Clutch didn’t work properly

Cycledude

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Today after riding up Pikes Peak we were riding through Colorado Springs and got stuck in stop and go traffic, the clutch started feeling a little to easy and all of a sudden when the stopped traffic started rolling my clutch lever would only go out a little ways and did not engage at all. So because I happened to be in the left lane and there was absolutely no left shoulder I couldn’t pull off the road. It was slightly down hill so I started pushing with my feet and kept working the clutch lever trying to get it to work, all of a sudden the clutch engaged , it engaged so fast that it probably would have stalled but the forward motion from my pushing probably prevented that. After that incident the clutch seems to be working perfectly again but I sure would like to know what actually might have caused this ? I’ve put on about 130 miles after it happened without any further issue. My Tenere is a 2018 that I bought brand new and it currently has 8,000 miles on it.
 

Clawdog60

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That seriously stinks.
Im noticing a bit of issue with my clutch also. Im suspecting the master cylinder. It doesn’t seem to return completely sometimes and doesn’t fully disengage the clutch. Bike jumps forward slightly when I shift into 1st from a stop. It’s going to have to go to the dealer.
 

Don in Lodi

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The jump is normal. The lever not releasing isn't. A sticky pivot? Lube might be good. Both as a cleaner and a lubricant.
 

EricV

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Push rod may need some attention or sticky bits in the slave or master cylinder. I'd start with a flush and bleed just to rule out gunk in the fluid. Don's suggestion is also a strong possibility for such a low mile bike. Yamaha is notorious for under lubing things.
 

RCinNC

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The shifter pivot is always a weak spot in the system. You're moving it constantly and the design doesn't really allow grease to stay in place there.
If you pulled your clutch lever in and it wouldn't return, that sounds to me like mechanical binding somewhere, rather than a hydraulic issue. Like Eric said, bleeding is always the first step for me for a hydraulic system, mainly because it's the easiest step to take and it can fix a myriad of problems.
 

RCinNC

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I keep telling myself I'm going to do that, Fennellg, and then I get lazy forget about it until I'm sitting on the garage floor taking my shifter apart and saying "dammit, I should put a zerk fitting in here"....

I rode up Pike's Peak last year...very cool experience.
 

WJBertrand

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If there's moisture in the clutch fluid it can vaporize and cause weird behavior. The conditions you describe of being in slow traffic (i.e. heat) and at high altitude are both factors that can increase the likelihood of moisture vaporization. The expansion of the vapor, trapped in the system like this under extreme conditions, can mimic pulling the clutch lever and cause disengagement of the pressure plate.

Bottom line is that a good flushing and bleeding of the hydraulics is probably in order.
 

Cycledude

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I don’t think heat is the issue because the warmest temperature so far on this trip was 75 degrees.
This morning when leaving the motel the clutch was feeling weird but it worked fine all day, we put on a little over 400 miles today. Hopefully it keeps working, I plan on flushing it when I get home.
 

WJBertrand

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I don’t think heat is the issue because the warmest temperature so far on this trip was 75 degrees.
This morning when leaving the motel the clutch was feeling weird but it worked fine all day, we put on a little over 400 miles today. Hopefully it keeps working, I plan on flushing it when I get home.
I wasn't thinking about ambient temperature. Your clutch fluid can get a LOT hotter than that, especially in slow traffic even in cool weather. The slave cylinder is bolted to the engine block and engine temps go up when there's a lack of cooling air flow such as when stopped or moving at very slow speeds. At altitude water will vaporize at a lower temperature than at sea level. The two conditions combined could well vaporize any moisture in the system.
 
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Cycledude

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Well after riding for a couple days with the clutch working fine but still not feeling right I decided to try tying the clutch lever fully pulled into the handlebar overnight, supposedly that helps any air trapped in the system work its way to the top.
I’m still not exactly sure what caused the issue but after having the lever tied overnight it seems to feel right and it’s 100% back to what seems normal to me.
 

scott123007

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I'm going out on a limb and offering another explanation. Sometimes, the tip of your glove from your pinky finger can get wedged just so, between the lever and the hand guards, without you feeling it, and it will keep the clutch from releasing all the way. I'm only mentioning this because in virtually all of the probable and legitimate causes mentioned by others, the problem would not be a singular event.
 
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