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Clutch stopped working...

8K views 77 replies 17 participants last post by  V-Tom 
#1 ·
Just before I arrived at work my clutch stopped working. On the past weekend it needed a top up of the brake fluid and I had scheduled it to go to my shop this weekend to check the clutch (suspect bad slave cylinder) and do plugs and check the valves. I'll see if topping up and bleeding will get it going enough to get home otherwise I'll call a truck to take it there.

..Tom
 
#4 ·
I wonder if you are having the same issue that I did? This is from a 2012 Vee. My slave was corroded junk only after 25k miles.At first I had no idea why I lost all my fluid. After looking at my slave I was enlightened. I opted for a whole new unit but you may be ok with just a re-build.

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#5 ·
I wonder if you are having the same issue that I did? This is from a 2012 Vee. My slave was corroded junk only after 25k miles.At first I had no idea why I lost all my fluid. After looking at my slave I was enlightened. I opted for a whole new unit but you may be ok with just a re-build.
...
It was replaced last year and I think I have a year and a half of warranty anyway so I am sending it to my dealership (who is wonderful!) and let them see. I don't think the part is that much.. $100 and something Can$) While there they can check valves and put in new plugs (That I bought a while ago but never got a plug wrench that fits these tiny things.)

..Tom
 
#11 ·
My 2006 and 2012 DL650's had a decent set of tools including spark plug wrench. I never thought hard about it on my 2015 DL1000 but I will ask other guys what came with their tool kit.

..Tom
 
#14 ·
Yeah.. there was an issue from the beginning (dragging clutch.) The slave cylinder had a small internal leak so it was replaced under warranty. Then I broke the slave cylinder when reinstalling it after cleaning the gunk out of the sprocket area. The dragging has been getting worse of the last 15,000 miles and I was going to drop it off at the dealership a week or two ago but couldn't get a ride home. So this will be my third one... two leaked, one I broke. Seems my only real weak spot of this bike is the hydraulic clutch setup. I'm still on the original chain though.

On my DL650's I had some minor clutch cable and mechanism break or wear.

On my 2006 the spot weld holding the release mechanism lever broke letting it move a bit so that it didn't release fully. I didn't record the mileage but I think around 50,000 miles. That was a fairly cheap fix. I think I also needed a cable at some point on the 2006 and on my 2012 DL650 the cable started fraying at the lever end (probably lack of lube on my part) and was replaced at 61,811 miles.


..Tom
 
#13 ·
As often as you lube Tom, you MUST clean regularly behind the slave.......thats the problem with the hydraulic clutch of the 1000. I will have a shaft drive next, no more messy goo behind the slave cylinder. :)
 
#15 ·
The clutch slave is the worst piece of design on the entire bike, especially if you ride the bike in inclement weather.

My first slave was replaced under warranty. I've just learned to live with perpetually leaky slaves and top up, rebuild as needed.
 
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#16 ·
I had this issue while riding in Quebec, Canada. The front sprocket cover is really an easy remove and needs to be done regularly for cleaning. especially when riding dirt roads/trails as the chain lube causes dirt, etc to gunk up and get caught in this area which contaminates the slave cylinder seals. A hard learned lesson.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Hey V Tom, my parents lived in the Port for many years. I love that place. I miss it. I used to take my mum down to the marina for breakfast sometimes after my dad passed. That was always the go-to place for east end Toronto bikers who wanted a nice ride. And Haugens had awesome ribs! Oh, and Anina's bakery! Before moving west, I used Snow City as my dealer, and they were very good. Just wondering who you use? Idle curiosity. I lived in Guildwood, if you know where that is, on the Scarborough/Pickering boarder along the bluffs.

Oh, pretty sure I saw a plug wrench in my tool kit...but not a good one.
 
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#19 ·
Yeah Port's a nice little town! Big enough to have the basics plus some nice restaurants but small enough to feel like a small town.


My 2006 and 2012 DL650's had plug wrenches. It looks like the 201+DL1000 does not (other 2014+ Dl1000 owners have said they don't have them either.)

I use Asselstines down on CR57 for any Suzuki specific work. Very small, family run dealership. I think they have about 5 employees. Ted Rose at Rosey Toes on Wendel Ave in Weston does my tires.

..Tom
 
#21 ·
I should be able to confirm in the next day or so (maybe even tonight) but if I understood them correctly they ordered in a new seal. I could have mis-heard. I'll call them a bit later in the day.

