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Clutch or drivetrain issue?

1K views 13 replies 4 participants last post by  Troy Jollimore 
#1 ·
A week or two ago I installed a cheap ebay clutch in my 95 shadow 1100, both fiber and steel plates, plus barnett clutch springs because the clutch was slipping. everything was working fine for the first week then the clutch started slipping again. adjustments are perfect under the side cover and at the lever, freeplay is correct. As I was riding home from work yesterday it was slipping horribly and after a few minutes of riding it slipped so bad that the bike no longer gets power to the wheel in any gear with the clutch lever all the way out. and the bike rolls freely in any gear. you can still shift and feel the clunk of moving through gears but like I said the bike rolls freely as if its in neutral. Is this simply a failed cheapo ebay clutch or does this sound like some sort of shaft drive issue? just looking for some advice before I spend money on oem steel and fiber plates. any and all input is welcome, thanks in advance.

I forgot to mention the clutch was doing pretty well but I noticed right after I changed the oil a few days ago it seemed to start slipping again, I used supertech 10w40 synth instead of the mobil 1 10w40 synth I usually use, and I didnt overfill it. I changed the oil back to mobil 1 before the clutch went out fully but it obviously didnt stop it because it still failed on me yesterday. just wanted to throw that extra info out there
 
#2 ·
That was the first question I had, engine oil type. Make sure it is not a friction reducing type.
Maybe add some extra free play on the lever, to see if it helps any.
One fellow on here uses Lucas Heavy Duty oil additive with a slipping problem.
And he says it works.
That would be worth a try at least.
 
#3 ·
That was the first question I had, engine oil type. Make sure it is not a friction reducing type.
Maybe add some extra free play on the lever, to see if it helps any.
One fellow on here uses Lucas Heavy Duty oil additive with a slipping problem.
And he says it works.
That would be worth a try at least.
apparantly the supertech is for motorcycles so im not sure why it would cause issues. ill try adding some lucas but even with the lever adjusted loose and floppy the clutch is just stuck engaged, im assuming the cheapo 40 dollar ebay clutch fused itself together or blew apart but i didnt hear any wild noises so idk
 
#4 ·
Do you a 1/2" to 3/4" of free play at the clutch lever end? If not you have over adjusted the clutch thus not letting it to fully engage thus when the oil gets hot it will really be a slippin'. BTW if it was drivetrain you wouldn't be a moving and I'm sure a bunch weird sounds would be heard and felt.
 
#5 ·
So after messing with it today heres what Ive come up with. With the bike cold I can rock it back and forth in gear and it starts to build a little resistance like its not in neutral anymore. I started it and went to take off and to my suprise it actually moved under its own power again(though not nearly full power it was slipping bad in first) and I started heading down the street, before I could even get out of my neighborhood it was back to slipping so bad the bike was essentially in neutral in all gears. I still shifts through all gears, and It starts and runs fine but regardless or what amount of freeplay I have at the lever or at the adjuster under the side cover, I can let the clutch out and the bike barely barely pulls. It wont even move by itself unless I get off it and itll creep forward. This isnt my first bike I know what a well adjusted clutch feels like, and even if I make it incredibly loose it still wont pull itself. This one has me scratching my head but I keep thinking it just has to be that ebay clutch kit, even with the barnett springs maybe the fiber and steel plates are all ****ed up. Im planning on pulling the clutch tommorrow after work Ill check back in then.
 
#6 ·
Well after some research, your bike has a hydraulic clutch thus any air in the system or fluid leakage will result in the scenario. In my defense I thought they done away with this setup in the 80's but 96' was the last year for this setup.
 
#9 ·
Clutch isnt hydraulic for sure, its good ole cable actuated. I actually changed out the clutch plates, friction and fiber, and the problem was fixed. the plates were all smoked, dark in color, had a wierd smell to them. been riding it most of today and the slipping is entirely gone. Thats what i get for paying 30 dollars for a clutch kit
 
#7 ·
That sure changes the ball game. That's why we need complete information.
If it is actually hydraulic- Probably a very easy fix for a problem that we have seen many times.
A HYDRAULIC clutch system has a very tiny return port in the bottom of the clutch master.
If it clogs it will hold pressure in the system. So the plates won't engage.
Soak up the fluid in the master and run a needle through this very easy to miss port.
 

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#10 ·
That sure changes the ball game. That's why we need complete information.
If it is actually hydraulic- Probably a very easy fix for a problem that we have seen many times.
A HYDRAULIC clutch system has a very tiny return port in the bottom of the clutch master.
If it clogs it will hold pressure in the system. So the plates won't engage.
Soak up the fluid in the master and run a needle through this very easy to miss port.
Its not hydraulic its cable, but thanks for that tip ill keep that in mind if I come across a hydraulic clutch bike, both my bikes are cable actuated. it ended up being the ****ass 30 dollar ebay clutch plates, replaced them today and the bike is back to normal
 
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