Clutch slipping?????

[bigmac7139]

I have found here recently that i will be riding along and occasionally as the bike tries to increase, say going up a hill gaining speed, that the rpms will shoot up without increasing speed. I can let off the gas and then begin applying the throttle back and will start to gain speed. Happens randomly. Sometimes by myself and other times with my wife on the back. Sometimes on hills, sometimes just accelerating to pass a car.Has the right amount of oil,probably going to change again here soon, bike has just short of 60k, of which i have put 19k. Dont know much of the history before i got it. Just wondering if this could be caused by the clutch plates/disks wearing out? Have to do some work over winter, replacing the oil pan and such, but was wondering if anyone else has run into this. Thanks

Ps its a 93

[mountainman]

Most likely your master cylinder is gunked up in the bottom. There is a small pressure release hole towards the front bottom of the master cylinder that needs cleaned. Its very small just make sure its totally clean. I recommend master removal dis-assembly. But you can do it on the bike, just look for it to re-plug in a year or two.
What you should notice as clutch slips while riding is there is no more free play in handle which holds clutch dis-engaged partially. Mike

[doug of so fla]

The clutch should not slip , not a common problem, certain factors could promote it.
#1 Maint of the clutch hydraulic system.. Lever bushing or pivot bolt may be worn or crudded up, to much play in lever, sloppy up or down or in & out ,Bleed system,replace all fluid,..check & lube bolt & bushing.
#2 Clutch master cylinder may be low on fluid or dirty or plugged..clean & rebuild if necessary.
#3 Clutch slave cylinder, (down under transmission cover) may be crudded up or leaking.. Remove and clean
#4 clutch springs have a spec as far as length, over time and heat they may be getting weak, measure length & replace if needed.
#5 if none of the above you may have to go farther into the clutch pack and check for worn, burnt or warped discs & plates or other parts..
The first 3 are where most of the problems come from. Fluid must be changed every year to maintain it correctly. If fluid is dark that is the first clue where the problem is..

[Lucasind]

...I can "second "all the things that doug stated here ! he even took the time to put them in order I have had my 03 voy 12 for less than a year.... many miles... was told "it was completely serviced " at time of purchase from a shop. Over the past rainy weekend here in toledo I checked the condition of the 3 fluids that I had not checked out .....OLD ROOT BEER.... is what I found.... the clutch was acting differently than usual.....which led to my investigation....all fluids are now fresh, and today was the first opportunity that we had for a ride.... noticeable difference all around ... especially the clutch action !!! an ounce of prevention... IS worth a pound of cure.....

[metric]

I have a 02VXII with 51000 miles and I have the same problem bicmac7139, the clutch is slipping over 4000RPM (and some times under 4000RPM when is cold) I change the clutch fluid and is still on and off randomly, I want to open the clutch to check the springs and plates, it drive me nuts the RPM gos up speed don't change....

[Bill O]

The slippage described sounds just like what would happen if the spider spring in the clutch hub is broken. It is described in detail on the Tutorial CD by Carl Leo.

Bill O

[doug of so fla]

The "spyder springs" Bill is refering to are in the newer XII's and may be in the 93 Big Mac is refering to. Carl would know what years had them. They have a tendancy to break & get stuck in between the plates. I thought it was after 96 but could be wrong, I think on "Abbikeboard the other day someone posted photos of a clutch master cylinder that is really gunked up but the site is being worked on today. check over there later and you can see what one looks like with same symptoms..

[mountainman]

Check the master cylinder release port first. Its free and easy!

[richardb, austin]

The spider springs (real name is leaf spring, pn 390130-1071) were added, first one on the ZG1200-B5 (1991?), then a 2nd one was added on the B8 (1994?). They are not shown in the 1st svc manual supplement (Feb 1987) but they are pictured in my 5th edition (Oct 1996). I think they were added as previously mentioned to fight clutch slippage but the can fracture & break. Check the master cyl first.

[Jensa]

The slippage described sounds just like what would happen if the spider spring in the clutch hub is broken. It is described in detail on the Tutorial CD by Carl Leo.

Bill O

That is what I just found on my 03. Just put it back together yesterday, now it will not fire. It turns but won't start.