Ugh! Clutch Fluid Leaking

Ok!

So I rebuilt the slave and re-installed everything.

I spent some time bleeding the system. Using a clear tube going straight up to a clear bottle on the handlebars I bled the system until nothing but good clean bubble-less fluid was coming out of the bleeder screw.

I then tested the clutch with the bike on the rear stand. Engaging and disengaging the clutch.
With the clutch pulled in the tire rear tire was still...with it pulled out it would spin the rear wheel. All good.

Now when I took it for a test ride I noticed that the first 75% of the clutch lever travel now does nothing. The clutch now engages very quickly with very little lever travel between engaged and disengaged.....and it all happens with the lever almost completely pulled in.

It feels good.
It is consistent.
It's just different than before.

?????

 

Ah. There is air in the line. It happens. You may need to bleed the clutch line at the master cylinder. Perhaps a teeny bubble has formed at the very top of the line - right "below" the master cylinder. This is a little tricky - if you think this is the problem you'll have to cover the painted surfaces (gas tank,front fairing) with a sheet of plastic and wrap a towel around the left handlebar below the banjo bolt on the master cylinder. Then crack the bolt and SLIGHTLY depress the clutch lever - A LITTLE! Retighten the bolt when the fluid leaks out. Top off the cylinder and see. If this doesn't work, rebleed the system as before.

 

I have to bleed from the master?!?

I don't understand. If there is air near the master why doesn't it just come out when I squeeze the lever with the cover off the reservoir?

 

So after my test ride last night and before I updated this thread I squeezed the clutch lever as far in as it could go and zip-tied it there.

I left it there all night and this morning I snipped it and let the lever out smoothly. I could tell right away that something was different.

I rode it today and it feels normal.

i read somewhere that zip-tying the lever overnight helps but I didn't expect this much improvement.

 

Great! Glad that worked.