sticking clutch

[griff10]

In the new issue in the Service by Paul Dean there's a guy with a sticking clutch on his Honda CB 750. The change in oil certainly will help but there's a simple fix. Before the first ride, before the bike is started, put it in gear, preferably 2nd. pull the clutch and give it a good push. This usually unsticks the clutch plates and the bike won't lunge when the
bike is put in gear the first time starting out.

Had this problem on several bikes in the past, this fix works and costs nothing.

Bill Hamm
griff10us@yahoo.com

[TxRdr]

That doesn't fix the problem and probably looks silly.

[UncleErnie]

Why would anyone care what it looks like unless you're doing it wearing pink silk pajamas?

Anyway- don't those have a kick-starter also? Just pull the clutch lever and kick it once or twice and that will loosen the clutch, also. I don't know what causes it, but I've done it on most kick-start bikes.

[Matt_the _Rat]

An oil change will help yes, but the plates get fouled with contaminates. What I have done that has worked is before the oil change, drain out a quart of oil. Then add a quart of automotive transmission fluid, dexron. Ride the bike for about a 50 miles, shift alot, maybe let the clutch slip a little by pulling in the lever a little when cruising, and then change the oil and filter. The ATF if full of deteergents and will effectively clean up the plates, and fix the sticking plates. IF the clutch plates aren't totally wasted this fix will work a long time.

[Buelligan]

Originally Posted by Matt_the _Rat

An oil change will help yes, but the plates get fouled with contaminates. What I have done that has worked is before the oil change, drain out a quart of oil. Then add a quart of automotive transmission fluid, dexron. Ride the bike for about a 50 miles, shift alot, maybe let the clutch slip a little by pulling in the lever a little when cruising, and then change the oil and filter. The ATF if full of deteergents and will effectively clean up the plates, and fix the sticking plates. IF the clutch plates aren't totally wasted this fix will work a long time.

Don't do this if you have a bike with a unitized transmission that uses the same oil for the engine and transmission. You could really mess your engine up using ATF as motor oil.

[Buelligan]

Originally Posted by griff10

In the new issue in the Service by Paul Dean there's a guy with a sticking clutch on his Honda CB 750. The change in oil certainly will help but there's a simple fix. Before the first ride, before the bike is started, put it in gear, preferably 2nd. pull the clutch and give it a good push. This usually unsticks the clutch plates and the bike won't lunge when the
bike is put in gear the first time starting out.

Had this problem on several bikes in the past, this fix works and costs nothing.

Bill Hamm
griff10us@yahoo.com

If I give the throttle a slight blip with the clutch pull in, the plates will un-stick themselves for a silent drop into first. It's simple surface tension of oil on the plates against the spacers that makes them stick together in the first place. When pressure is released from the clutch springs, it doesn't force the plates apart; it's the spinning clutch basket that breaks the tension. It's not just the clutch plates sticking to each other; it's also the shear action of the plates whizzing by the steel spacers in an oil bath that still makes the input shaft to the transmission still want to spin.

Typically just keeping the clutch pulled in for a while before you drop the transmission into first is enough on a warm bike. Most of the people I see that have this problem don't pull the clutch in until they're ready to drop into first with the typical clunk. I never have this problem.