch

Just happened to be reading this and remembered having a similar problem. I'd open the case and inspect the condition of the basket where the tangs on the plates slide on the basket. Long ago I installed Barnett plates and they ate my stock basket up with the same result your having, they quit sliding, got stuck in the grooves they dug and wouldn't let the clutch disengage. The Barnett plates were stamp cut and had a sharp narrow edge as opposed to the broad double wide edge of the stock cork plates. I don't think they were designed for how I used them in a stock basket.