A couple of clutch questions

[MFerioli]

Thanks, I'm going to track down an original. I wanted to get one anyways. I don't see what else it could be.

[Macmatic]

While all you clutch guru's are here I've got a quick question about the clutch basket mod I see talked about on some other models, mostly GS1000/1100/1150 bikes I think.

Should this be done on a street only GS1100 and should it be done on any other models? I've got a spare basket for my GS750ES over under a bench....

/\/\ac

[Road_Clam]

If your clutch is "grabby" the fiber drive discs might just be "dry" with respect to oil. This does happen to bikes that sit for years without being used. Is the bike very hard to get into gear from neutral? You might just be able to dissasemble the discs, throw in your new springs, soak all the plates, re-assemble and you should be good to go.

I also agree with Chef, if your drive plates look excessivly overheated "blueish" they are probably warped...

A lot of people don't realize if you have 25 year old original clutch springs, they are probably "laxed" and junk. The clutch slips, but sometimes you don't know it, keep driving it, and this really overheats and trashes the clutch quickly..

[chef1366]

Get a digital multimeter from a Auto parts store or Wal-mart and measure those fibers.
Clean all the steels with steel whool and get rid of any glazing.
The fibers can get hard and won't grab if they sat with no oil on them for a long period of time. If this is the case I would replace the fibers or soak them as Mr. Clam suggested.

[MFerioli]

All the fiber plates were wet and dark, none looked dry at all. The bike was run daily by the last owner.

If the clutch lever isn't the problem, then I will definetely crack the case again measure all the plates, clean all the metal and replace any plates that are even remotely close to being worn.

Sometimes I have to rock the bike a bit when its cold to get it into first, but that doesn't seem all that abnormal does it?

I think the plates had some hints of blue, but nothing that jumped out as excessive.

Thanks for that advice.

[MFerioli]

Ok, I replaced the clutch lever with an original, but it didn't change things much, still stiff. I'm thinking that it has to be the cable routing now. It pulls fine when not hooked up, so it must be picking up a bunch of friction when it has to pull on the clutch. Hopefully replacing the drag bars will allow me to route things more properly.

I should be able to adjust the clutch lever so that when its pulled all the way in and in gear, there is no friction...right?

I turned that adjustment screw way out and when in gear (bike off) I can still feel the engine turning when I move the bike.

Should I be able to click it into first when running and not feel any movement?