do I need to switch out clutch ?

[reed]

my bike is slipping in high gears and doesnt seem to have any adjustment left on the handle end. i have adjusted at the case. is there something else i might be missing. if not what all do you replace .

 

[xschris]

Are you using a car oil or a wet clutch motorcycle oil. Car oil can cause a clutch to slip. How many miles are on the bike, the clutch could just be worn out as well. Also use should have i little ply in the clutch lever not as tight as you can get it.

 

[OliverB]

All car oils do not cause clutches to slip. Some will. The diesel rated 15W40 oils are OK for cycle clutches.

 

[reed]

I am using car oil, the bike has 18,000 miles on it. the po said he was using stright 30 wt in it. the research i did suggested coventional 20 50 as i used,it did have some very slight slip in 5 and 6 gears when bought. to tell the truth wasnt hitting them gears that much as far as the handle adjust it always had more slop than i thought needed. but was grabbing good. did some good burn out on slick garage floor probly shouldnt have but im a old kid. have ran it pretty hard around the streets. but there has been some very high humid days in the recent past when this popped up, it has slacked off some but the problem is still there. ive adjusted both ends to no avail.i can get took off with the clutch but its not grabbing till the last bit.iam thinking the clutch but havent accepted it yet. mo money, only got a total of around $450 taking pride in keepin it low but if i cant be nice to it iam sure there is more gremlins around the corner.

 

[OliverB]

If it was my bike, I would get that oil out of there and put in Valvolene Blue 15W40. Diesel grade oils will not cause clutch slipping and have more anti-wear additive in them than car oils. Valvolene Blue has almost as much anti-wear additive as some racing oils. Diesel grade oils are formulated for hard working diesel AND GAS engines. Our older design cycle engines were not built to the same close tolerances as modern engines and this oil is an excellent choice for them. I also use the same oil in both of my older gas engine Mercedes autos.

Adjust some of the slop out of the clutch lever but do leave a little play there. Give the bike some time and see what happens.

 

[HoughMade]

I agree with Oliver. To be safe, I would get that oil out and put in diesel grade oil. I have been using Shell Rotella T conventional 15w40, the Valvoline Blue is good as is Mobil Delvac. If it were me, I'd run it for a tankful of gas, 150 miles or so, then use an engine flush that goes in the crankcase per the instructions and put in new oil. If the slipping continues, you may have a mechanical issue such as a worn out clutch, but I would not tear into the engine until I tried the proper oil.

 

[reed]

i will try it, as youall suggested. sure hopin it works. not really wanting to be down waiting on parts. have been trying to read up on it not much on here about it there is some on the 650 site, one person suggested tying the clutch lever down as to drain everything down good cant hurt.iam sure i will prevail one way or the other. thanks

 

[bcbobbers]

I agree with xschris and would NOT use a car oil. I used a 20-40 car oil for my bike and it wouldn't even start. Changed the oil to a 20-40 motorcycle and it started on the 2nd kick. I'm not sure if all the 400s have this same issue with car oil, but might as well be safe and use the correct oil since it's maybe a dollar or two more expensive. I learned the hard way and had to buy two different types of oil. LESSON LEARNED

 

[reed]

iam thinking it worked, i drained it with the clutch tyied open left overnight. put dello 15-40 in and took it out for some clutch work, feels like the old bike on take off still slipping a little in 5-6 but once it gets in you can give the throttle a good blip and it holds. i think every thing will go back to normal not perfect but good enough for me. thanks for the advice. as it was good and didnt just go terrin stuff out.it has cooled down here a good 10-15 degrees. so aride in order tonight. glad i got a three pack of filters! I rounded my filter bolt off this time must of had some bud light power in me last time. anyone try to just weld a 12mm socket to it. just leave it . guess it wouldnt look great for some.

 

[OliverB]

Glad to hear it! Get a new or used bolt on ebay. Not that expensive.

 

[TheMainMuel]

I had the same problem a month ago. Clutch was slipping, not wanting to hold the gear, especially under heavy acceleration. I was running the recommended 20W50. I used the advice above. I drained the oil and zip tied the clutch open and let it sit overnight. I replaced the filter and filled it up with Valvoline Blue. It still wanted to slip a little bit at first, but after the first day it was all cleared up and has been great ever since. I had no idea the type of oil made such a difference. Thanks for the good advice!

 

[reed]

i ended up having to put new friction plates in, thought it cleared up at first but just kept slipping. so i pulled the cover and measered the friction pates all but one was to thin. replaced with new ones and sanded the plain plates with some 150 grit. everything is holding good so far put about 75 miles on it.i also cleanded up the the pushrod and greased the worm gear made the clutch pull esier.and also filed the clutch basket fingers had some grooving in them. that may have helped the pull. now need to replace the cable it must have strechted over time. it just seems to long. any ways think ive got fixed this time.