I went out for a ride yesterday and noticed when I was in 5th gear and 2500 rpms, if I cracked the throttle, the engine rpms went up but the bike was barely moving faster. I could tell the clutch was slipping. It's not doing it in 1st thru 4th gears.

I had the clutch recall done and haven't really ridden the bike since. I came home and read the manual and looked online. Two causes - too much fluid in master cylinder or air in the line.

I have a ProPipe so the only way to remove the clutch side cover is to loosen the exhaust (all mounts and at head), remove right floorboard, and pull the exhaust away to get the cover off. Somehow I have a hard time believing that they did that because I waited for the bike and it took less than 2 hours.

So I put the bike up on my pitbull jack and went to work. Completely bled the clutch but didn't really see any air bubbles. I also found a youtube on bleeding a hydraulic clutch which is basically squeezing the clutch about 1/16" over and over for about a minute. I did see air bubbles come out when I did that so maybe the air was in the master cylinder.

I'm going to test ride the bike tonight because it was too late when I finished up last night. I'll update the post after.

 

First how did you get to much fluid in the master cylinder? Must have been the dealer, I would take it back, There was a recall on that part in 2014 you may want to check

 

I might not have typed it correctly. The fluid level in the master cylinder was correct.

When the clutch plates wear, the fluid level in the master cylinder will rise. I only have 1400 miles on the bike so there isn't any clutch wear.

I ruled out the level too high and focused on air in the line. I'll know for sure tonight if that was the problem. If not, it goes back to the dealer.

 

Warranty... Use it!

 

Warranty - caused the problem LOL

I plan to take it in if bleeding the clutch didn't work. I just hope they can get it back to me before I leave for Daytona Bike Week on the 9th.

 

Air in the clutch master/slave cylinder or line will not cause the clutch to slip. It will make it more difficult to disengage the plates, so it would be harder to shift. But once the clutch lever is disengaged, the spring on the clutch pack will cause full force on the plates again. If you are having clutch slippage, then it is an issue with the clutch plates or spring.

 

There is a recall out on the clutch. Did you get it replaced? You said you had the clutch warranty done. Do you mean the recall?

 

Yes, had the recall done (not warranty).

 

I just took the bike out - the clutch is no longer slipping. The clutch definitely engages where it should as it did when it was new, not at the point when the clutch lever is almost out like yesterday. Didn't notice any slipping in any gear. Just to be sure, while rolling, I held the brake while accelerating and the clutch is definitely holding.

Make sure they correctly bleed your clutch if you go in for the recall. If you pick up your bike and the clutch lever engages the clutch later than it used to, don't leave the dealer.

 

By all means, have the dealership adjust the clutch, at the clutch basket. The bike needs to be cold to adjust it properly. Good luck.