Clutch replacement 1986 voyager

[hwyman]

Recently purchased a 1986 1200 voyager. Last night on the way home I noticed the clutch was dragging when I pulled out from stops. Would bog down like it was in 2nd gear, so I made a beeline for the house but did not make it home. Had to get a ride to pick ip a trailer and go back and pick it up.
Bike starts fine but when I put it in gear it does not move so I am guessing clutch done at 53,000 miles.
How hard is it to replace the clutch myself or should I just take it to a local shop? If I take it to the shop what would be a ballpark guess at price?

[triton28]

It sounds as though you have clutch slippage if the bike doesn't move when in gear and you let the clutch out.
The first thing to check is the quality of the fluid as it may have been in the master cylinder for eons. If so then pump it out of the bleeder on the clutch slave cylinder or siphon it out and when the master cylinder is empty look for the 2 very tiny holes on the floor of the master cylinder. Usually the front hole gets blocked and the fluid can not return into the master cylinder. Now the clutch doesn't know the fluid can not return into the cylinder so it happily stays disengaged until some time when the fluid does return into the master cylinder as a result of time or someone cleaning the very tiny hole open. Then when the pressure is gone from the slave cylinder the clutch engages and the bike will move. But this is only temporary until it gets pumped up again from operating the clutch lever.
When I said very tiny hole it really is: .020" or in other terms, a #76 wire drill bit. Some folks have used a strand of a wire brush to clean this hole open. So whatever works to open this pressure relief hole is the main point.
Once you have the hole open, if it is blocked, then refill with clean fluid and bleed the air out of the line and try that.
If on the other hand when the bike is running it will not stay in place with the clutch lever pulled in then that is the clutch dragging and would be another story.
You do have a service manual and have read section 5 of course, right?
Dave

[hwyman]

Dave
I do not have a service manual yet. I have been searching ebay for the last couple of weeks but have not found one for the 86 model. I will keep looking.
Thanks for the advice on the fluid. That will be my first step

[triton28]

Go to this page, https://www.amervoyassoc.org/techtipsXII.php and click on "Voyager XII". Then in the new windows select the 2nd window "Click Here" and you will have all the info you need.
Dave