..Tom
 
#22 ·
My Bike's waiting for me to pick it up but since I work until 8 tonight I won't have to until tomorrow eve.

The Slave Cylinder went and they put a new one on it. My bike has extended warranty but their employee who looks after extended warranty claims, etc is on vacation (they only have 5 employees in total I think.) They didn't charge me for the slave cylinder so if it is covered great, if not I'll pay them for it. either way I can pickup the bike and not worry about it for now

They don't know what caused the slave to go but did give me heck for the amount of crap in the front sprocket area so I will have to make a habit of cleaning it more often than I do (which was very rarely!) They were also quite surprised I still had the original chain on the bike.

BTW when I mentioned they had ordered a new seal they actually had ordered a new Slave Cylinder. I think the mention of a seal was for the cam cover for checking the valve lash.

..Tom
 
#23 ·
Geez, I wouldn't think that opening up the front sprocket area and cleaning it out would be considered regular owner maintenance. If it's a problem, they should be doing it as part of a regular maintenance, or list it as a necessary process on their maintenance schedule.
 
#25 ·
I built a cover for the pushrod to keep it clean and I removed the plastic sprocket cover to make keeping a eye on things down there easier.
 
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#26 ·
I removed the plastic sprocket cover to make keeping a eye on things down there easier.
I would not be happy riding around without a sprocket cover. That sprocket spins at a gazillion RPM and is very, very close to your left ankle. Any shoelace or piece of fabric from your pants flapping about will eventually work its way into the sprocket when it's not covered up somehow. And I do not want to think about what happens at highway speed when almost a hundred horses are busy turning that sprocket, and it grabs a shoelace.

So... Did you fit any other kind of protection in place?

Also, is the sprocket cover not also holding the speedo sender in place? How did you fix that?
 
#41 ·
Season? What is this "season" of which you speak? ;)

I bought a Scottoiler and a dual injector for it. I fill it with Scottoiler's blue oil every, oh, three or four tanks of gas depending on weather (turn it higher in the rain, lower in the dry.) After around 10k miles, I popped off the front cover and cleaned it out. The amount of crud was about equal to the pile I scraped out from the previous owner who only used Maxima spray chain wax. The difference was, the oiler's crud was a lot softer (dry cookie dough v. hard caulk.)
 
#44 ·
Scottoiler states the stock reservoir is good for up to 1,500 miles between fills, and I get about 250 miles to a tank. Riding in the rain means turning up the oiler and today was the first day in a month it hadn't rained. So yeah, it needs a fill about every 3-4 tanks of gas. How someone can go 7-8 months between fills I do not know.
 
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#45 ·
I used a light spring with some heat shrink over it to cover the push rod.

Ensure anything you use does not apply to much pressure to the seal at the motor because there is nothing stopping it being pushed into the motor.



I can see a oiler helping to keep things clean because any fresh oil will work as a solvent on the old oil.
 
#46 ·
I used a light spring with some heat shrink over it to cover the push rod.

Ensure anything you use does not apply to much pressure to the seal at the motor because there is nothing stopping it being pushed into the motor.
...
That's brilliant!

..Tom
 
#51 ·
My Slave cylinder went yesterday. I went in for a coffee and when I came out and started it the clutch lever did nothing. I was abut 60 km/40 miles to home so I rode without the clutch. Discovered the starter has enough power to start the bike while in gear without the clutch being released (but the lever pulled in.) I had to do it twice... once for the first start, the second for an unavoidable stop.

I had a replacement waiting at home so it was relatively simple to switch it out apart from the locating "dowel" being stuck in the old slave cylinder. Boiling hot water on the old unit got it unstuck. So the last one lasted 81,018 km or about 50,500 miles. Clues that it would fail was starting to need some topping up of the fluid over the last few weeks so I can be more proactive next time.

To be safe I ordered another Slave cylinder.

..Tom
 
#59 ·
In the motorcycles Ive owned with hydraulic clutches, I have never experienced a failure. Then again, I make a point of flushing my brake and clutch fluids every year regardless of miles.
The only clutch failure Ive had occurred 100 miles from home in my '81 Honda CB750K about 15 years ago. Only 18K miles on it back then. The cable went down to 5 strands, and the cut ends would stick in the conduit and cause some slippage. Replaced the cable, was fine, til a month later the clutch slipped on accel with plenty of cable slack. New plates..and has been fine ever since.
 
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