Oil Induced Slippage?

[fenty]

Hello all,

I have an '87 Vmax Trike. It has a verified 3870 miles on the clock so I'm a little p'd off that the clutch is slipping. I'm a paraplegic and haven't ridden the trike yet as I an in the process of converting it. My brother is the one who mentioned the slipping. The guy i bought it off changed the oil to fully synth and added Activ8 friction reducer to the oil when he changed it. With such low miles I'd be surprised if the clutch plates were knackered so could it be the oil/friction reducer causing the slippage?

Also, there seems to be very little movement at the clutch lever before the clutch disengages. I'm thinking that the cluch might not be fully engaged. Is there a way to adjust the clutch actuation at the slave cylinder and how is this done?

Thanks guys.

 

[one2dmax]

Not really any adjustment. Try adding in the double "D" mod which doubles clamping pressure on the plates. This will also double the lever pull which may or may not be an issue with you. If it is you can always get an FJR master to reduce lever pull. I don't normally run synt for this very reason. For those that say they never have any problems they just don't ride the bike aggressively enough to know the clutch is slipping some.

Sean

 

[naughtyG]

I would say change your oil and make sure not to use an 'energy conserving' one or any kind of friction reducer additives as these will make the clutch slip.

I use Shell Rotella T oil (15W40 cos I'm in FL) and it's going great.

Also, would you mind posting some pictures? I've never seen a Vmax trike but it sure sounds tasty!!

 

[fenty]

I would say change your oil and make sure not to use an 'energy conserving' one or any kind of friction reducer additives as these will make the clutch slip.

I use Shell Rotella T oil (15W40 cos I'm in FL) and it's going great.

Also, would you mind posting some pictures? I've never seen a Vmax trike but it sure sounds tasty!!

Sure, here you go.....

I'll post pics of the mods as I go, but with a young 'un and a house move just completed getting the time is a pain.

 

[82ndCowboy]

Definitely the last thing you want in a wet clutch system is friction reducing additives.
I'd say that's your number 1 culprit!

 

[one2dmax]

After seeing the bike I would say you for sure need to go to the double d mod. The rear diff on that conversion is going to take a lot more friction to turn over which is much harder on the clutch. You might even want to take a look at the auto clutch that is available. I am not sure how well it will help you though.

Sean