clutch or transmission?

'86 VF500F, 12k on the clock. Ridden within the last year by PO.
I just bled the clutch slave, thinking it would solve the problem. it improved the lever feel, but nothing else.

With bike running, sitting still and in neutral. i pull in the clutch lever and put bike into first gear. let out clutch anticipating the bike to go forward. it doesn't. i let the clutch lever all the way out. nothing. i dont even stall. i think i am actually still in neutral. clutch in and shift down into first again. still the same thing. i put the bike on center stand. in true neutral, the rear wheel does not turn, of course. i put it in first and the rear wheel turns. i can stop the wheel turning by hand....it is hard, but i can do it. the bike does not stall as a result.

what is my problem? clutch plates not disengaging all the way? Maybe the clutch plats are just at the end of their life. Our old FJ40 Landcruiser does this sometimes. Maybe transmission?

 

Sound's like clutch to me. But as to the exact issue there's no telling till you get it apart and see.

 

Pull the clutch slave off and then pull the pushrod out and see if there's a groove worn into it. If there isn't, it's probably in the plates or basket.

 

worn clutch plates usually leave a burned cork or burned resistor smell, so sniff your oil filler hole.....
PO "SAYS" he rode, maybe he was fibbing?; did you ride:flame: before purchase??? Should you have?

Can you shift into all or most gears with bike on centerstand (engine off) and turning rear wheel by hand?????

 

Have you checked the master cylinder? If it is not returning to the proper position, or if it is overfilled, it will not allow the slave cylinder to bleed off entirely.

 

I'd pull the push rod out. Could be all gunked up and not allowing the clutch to engage.

 

Master cyl working properly. Bought bike as insurance salvage ($700), but has NC tag on it that expired 7/07, so I figure it was on the road at some point between 7/06 and 7/07. No strange smell or noise as though they are just spinning, like it does for a car...then again, it is encased in oil, so may not be able to hear it anyway. And yes, will shift into all rears as I turn rear wheel by hand. I will check pushrod and/or replace clutch plates. Is 12k a reasonable time for replacement of orig clutch plates? thanks. this gives me a good starting point.

 

My '83 has the orig clutch at 23,000 miles. It all depends on if it was abused or not.

 

Food for thought: Does anybody out there know if the clutch pushrod has a mechanical adjuster to establish an initial clearance? If there is one, I would guess it would be on the clutch side instead of the slave cylinder side. Many of the bikes I have worked on have one, but I do not recall having worked on a bike with a hydraulic actuator.

Does the clutch cover have a removable center piece? If so, the adjuster might live right under it.

 

why not just pull the slave cylinder off, take the push rod out, then try it on the center stand (without using the clutch at all)? If you can still turn the wheel in gear, then it pretty much has to be the clutch assy.

 

Does it happen when the bike is cold, or hot?

If only when the bike is hot, the return hole in the MC is gunked up (under the silver tab at the bottom of the MC).

The return hole allows brake fluid to expand to the MC as it heats up. If the return hole is blocked, the only place for the fluid to expand to is the slave cylinder, which disengages the clutch.

Remove the silver tab and CAREFULLY clean out with a fine tipped needle. You do not want to puncture the rubber seal below the return hole.

If the MC and brake system is working correctly, with the silver tab removed, you will have a fountain of brake fluid about 2' high as the lever returns to the rest position. If you return the lever slowly, you can see the agitation on the surface of the fluid in the MC instead of the fountain.

 

Happens when cold, but good tip. I will check that area of the clutch MC regardless. thanks

 

Broken/worn out clutch springs???

 

it sounds like your clutch is just really, really dead. replace the clutch (frictions and steels), the springs that go on the pressure plate, and make sure the clutch lines are bled out (you may even take the opportunity to put new clutch fluid in there too).

 

Remove clutch cover and check for broken springs, bad friction plates....Steel plates seldom need replacement unless bike was severly abused, causing discoloration and warping.

Very uncommon for bad clutch at that mileage, but WTF?

Hydraulically operated clutch on VF or VFR is self-adjusting.

 

The bike selects all the gears and turns the rear wheel by hand, the clutch disengages the drive, so if you take off the slave cylinder the clutch will be engaged and should drive the bike forward if a gear is selected if it doesn't then no friction at the clutch, either burnt plates or plates hanging up on clutch drum. Hope that helps.