(Another) Clutch Issue

[kaalkoejawel]

Hi Guys

I need some advice.....

I bought a FJ1200 mainly as a donor for my project, but I am now fixing it up to go to a rally end of Aug.
I fixed a few oil leaks, replaced the clutch slave cyl seals, etc. Must stil replace fork seals and clean it up a bit.

After bleeding the clutch I found that when the bike is in gear and I pull the clutch in, the rear wheel is still very hard to turn, as if the clutch is not releasing fully. I removed the clutch cover and this is what I found...





The clutch seems to operate normally when the lever is pulled. I measured the plates and they are all in the upper limit of the thickness spec, and they look new! The motor has been standing without oil for the past 3 months. I also placed a spacer between the slave cylinder and pushrod to check whether the hydraulics wasnt pushing far enough, but this didnt make a difference.

Could it be that because the plates are still quite thick and the clutch is without oil, that it doesn't release fully or is there something else I should look at?

Any comments/advice will be appreciated!

Peter

[andyb]

It's a wet clutch, probably sticking a bit if it's dry.

I'd probably pull the clutch pack and sort out the fibers, stick them in a shallow pan or a  big ziplock bag, and soak them with engine oil for a couple hours (or overnight, depending on how fast I felt like working).  If they're dry, they'll stick, chatter, wear out super fast, and generally not work for a crap.

If the pressure plate (purple) moves when you actuate the clutch lever by a bit (3mm maybe?  it isn't very far) then you can guess that bit is okay.

If you take the springs out, you should be able to turn the clutch hub by hand (assuming you're in neutral) and it'll be a bit stiff, but doable.

[Arnie]

+1 What AndyB said.
That's an aftermarket clutch pressure plate.  I'd guess it is a "Barnett" brand plate and probably also has aftermarket fiber plates from them.
When I had that Norton (see my avatar) with Barnett plates, I'd have to get it towed down the street to get the plates to free up each spring.  That was with oil in the clutch case!  If your bike sat dry or even tilted on the side stand for years those plates are most likely stuck fast.
As AndyB said, take it apart and soak them in oil overnight.

Cheers,
Arnie

[racerman_27410]

Spot on Arnie..... i tried those Barnett kevlar plates and they just dont like to release.


one thing you can try is rolling the bike in gear a bit (clutch in) to break the plates loose before starting..... but if they are the Barnett kevlar plates it wont do much good..... i have had great results using the standard OEM clutch plates with that setup.


Kookaloo!

Frank

[kaalkoejawel]

thanks guys! 

i'll give it bash tonight!

[kaalkoejawel]

i took all the plates out, gave them a good clean and put them back. now the clutch seems to release fully. the engine is still without oil as i removed the oil cooler to clean it as well, but hopefully the clutch will be allright once i put oil in and start it up.

thanx again!

[kaalkoejawel]

the bike is now running and the clutch is fine!