5000 miles, is my clutch dying?

[ukmt09]

I ride my bike like a supermoto, it gets absolutely abused. I think I may have seriously damaged my clutch from clutch up wheelies.

Recently I've noticed When I accelerate hard from ~80mph in 4th, 5th or 6th whilst about mid rev range, my revs shoot up, along with engine noise but the power is... dragged. It's like a turbo spooling sling shot.

When I got the bike, I installed some shorty levers from China, and thought my cable play was about right, but I've adjusted it a few times with no change to the dragging.

I've also recently installed a DNA air filter, a EJK fuel controller to match the exhaust and filter (stage 1 set up), changed the oil (motul 10w40) and changed the filter to hiflo... Could this be a factor ?

I'm out to the TT this year and this is a bummer, along with needing a new road pilot 4 rear...

So my question is... is the clutch dragging, or is it slipping? Could it be a simply stretched cable? Do I need to replace the clutch plates? The basket?

Really... 5000 miles and it's gone already?

Many thanks!

 

[lee1980]

If the revs shoot up and not much forward momentum then it most likely is slipping, as long as oil was motorbike specific to as some car oils have additives that can damage wet clutches. Still see,s very short life for a clutch on a bike but then if you been giving it hard time to be expected I guess. I know in traffic when i can not filter I slip mine quite a bit and can crawl along real slow, but always done that and never worn a clutch out on a bike!

 

[motorcycleboy]

I've been pulled up some hundrends of wheelies but always by just openning the throtle on 1st or 2nd gear in STD mode..
I avoid as hell to do clutch-up-wheelies just for don't make my clutch plates suffer and start slipping.
About the case that Lee has mentioned, there is a reason for avoid to put fully synthetic oil in the engine... for that reason i used to put semi-synthetic oil (ELF moto-tech4 10W-50) but in 20.000km (12.000mi) service i'd like to put the Bel-Ray EXS 10W-50 to see how it works with the clutch..
Allthough, when i rev-up my engine there is a massive force pulling the bike with a screamming from the engine that seems more like rear wheel's spinning than like clutch slipping..

 

[MT account]

all MT's will get a bit of clutch slip if you cane them hard enough! my FZ started letting go around 500k when i wind it on through the gears. some guys are fitting ebc springs now offof ebay which cures it...but not for me as i dont want a clutch that feels like a handbrake.

 

[My Toy]

A dragging clutch is one where the plates don't fully separate and you either stall the engine or the bike lurches forwards when you engage first gear. This is usually caused by the cable, and or the lever being badly adjusted.
A slipping clutch is where the revs rise upon opening the throttle but the bike doesn't respond with corresponding forwards motion. Sounds like all those clutch up wheelies may have damaged the clutch such that it is now unable to drive the bike forwards without slipping. If you are confident the oil is definitely bike specific you should be able to rule that out as a cause and if you have the recommended free play at the lever then the only thing left is to take the clutch apart and inspect it, replacing worn friction plates and checking the steel plates for distortion. Might be worth checking the release bearing while it's all in bits as well as some on here have reported noisy release bearings.


A vee four and an inline triple, the two best sounds in motorcycling. [emoji101]

 

[stevecbr]

A clutch shouldnt go within 5000 miles, 20000+ maybe even with abuse. My guess is its either slipping due to incorrect grade oil, or when you fitted the levers you didnt have enough free play, and they have been slowly overheating for the last 5000 miles

 

[ukmt09]

So, thought I'd report back in case anyone else has the same symptoms.

I took the friction plates out, look what I found... two of the nine plates had fallen apart!

I am awaiting EBC friction plates and a new clutch cable (first UK ordered one!)

 

[My Toy]

Oops, that would explain the slipping. Are the friction plates worn away as well as broken? Hope the EBC ones hold up to the wheelies[emoji106][emoji6]


A vee four and an inline triple, the two best sounds in motorcycling. [emoji101]

 

[MT account]

mine slips from brand new but at max torque figures so id say it aint man enough for the job as do many others.