Some Clutch Questions

[ron bayless]

i have an 80 gs 1000L with 36000 miles on it.Just rebuilt the top end.I used castrol gtx oil in the first 200 miles,now changed it and filter today with rotella t.I have alwys had good luck with rotella.Anyway,before i put the break in oil in and even sometimes afterwards,the clutch would slip but mostly getting on it hard going from 3rd to 4th or 4th to 5th.I was told it was probably just springs.If i ride it taking off from a light and go into the gears with out giving it a lot of gas it doesnt seem to slip.But now i noticed it revving up and not accelerating more and more in 5th gear.used to give it more throttle and the faster you go.But now only after the motor is really heated up from riding does the clutch slipping minimize.I was wondering if just springs or both springs and clutch?Input as usual is greatly appreciated.

[Suzuki mad]

Ron did you semi or fully synthetic oil?

You may have a faulty cable or that the plates are worn but I would hazard a guess that the oil is wrong for the bike. I changed mine and put Fuchs semi synthetic in and my good clutch started to slip at 6,000rpm.

Stripped the clutch out no problems with the plates or the springs. Changed the cable as it had a small 'nick' in the outer. Clutch still slipped.

Changed the oil back to cheap mineral oil and 'hey presto' clutch has stopped slipping!

Others will say that semi works fine but thats what I've found.

Suzuki mad.

[slob]

I beefed up springs on mine but only every second one as the new springs were too stiff.

[ron bayless]

Ron did you semi or fully synthetic oil?

You may have a faulty cable or that the plates are worn but I would hazard a guess that the oil is wrong for the bike. I changed mine and put Fuchs semi synthetic in and my good clutch started to slip at 6,000rpm.

Stripped the clutch out no problems with the plates or the springs. Changed the cable as it had a small 'nick' in the outer. Clutch still slipped.

Changed the oil back to cheap mineral oil and 'hey presto' clutch has stopped slipping!

Others will say that semi works fine but thats what I've found.

Suzuki mad.

HMMMMMM.I don't know if rotella t or castrol gtx is synthetic,semi or what.I never thought about it.i will investigate.Thanks.

[Steve]

Ron, was your Rotella in the gallon jug? If it was a white jug, it's dino oil. If it's a blue jug, its "synthetic".

Either one meets specs for bike use. Personally, I use the blue jug. It's labeled as "synthetic", but probably is a blend with just enough synthetic in it to not be called a blend. It's 5w-40 and does not have the dreaded "Energy Conserving" designation on the API seal.

To help (not fix) your slipping clutch, shim each of the springs with a washer to give it just a bit more tension. Cost: one clutch cover gasket and a few cents per washer. Better solution: new springs, about $3 per spring (6 springs) and a gasket.


.

[Road_Clam]

i have an 80 gs 1000L with 36000 miles on it.Just rebuilt the top end.I used castrol gtx oil in the first 200 miles,now changed it and filter today with rotella t.I have alwys had good luck with rotella.Anyway,before i put the break in oil in and even sometimes afterwards,the clutch would slip but mostly getting on it hard going from 3rd to 4th or 4th to 5th.I was told it was probably just springs.If i ride it taking off from a light and go into the gears with out giving it a lot of gas it doesnt seem to slip.But now i noticed it revving up and not accelerating more and more in 5th gear.used to give it more throttle and the faster you go.But now only after the motor is really heated up from riding does the clutch slipping minimize.I was wondering if just springs or both springs and clutch?Input as usual is greatly appreciated.

Thats a lot of miles on the presumed original clutch. Did you by chance add semi syn oil ? This will cause an old questionable clutch to slip. Lastly older bikes will tend to allow the clutch springs to "lax" and loose their original free height. When this occurs you are looseing preload on the clutch plates, this will cause the clutch to slip in the higher gears (where the most load is placed on the discs). New springs are cheap, and could easily bring your clutch back to 100%.

[rgierer]

My vote is just replace your clutch springs with oem. If yu order from bike bnadit go ahead and get new bolts for the springs as well. seldom do the discs need changing.

I have a 77 750 that was slipping a few years ago. replced the springs with oem and have never had another issue. I run synthetic in that bike all the time.

[denydog]

I'd also vote to try replacing the clutch springs. With my original springs, clutch started slipping at about 18,000 miles. Put in a set of Barnett springs. I don't think they were heavy duty or any thing. They didn't seem to increase to the clutch lever effort. It was a quick fix and haven't had any slipping since. Now at 30,000 miles.

[ironsheik]

I just replaced my springs today and cleaned up the metal disks of which 2 had some glazing. I just used some steel wool and then cleaned the disks with brake cleaner. Now I can pull up the redline without a hint of slippage. Good luck!

Don't forget to get some slick stainless allen head bolts to replace the philips heads you'll need to take off. And don't try this without an impact driver either!

[ron bayless]

Ron, was your Rotella in the gallon jug? If it was a white jug, it's dino oil. If it's a blue jug, its "synthetic".

Either one meets specs for bike use. Personally, I use the blue jug. It's labeled as "synthetic", but probably is a blend with just enough synthetic in it to not be called a blend. It's 5w-40 and does not have the dreaded "Energy Conserving" designation on the API seal.

To help (not fix) your slipping clutch, shim each of the springs with a washer to give it just a bit more tension. Cost: one clutch cover gasket and a few cents per washer. Better solution: new springs, about $3 per spring (6 springs) and a gasket.


.

YES YOU GAVE ME THIS GOOD TIP BEFORE,I JUST THOUGHT it was sliiping more and maybe the springs washer deal wouldnt be enough.I already have 2 gaskets,so the washer trick is worth a try.Bike bandit has the clutch and springs for about $100.00.sorry about caps,i am at work.We use all caps there.

[ron bayless]

Thanks guys! New springs it is!

[Road_Clam]

A little input on the "washer" fix. When I replaced my clutch I measured the old worn out springs vs. the new OEM Suzuki springs, and I measured a difference in free height of .250". A common 6mm flat washer is about .090" thick? Do yourself a favor, if your going through the trouble of dissasembling the clutch, just put in brand new springs, using washers to add preload is a band-aid. Adding washers can also create the possibility of experiencing spring "coil bind" when you fully compress the installed spring using your clutch lever. (strictly just me opinions)

[Steve]

using washers to add preload is a band-aid.

I agree, RC, in fact, I sort of mentioned that in my original post.

To help (not fix) your slipping clutch, shim each of the springs with a washer to give it just a bit more tension.

.

[ron bayless]

Thanks Steve and clam.I am definitely going to get some new springs.They only cost 10 bucks,probably 10 for shipping.Hope those cover screws come out easier than i think they will.

[JHawkins]

I replaced a perfectly good clutch due to a pushrod adjustment issue in the clutch. You may want to double check your adjustments in case it is something simple like that.