clutch

[theLeopard]

thinking about disassembling my clutch system next weekend.
wanted to toss it up here for debate before I dig into it.

symptoms include:
hard shift from neutral into first
faint grinding-sound while idling in neutral
bike actually died once when shifting from neutral into first (hit real hard and cut out) but that doesn't usually happen
lots of play in the clutch lever (0.25-0.5")

the current plan is to bleed the entire thing, but that's because 1) I can't find anything about shoring up slack in the clutch cable and 2) it's a new bike for me and i'm concerned it wasn't properly maintained (although it was cared for).

have at it 

[Arnie]

Sounds like your clutch is not fully dis-engaging (aka dragging).
This could be caused by:
Air in the system  -- bleed it well
Clutch Slave seals leaking -- rebuild or replace the slave
Clutch Master seals leaking -- rebuild or replace the master.

There is no clutch cable on the FJ.
None of the faults or repairs listed above require you to access the clutch itself, leave the right side clutch cover where it is.

[andyb]

+1

Start with the slave, as that cause the bulk of what you describe.  Non-OEM fibers can stick, doing similar things, but that's less common.

The rattle at idle is normal.  Idling in neutral, it'll make noises; pull the clutch in and the noise should change.

[FJmonkey]

I had clutch issues, then it started slipping. Once I had it open I could see the damage. Then Randy pointed out that it was not an OEM clutch... Hard shifting, major thump when shifted into 1st when cold... My new OEM clutch from Randy is awesome!! I also installed the roller-bearing shift kit since I had the clutch open. Butter smooth shifts and my 2nd gear issue seems to have gone away...