Bargan Motorcycle Clutch Issue

No good bike deal ever goes unpunished.

I changed oil and filter using Honda brand 10W-40 synthetic blend oil. I evacuated all the old brake and clutch fluid and I got everything buttoned up. I rode it down the road and as it began to warm up the clutch went away and I mean full on gone. I could crawl at 1mph if I peddled my feet and I had to push it up the hill to my house on the freshly grated gravel road. The good news is I am in better shape than I thought since I didn't have a massive heart attack and I didn't puke. The bad news is the Synthetic blend motor oil I used could be messing with my clutch or my clutch is totally worn out at 22k miles. I have never had a clutch that was this bad before.

I did notice that before the oil change, while riding it, the clutch made a slight squeaking or whining noise on take up.

 

I doubt the oil had anything to do with it, you never know if the PO may have abused it.

 

But Jim, I believe you had put a few miles on this bike and this is why the smoking stopped, no sign of clutch troubles then?

 

Yes, I did put a few miles on it and this is why it is a bit of a shock. I did notice, when I was riding it before that it did whine a bit on take up. I had never herad a VFR do this. Also I didn't hammer it but i did ride it a 70mph and above with no trouble.

I pulled the clutch apart. It looks good but it looks like it has been sitting a long time. Some of the material from the fiber plate plus some rust and gunk had set up a no friction zone. I cleaned the steel plates and roughed them up a bit and I got all most of the rust and gunk off. We will see what happens.

BTW, The clutch was so bad that I could turn the back wheel in first and spin the clutch with almost no resistance.

 

Jim no chance that the slave cylinder might have held the plates apart, you would have noticed if the plates were worn enough to slip when you had it apart. Try backing the slave bolts off a bit and see if there is pressure on the rod

 

I did have to push the clutch rod back with my hand to get the bolts for the clutch spring started but that's normal for a fluid clutch.

I also have a rising fear that I still might have a leaking head gasket. The oil went in clear and honey colored and with less than an hour run time on it came out the color of milk chocolate. It didn’t smell like it had water in it and it didn’t have water separation but it is just a bad feeling. I think there was a reason this guy stopped riding this bike.

Update: I just went back out in the shop and looked at the pan I drained the oil into. There is a drizzle of oil left in the bottom and I am being paranoid. The oil is just fine.

 

My 2001 YZ 250 decided to lose its clutch one day, anything above 1/4 throttle in any gear just wouldn't hold. there was no visual indication that anything was wrong but it apparently needed a new clutch. My last road going bike, a 2005 R1 decided it needed new clutches at about the 21k mile marks though that one only ever needed friction plates. Same deal, though, it was suddenly unrideable.

 

I took it out for a tentative test run. I did 15 highway miles at speeds touching 90 but mostly around 75. I went from having zero clutch to having a monster clutch. I liked NormK's idea that the clutch problem originated with the clutch slave so before I buttoned it up I bleed the clutch slave and popped the top of the reservoir to make sure the pressure was equalized. (Leaving no stone unturned.) Now the clutch releases right at the handlebar and I had to use the adjuster to get a bit more lever.

The bike ran pretty good but I am being picky and paranoid. Here is my list:
1) The exhaust still smells a bit like burning oil but no visible smoke.
2) There seems to be a flat spot when holding the throttle steady.
3) At idle the engine will stumble a bit at times.
4) The ambient temperature today is in the low 90s. The bike warmed and stayed between 211 and 212 degrees while running 75. Temp came down to 210 when I slowed.
5) I checked the charging at the battery. Engine off = 12.32v Engine on at 5K and above = 13.89v. It seems low but there is no VFRNess and no updated grounding. (yet)
6) I managed to fix two broken fairing bits by welding the plastic with my soldering iron. I smooth the surface and did a half ass spot paint job. You can't tell from ten feet away but I can see it.
7) The big dent in the front wheel worries me and I won't be riding it much until I get that replaced. (Will any other Honda wheel work? For instance, will the CBR wheel fit a VFR?")
8) The back tire is really crap.
9) I ran out of screws and well nuts fixing the fairing mounting. I need to order more!

 

How bad is your wheel? Had mine fixed on the 8th gen after hitting pot hole at low speed. Had a local shop that specializes auto rims do it.

 

Regarding #2 & #3, have you tuned the starter valves? Perhaps these injectors require cleaning.

 

It is bad enough to make me nervous and not bad enough that it doesn't seat the bead. Where did you find such a specialist?

 

Look for someone who specializes in repairing and polishing cast wheels for cars. My guy even polished the Kerker cans for the '83. If you are getting close to needing a new front tire, they should dismount old tire, fix rim and re-mount new tire for you. That's what I had done.

 

I was thinking along the lines of new tires and powder coated wheels on both ends.

 

I was warming the bike up and noticed that the tach needle bounced a bit at idle. When you open the throttle and hold is steady, at any RPM, the tach needle bounced in a 200 RPM range. I was wondering if this wasn't what I was feeling when I was holding the throttle steady when I was riding. The bike is stock with stock everything including the PAIR system.

 

Occurring at all RPMs under any level of load that sounds electrical, but unfortunately the fault could be anywhere.

 

I still have to clean and check all the grounds. It really is not safe to ride. I found a plug in the rear tire, which is to the wear bars anyway, and it is leaking. The bent rim needs to be dealt with so until I get these items sorted I will just park it and look at it.

 

Something I noticed and it can't be right. On the 6th gen if I try to build revs slowly off idle I can't. It gets to about 2K and then will jump to 3300. My 5th gen doesn't do this and has a smooth throttle. I figure this is not normal.

 

Probably longshot BigJim, but did you call Bates Cycle Salvage to see if they had a front wheel by chance?

http://batescycle.com/

 

Consider this may be related to other issues you have mentioned. That said, the cold idle is controlled by the wax idle unit on the 6th. If the water passages get clogged with crud, it will stick and peg the idle at a high RPM. I would think if you let the throttle go gently it might even stick at 3300 and not go down if it were this, but who knows.

Then there is making sure the throttle cable and starter valves are all moving smoothly. They may require clean and lube.

 

Nice read , sorry to hear the concerns good thing is you are on top of it. but so far nothing outside the norm I'm thinking. As far as the 6th gen vs. 5th gen go, the 5ths do not have V-tec as the 6th gen. hence why the 5th gens are smoother. that's the norm not the other way around. As far as temps, that sounds not so off, when it was 90 here, on the move the lcd read out read around mid 180s, the minute I slowed down to a crawl it went 200-209 very easy, at a stop it went to fan mode at 214 but once on the move at a decent speed say 45mph and up it came back to mid 180s Here's a front wheel you might keep an eye on, on Ebay that's way less at the moment than what most go for, and it's complete with brake rotors and all. even though it looks to be a bit paint chipped you mention a redo, so??? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-2000-...ash=item58dd5df211:g:SqQAAOSw-4BXYWUW&vxp=mtr