Cockblocked by my clutch

Yes, I know you are only reading this thread because of the title.
Yes, I know it sounds a little improbable.
Yes, I know that I should get to the point.

I've had my '98 VFR800 for a little while now, and for the last week, I have been riding every day, getting used to the roads and the bike here in northern Italy. Usually no more than an hour at a time, and no more than 10 miles a day. Yesterday, I wanted to go farther.

So I did.

Heading in to the city of Trento, I came to the first red-light I had hit all day.

Clutch in, brake, downshift to 1st.

Green light.

Roll on throttle, Clutch out slow.

Nothing happens.



Pull the bike into a side street, and try again. I had to make sure I wasn't in neutral, that I hadn't done anything wrong. There was no odd sound, no horrific clang of transmission plates being torn asunder. The fluid level seemed fine. Clutch lever seemed ok, transmission felt like it was shifting as per expected. The bike just wouldn't go.

So I called an Italian friend who had a car to come pick me up, and we went to a repair shop down the road. They, sadly, only worked on Ducati's and Husqavarna's (sp?), and wouldn't take my VFR. But they were kind enough to call a tow truck and the local Honda dealer, so all I had to do was wait by the bike for the truck to come by.

Communication was the issue of the day, so of course the driver spoke no English, and my friend had to go before the truck arrived. I managed to get it across that the bike was broken and I needed to get to the Honda dealership in Gardolo (North of Trento).

He dropped me in front of the dealer, and asked for his payment. 100+ Euros. I don't exactly carry that much cash (who does? Seriously, who does?), so what ended up happening was he came inside and charged the dealer, who put his fee on my bill. Thank god they accepted credit....

As far as I can tell, and from what the one Tech that spoke English could tell me, all that was wrong was a clog in the hydraulic clutch system. Once he blew out the system and replaced the fluid, everything worked like new. Guess that is what I get when I buy a bike that has been sitting idle for a year. Only cost around 20 Euro to have fixed, and I was on my way.

But having your clutch die in rush hour city traffic? That sucks. Enough that all I wanted was to go home and have a beer. So I did.

Oh, and the name of the thread? I was supposed to go to the pharmacy on my way home to pick up one thing.

Condoms.

~Jack

 

Bad luck about the clutch.

And very inventive about the title and tieing it into the story!!

 

WOW So you were cock blocked by your clutch !

 

Not a clue what the official maintenance schedule says about 90-93 clutch and brake systems. MY $.02 drain flush and refill once a year.

Pop the top off the clutch reservoir after the bike has been sitting level for a couple of hours. The sediment at the bottom should tell the tale.

 

Good story!

But that should never stop you from going deep and pulling early! otstir:

Sorry, couldn't resist...

Of course there are ways of ensuring that this minor mechanical stuff never comes between you and some good loving. Snip Snip

hheheh:hss:

 

Yeah, I plan on having kids eventually. It usually isn't a problem, but this time it was rather annoying.

~Jack

 

Well played.

 

Im waiting for the usual suspects to post...

but I think we're good... we can pass on this.

 

Here's what the clutch MC and fluid looked like in the '01 I just bought...Changed the tar, er oil too.

 

I had no idea what was wrong, so I had to pay to let the local Honda tech fix it. He seemed to know the drill though.

~Jack

 

So it happened again.

I was out in town, and as the bike passed 215 degrees at a stoplight, the power went away. I managed to get it stopped, let the engine cool down to around 175, and I had power again. Managed to get it home by staying in motion and keeping the air flowing.

I'm at a loss for what is wrong. The fluid in the transmission is new, the system has just been flushed by the tech at the Honda store, but it is still losing power when the temp gets too high. I'm going to go out and start getting the tools I need to work on it myself, but before I do, does anyone here have a suggestion?

One note, the friction point on the clutch lever seems to be almost at the end of it's travel. Didn't think there was anything odd with that, as it has been different on every bike I've ridden, but there you go.

~Jack

 

We may have a loss in translation here. Transmission fluid ???

Clutch and brake levers can be adjusted.

 

I hope we don't have a loss in translation, as I am an american speaking English. I just live in Italy now. I am however, very new to owning and working on motorcycles, so the lingo is a bit lost on me.

They changed the Hydraulic fluid in the clutch when I took the bike to the Honda store on Wednesday. I am assuming that there is a clog somewhere in the system, or some air or water that got in. If not, then the problems get expensive, quickly. Already I have to buy the tools I need to work on the bike, as I don't own them currently.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar problems.

~Jack

 

Here is something for you to consider. We know that the system was gummed up and as a result it was not allowing the clutch to fully engage so it was slipping. Now that the hydraulic system is flushed out, the system is working fine hydraulically but as a result of the slipping, which was probably going on a long time, the clutch plates are worn. Now you need to look at the plates and see how thick they are. You will probably find that they are done.

 

So when you say "the power went away" was it similar to the situation before or did the bike stall? (Engine turned off).
John

 

The same as before. No stall, just I could let the clutch all the way out and there was no change in the engine speed or sound, and there was no forward movement. When the bike cooled down, however, everything operated normally.

~Jack