hard shifting

[Anonymous]

hi all,
i installed a barnett clutch in my 1980 gs850 over the winter (plates and springs) and am now having difficulty shifting when the bike is cold. i can run through the gears when the engine is off and once she warms up she'll shift like silk. my clymers manual doesn't go into specifics on how to troubleshoot the clutch, so any input would be greatly appretiated. thanks, bill

[Anonymous]

clutch

say what weight oil are you using and what model bike do you have

[Anonymous]

clutch

i'm running 20w50 and my bike model is gs850L. it the same weight of oil i used last year but that was with my old clutch, which was quite worn. thanks, bill

[Anonymous]

GRABBING CLUTCH

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM FROM TIME TO TIME AND MY SOLUTION HAS BEEN T ADJUST THE CLUTCH A LITTLE ON THE TIGHT SIDE AND THEN WHEN I AM WARMING THE BIKE UP I PULL THE CLUTCH LEVER A FEW TIMES TO GET THE DISKS UN STUCK. IT CROPS UP AGAIN FROM TIME TO TIME AND IT USUALLY TELLS ME TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE CLUTCH ADJUSTMENT--I ALSO HAVE HEAVY DUTY CLUTCH SPRINGS BUT I DIDNT USE A BARNETT CLUTCH LOTS OF FOLKS SAY THEY GRAB I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH BARNETT CLUTCHES

[Anonymous]

clutch

thanks for the advice scotty. i'll do a bit of tinkering. is it possible that the heavy oil in combination with a new clutch could be causing the problem?

[mcycle-nut]

Weird, I have sort of the opposite problem. When my Barnett springed GS750 clutch gets hot, finding neuts can be real bitch. Other than that, it shifts fine with real possitive engagement, especially at high rpms, the main reason I changed them. 8)

[administrator]

Same problem here

I have the same problem on my 1100EX with the Barnett clutch - tough to change gears when cold and tough to find neutral sometimes, especially when the wheels aren't rotating. I went with the heay duty clutch springs and that's what I attribute it to. You definitely don't have any clutch slpiing though.

Just an FYI, keep your eyes on the clutch cable when running those heavy springs. I snapped mine 100 miles from home one time due in part, to the increased work the cable had to handle. If you see any fraying, replace it.

--- Frank ---

[Anonymous]

clutch

i guess i'm doomed to 10 minute warm ups... ah well, its worth it to be able to hit 8 grand with no slippage!

[moto_dan]

Re: clutch

i guess i'm doomed to 10 minute warm ups... ah well, its worth it to be able to hit 8 grand with no slippage!

Try replacing half of your Barnet springs(every other one) with your stock ones. This was recommended to us several years ago on one of our race bikes and it worked fine. Lightened the pull and eased the shifting with no slippage.

[Anonymous]

hard shifting

wow! great suggestion dan i'll let you know how it works out. thanks, bill

[Anonymous]

hard shifting

Bill you either put a jinx on me or or opened my eyes. BECAUSE I just went for a ride and noticed the clutch grabbing and when it warmed up it was fine- Gee I just today changed the oil and it was as smooth as silk yesterday. BUT I distinctly remember that the oil level was at the low end of the marks just before i changed it and today i filled it up to the high mark-- I also recall the shifting being easy when i needed to add oil about 2 weeks ago---Possibly the transmission likes the lower oill level at starts--i dont know what to make of it and sure would like lots of opinions or experiences in this are for the knowledge

[Anonymous]

hard shifting

spooky 8O maybe the new forum was born under a bad sign . i'm curious scotty, what weight of oil are you running in hot 'n' hummid florida? spring has been slow and chilly in alberta this year (rarely above 12`C) and i'm starting to think that the 20w50 is too sticky on the clutch plates when the bike is cold. i'm going to switch to 10w40 when i impliment dan's spring suggestion later today. thanks, bill

[Anonymous]

STICKY

THE FIRST THING I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT I RUN 20-50 BUT REMEMBER THAT IT GETS THICKER WHEN IT WARMS UP-So if you go to a lighter oil it will still get thicker as it warms up---it seems to have something to do with the plates being dry at start up and then just a bit of oil getting on them as you ride and that throws out the theory of being better with lower oil levels--im baffeled. Ill tell you the only thing that i havent tried us using the recomended 10 w 40--it will probably work but i dont want to admit that Nick Diaz is correct

[Jeff Tate]

I had a Barnett Clutch and heavy duty springs in my 1100 many years ago, and I too had difficult shifting. My local Suzuki dealer said to just put in stock plates and springs and it should shift much smoother. I did and it did.

[Anonymous]

Hey Scotty,

Your oil doesn't get thicker when it gets hot, it just behaves like a thicker oil at that operating temperature.

The 20W50 grading means it behaves like a 20 grade oil when cold and behaves like a 50 grade oil when that 50 grade oil is hot. The trick here is that a 50 grade oil when hot has about the same viscosity as the 20 grade oil has when cold.

What this means is that your oil tends to stay at about the same viscosity through the normal operating range. In reality it gets a little thinner when hot, but not really enough to make too much difference to the motor. Viscosity variation in oil operates in partnership with shear strength changes under running loads, and other minor variables. (Now I wish I paid more attention in fluid dynamics back in my engineering student days.)

Your clutch probably operates more easily when the oil level is down because with a lower oil level it heats up faster.

Kim