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Doesn't sound like the clutch....you'd be more likely to have it slip in 4th gear than 2nd or 3rd. It could have been a false neutral type of thing......are you sure you shift lever is adjusted correctly so that you are a getting good full travel lift on it? You can end up in a "false "neutral if you don't make a good firm full travel lift on the lever........happens sometimes when you are rushing a shift and the lever is adjusted too high, or if wearing different shoes/boots.
I am not a drag racer. I disagree about being more-likely to have the clutch slip in higher gears; for me it has happened in the lower gears in my experience, when I had a set of friction discs needing replacement & steels roughed-up. The revs would skyrocket w/little or no forward motion if it was really-bad.
What happened sounds like a failing clutch for whatever reason.
What happened sounds like a failing clutch for whatever reason.
DMAN999
Well-Known Member
I would definitely open it up and take a look at the clucth just to be sure.
You don't even have to drain the oil to chek it, but you will almost certainly need a new gasket.
Take a look at the friction plate and steels, if there is a lot of Friction material in the bottom of the case, replace them.
And if the steels are Black (obviously they should be silver) you can scrub them clean with a Scotch Brite type Scouring pad or some fine sand paper.
Check the little retaining wire also and make sure it is stil whole and in place.
Take a look here for info and pics of the clutch:
http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/clutch.htm
You don't even have to drain the oil to chek it, but you will almost certainly need a new gasket.
Take a look at the friction plate and steels, if there is a lot of Friction material in the bottom of the case, replace them.
And if the steels are Black (obviously they should be silver) you can scrub them clean with a Scotch Brite type Scouring pad or some fine sand paper.
Check the little retaining wire also and make sure it is stil whole and in place.
Take a look here for info and pics of the clutch:
http://vmax.lvlhead.com/tips/clutch.htm
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The first sign of a weak clutch would be slipping on a hard pull in the higher gears. If you think your clutch may be on it's way out, you can test it by rolling on the throttle to the stop at fairly low rpm up an incline, in 3rd or 4th. That put's the biggest load on the clutch.....if it's weak it will slip.
If the clutch is really shot, then yeah it will slip in every gear.
Rusty McNeil
Well-Known Member
My experience with slipping clutch when not riding the piss out of it is that it will show an undue rise in RPM's when giving it a HARD throttle application when already in 4th or 5th just cruising. In those gears it puts more strain on the clutch because there's less torque multiplication in the tranny.
In lower gears the clutch doesn't work as hard cause there's more difference between input and output ratio.
My dad used to run loaded 1 Ton electrical service trucks with big blocks chevy's and 3.08 rear gears and went through automatic transmissions like Rob Lowe thru underage girls at a teenage slumber party. Same thing. Lack of multiplication put the strain on the tranny. He started ordering them with shorter gears and no more issues.
At the drags I don't know, I think it would show up everywhere. A drag start is hard on it no matter the gear.
My guess is it is the clutch.
Take it out and get it to steady cruise in 4th at about 4500-5000 and then whack the throttle and you'll find out real quick. There's no way it can spin the tire at that speed, if the RPM's act stupid you'll know its the clutch.
In lower gears the clutch doesn't work as hard cause there's more difference between input and output ratio.
My dad used to run loaded 1 Ton electrical service trucks with big blocks chevy's and 3.08 rear gears and went through automatic transmissions like Rob Lowe thru underage girls at a teenage slumber party. Same thing. Lack of multiplication put the strain on the tranny. He started ordering them with shorter gears and no more issues.
At the drags I don't know, I think it would show up everywhere. A drag start is hard on it no matter the gear.
My guess is it is the clutch.
Take it out and get it to steady cruise in 4th at about 4500-5000 and then whack the throttle and you'll find out real quick. There's no way it can spin the tire at that speed, if the RPM's act stupid you'll know its the clutch.
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Rusty McNeil
Well-Known Member
If its a false neutral you really ought to be able to tell. It will wind to the moon and be falling on its face decelerating.
cgswss
Well-Known Member
I had a problem very much like this when I took my honda out for the fist time since I got the V-Max (4000 miles/about 6 weeks). Several times I hit false neutrals. In my case, it was because the boots I started wearing when I got the v-max doesn't always let the the gear shif return all the way. I "cured" the problem by "pointing" my feet down after each shit. Of course the real fix is to just adjust the shift lever a bit.
As far as your times- don't worry too much about those until you get some experience. When PeeWee Geilson ran 10.8 on a "stock" V-Max, it wasn't his first run- of even his 10th run. Truth is that If you ride your bike to the track, most of the guys run high 11s
Now I have not even taken my V-Max to the track yet, but I used to do a lot of drag racing. Belive it or not, I launched shaft drive bikes differently for chain drive bikes. What worked for me with shat drive bikes was to stage, then bring up the rpms and let out the clutch until you feel it start to drag. When the last light goes off let the clutch out the rest of the way and feed it throttle. The thing about a stock v-max that is hard is to see your tach. In time trials, you want to experiment with what RPM you launch at. Don't worry about your total times at first- just work on your 60 foot times.
Now way back when i was racing a stock v-max, I used to shift at 9500 in 1st and 9000 in the rest of the gears. All of my drag bikes had a kill button and I "kill button shifted". That means once I launched, I never touched the clutch lever and the throttle never left the WOT stop. The thing is that you have to experiment with what RPM you shit at. Every bike will vary, but V-Maxs tend to have a very torquey motor and some times they will run faster if you shit at lower RPMs instead. The V-Max I have ridden will all pull strong to 10,200 but above 9,200 you are dropping off in power. This is why I got my best times shifting at 9000. (note the shift light goes on at 9000 but by the time I shift it may be up to 9200-9300)
Of course with the super sticky tracks they have now a days, all this may be bad advice now a days---I'm Old.
Craig
As far as your times- don't worry too much about those until you get some experience. When PeeWee Geilson ran 10.8 on a "stock" V-Max, it wasn't his first run- of even his 10th run. Truth is that If you ride your bike to the track, most of the guys run high 11s
Now I have not even taken my V-Max to the track yet, but I used to do a lot of drag racing. Belive it or not, I launched shaft drive bikes differently for chain drive bikes. What worked for me with shat drive bikes was to stage, then bring up the rpms and let out the clutch until you feel it start to drag. When the last light goes off let the clutch out the rest of the way and feed it throttle. The thing about a stock v-max that is hard is to see your tach. In time trials, you want to experiment with what RPM you launch at. Don't worry about your total times at first- just work on your 60 foot times.
Now way back when i was racing a stock v-max, I used to shift at 9500 in 1st and 9000 in the rest of the gears. All of my drag bikes had a kill button and I "kill button shifted". That means once I launched, I never touched the clutch lever and the throttle never left the WOT stop. The thing is that you have to experiment with what RPM you shit at. Every bike will vary, but V-Maxs tend to have a very torquey motor and some times they will run faster if you shit at lower RPMs instead. The V-Max I have ridden will all pull strong to 10,200 but above 9,200 you are dropping off in power. This is why I got my best times shifting at 9000. (note the shift light goes on at 9000 but by the time I shift it may be up to 9200-9300)
Of course with the super sticky tracks they have now a days, all this may be bad advice now a days---I'm Old.
Craig
Sounds like a false neutral to me, mine used to do it all the time... The real fix is to put an air shifter with a digikill on it and help the trans live a little longer... Don't know the year of your bike but make sure you update to the newer shift segment if it doesn't have it already...
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+1
Sounds to me like you were hitting a false neutral. Clutch problems are far more likely to first show up while in 5th gear than in the lower gears, and when that happens, you will be able to feel it try to engage as you let off the throttle some.
