Clutch Slipping after rebuild

[fitzy84]

Hi there I have a GS850 and have just replaced the clutch springs, drive plates, and driven plates. I took the bike for its first test ride everything was working well the gears changed smoother than before both shifting up and down. On the final stretch I gave the bike a bit more push in second gear it slipped then started making a rough grinding sound in all gears. I limped all the way home at 20kmph any faster it would start making that grinding sound.

I removed all the clutch plates and checked for damage but they were not? any thoughts on what to do next or if i may have missed something during installation that may produce this sort of issue.

Cheers

Mark

[chef1366]

Bottom right bolt with the o-ring washer possibly is too long and took a chunk out of the outside of the clutch basket?

[fitzy84]

What does that bolt fasten I’m not sure I have came across it

The Basket does not appear to have any damage, when I perform a stall test the clutch starts pulling but when the loads applied it starts the slipping/grinding noise.

[blowerbike]

Bottom right bolt with the o-ring washer possibly is too long and took a chunk out of the outside of the clutch basket?

long screw in a short hole would rub the basket.

[Nessism]

Extra clutch bite may have stripped out already failing rear driven spline in the rear wheel.

Another guess is the clutch hub nut came loose.

[chef1366]

Extra clutch bite may have stripped out already failing rear driven spline in the rear wheel.

Another guess is the clutch hub nut came loose.

This is probably the issue especially with the grinding noise.
Check beyond the clutch into the final drive.

[fitzy84]

Hi guys thankyou for your input I will check the hub nut and is there a good way of diagnosing a damaged rear damaged spline, would its vibrations transfer to the transmission as that’s where the noise is coming from.

In regards to oil I’m using 10/40 Fully Synthetic is there any recommendations?, the springs are EBC and when I reassemble I will check the torque on each bolt as I was not as diligent the first time (could the application of more torque on one bolt then another produce slipping?). I also soaked the new discs in new oil prior to installation.


Cheers guys

[Nessism]

I wouldn't term the problem at hand "slipping". There is something drastically wrong based on the noise you describe. Either the clutch is not assembled correctly, the rear spline has failed (you have to pull the rear wheel to inspect), or...I'm not sure. Torque on those small screws or the type of oil have nothing to do with this issue.

[fitzy84]

One other thing I have noticed over the last few months is a slow oil leak from im pretty sure the driveshaft boot. Does the secondary drive have a separate oil reservoir to the crank? if so and from what Nessism posted re "Extra clutch bite may have stripped out already failing rear driven spline" it may be a loss of oil in the secondary drive and/or final with the added pressure of a new clutch has caused a failure.

Will check the final drive but if somebody could confirm if the secondary drive and final have their own reservoirs that would be great.

[Nessism]

Will check the final drive but if somebody could confirm if the secondary drive and final have their own reservoirs that would be great.

Yes, they have their own oil source. If yours has been leaking that's not a good sign.

[fitzy84]

I have a bad feeling it will be quite low this is not going to be fun, I would guess the boot has cracked or perished over time is there a linkage that can be disconnected at the boot?

Also what should I look out for if the oil is either very low or non-existent in the secondary drive?


Cheers

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. fitzy84,

You'll find lots of GS850G goodness on my little website. I've documented all of the work that I've done on my bike. Other have contributed much. Have a look at the Rear Wheel Removal guide to see pictures of bad drive splines.

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Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...



Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike!

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[fitzy84]

Thanks Mr BassCliff your website has some good info on it. Regarding the secondary drive gears whats the best process when removing them for inspection?

Cheers

Mark

[fitzy84]

Hey guys I finally got a chance to remove the secondary gear assy and have found the problem or part of. There is a chunk of gear missing on the secondary drive and two missing on the final drive but I have only been able to recover 1 of the three chunks.

Secondary Drive



Final Drive

[Big T]

I think you've found the problem, and it's not your clutch