Clutch Adjustment??

wuzfast

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Hello all, new to this Forum and new to Super Tenere as well. I just bought a 2012 with 4100 careful miles from a great guy. Been riding for decades and a GSA for the last 80K miles. Seems like a fun bike so far. Quick question though....is there an adjustment of some sort on the clutch..as I engage first gear the bike lunges forward slightly, like a grabby cluth on my KTM after it sits for a week or so..all hydraulic actuation so I presume no adjustment...any ideas? Thanks. Any other Northern Ohio folks out there??
 

stevepsd

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No adjustment, except for the lever adjustment for different sized hands. Although if it is set on the closest setting the grip might get in the way of full clutch activation. Or you could have a small air bubble in the system that needs to be bleed.
 

Ron_Luning

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I have a similar problem with my bike. In my case, there is clearly a leak of some kind that is letting air into the line. Mine started after a few thousand miles with symptoms that basically came down to the lever being closer to the bar than normal after the bike sat for a few hours. After a few pumps, the lever would return to the normal fully extended position. If I didn't pump it, then engaging first gear and attempting to move would be problematic. I solved (or so I thought) the problem by thoroughly bleeding the system so that all of the fluid was exchanged. I needed to tie the lever to the bar overnight to get the last air out. After that, it was as good as new.

Now, some 3-4K miles later, the symptoms have returned. Yesterday I bled the system a little. I noticed that there is some paint wearing out on the master cylinder body just below where the cap sits on it (indicating brake fluid contact over time). I made sure to shape the rubber seal to fit the rectangular opening when reinstalling it. I can't see any other evidence of a fluid leak. I also wrapped the slave cylinder bleeder's threads in teflon tape to maybe make the seal better there. I checked the 2 joints where the rubber hoses join with the metal pipe in front of, and below, the gas tank. They seemed snug. There is still some air in there, so tonight I will be tying the lever to the bar as I did last time. We'll see if that does the trick...and see how long that lasts.

Try the same on your bike and it may solve your lurching engagement in first gear.

Please spare me comments about why didn't I take it to Yamaha for warranty service. They would have just bled it like I did the first time, and that would been considered a resolution (I thought it was). It's out of warranty now, but I can bet that it would have just gotten bled again anyway.

Any suggestions on what to look for as a possible cause?
 

~TABASCO~

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I wanted to post this comment two weeks ago but didnt really think there was any issue with others.. This looks kike the right place to post this. My clutch had been getting slightly 'sloppy' in actuation.. I thought it was me.. I changed the fluid and bleed the heck out of the clutch.. It was noticeably better right off the bat.. I guess im going to change this clutch fluid every six months or so.... Kinda strange but made a difference with my clutch/bike..
 

NoMorBills

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All my bikes over time have done this same thing. The clutch plates are stuck together and as you release the pressure they tend to still spin together and as you bang it in gear the enertia is kicking you forward a bit till all the plates seperate. The longer a bike sit the more pronounce this is. Like when you roll the bike in the garage by pushing it and not taking it out of gear but by just pulling in the clutch. All the plates are stuck together.

As far as adjustment. I looked at the parts breakdown picture and there is no adjuster in there.

You should not put teflon tape on the bleed screw threads. the bleed screw seals by the seat at the bottom not by the threads. You don't want to get any piece of tape floating around in your system.


At what point on the lever, from the bar, does the clutch engage once it is warmed up?

Does it drag at a stop with engine running and clutch pulled into the bar?

These would be an indication of a problem with the clutch.
There have been some problems with some bikes. The clutch plates have either warped or are flawed.

If you are still in warranty you should go see the dealer before you screw it up and they denie your warranty claim because you messed with it.

I like to do my own work also but if you have tape on the bleed screw they are going to look at that and it may give them an excuse to not fix it under warranty, IF you really have a problem.
 

20valves

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I always bleed my hydraulics with the first service. It seems that maybe time on the boat coming over here they may absorb some water into the system. The OEM fluid goes dark quickly but the freshened up fluid seems to do fine for at least a year or for at least 10K miles or so.
 

Rasher

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Maybe two things here:-

1. The issue of the lever needing a few pumps / air in system

Mine seems to do this sometimes after it has been left, but I normally pump it a couple of times when I hop on and all seems OK for the ride. Will bleed it myself when I can be bothered and mention it to dealer at next service.

Seems this is a common issue - hopefully nothing serious and maybe just regular bleeding will do :question:


2. A Clunk / Lurch as you engage first gear for the first time.


I have had so many bikes do this (like almost all of them) My GS did not and I suspect it was due to the dry clutch.

Most wet clutch bikes tend to have all the plates stuck together, from decades of this I have a habbit of starting the bike in nuetral and pulling the lever in for a few seconds and blipping the throttle (which loosens the clutch plates) and then let it out, another blip and then put the bike in gear.

On some Kawasaki's the noise of engaging first for the first time was so horrible I used to start the bike in 1st just so I did not have to hear it :exclaim:
 

snakebitten

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Rasher said:
................. I have a habbit of starting the bike in nuetral and pulling the lever in for a few seconds and blipping the throttle (which loosens the clutch plates) and then let it out, another blip and then put the bike in gear.
I too have developed this habit from years long past.

I do it on my tractor. I do it on my standard transmission truck. I do it on all motorcycles.

If I didn't do it on my KLR it might actually kill the motor from the violent lurch I could get when it was cold.

The S10 really seems to appreciate it too. Quite a CLUNK if I don't do it.
Really sweet "click" if I do.
 

stevepsd

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snakebitten said:
I too have developed this habit from years long past.

I do it on my tractor. I do it on my standard transmission truck. I do it on all motorcycles.

If I didn't do it on my KLR it might actually kill the motor from the violent lurch I could get when it was cold.

The S10 really seems to appreciate it too. Quite a CLUNK if I don't do it.
Really sweet "click" if I do.
I have always made a habit of starting in neutral, usually.

Don't even try to start my KTM 530 in gear, especially when cold...you will go for a wild ride as the bike lurches forward, hopefully without the motor firing off. Heck, you can barely push the bike while in gear with the clutch lever pulled in when cold. That's the way all of the KTM EXC's are.
 

wuzfast

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Both of my Katooms will take you for a ride on a cold clutch start up. Just the nature of the beast. I'll do the pullof the clutch lever a few times on morning start ups on the ST and see if that has any effect. Been a long time since I had a road bike with a wet clutch. Heck, I' m still trying to learn how to use the turn signals.
 
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