So I went to ride my vmax yesterday, and...

[mattness]

when i went to pull out of my garage it died on me, i quickly found out its is because my clutch lever doesnt engage/disengage the clutch until its almost all the way back to the grip.

is there any way to adjust the levers or any common problems that would cause this sudden symptom?

 

[Bon-86]

Don't know the condition of your clutch hydraulics but that's the likely culprit. Low fluid? Bad master or slave cylinder? I'd start by bleeding the clutch and toping off the fluid. That will restore the clutch action if air got into the lines. If the fluid is low and you haven't done your maintenance then this may have just snuck up on you over a long period of time. If the fluid got low quickly then you likely have a leak and you need to inspect everything from the clutch handle on down and look for wetness.

 

[gamorg02]

no adjustment. well not cheaply. FJR masters will give you that...

otherwise you may consider bleeding/rebuilding the slave.

 

[jfeagins]

Hottest day you've ridden recently - well, at least the hottest day since you last changed out the clutch fluid?

Usually find an air bubble has accumulated up next to the banjo bolt at the handlebar reservoir.

Burp it there BEFORE you bleed all the way down to the slave cylinder, and you'll have much better luck getting the air all the way out

IMO - hotter temps means thinner brake fluid and hence the air separates out of it and rises up until a bubble forms. You wouldn't even notice the air in the system on a cooler day cause it didn't all get together into the bigger bubble until the higher outside temps.

I've had that problem in the past. Rebuilt the master cylinder, re-bled the whole system ONLY TO HAVE A RECURRANCE a short time later. I still use DOT 3 fluid as did Yamaha when the sold this bike to me. Maybe the newer fluids don't incur this problem??????? The only long-term fix I found for mine was letting that air bubble out at the banjo bolt where it attaches to the master.

Just my two cents.

 

[mattness]

ive been riding it today and it isnt nearly as bad.

yesterday was one of the hottest days weve had this year.

i did the miracle ride all day last saturday and sunday with some rain thrown in, lots of stopping and going. rode it all the way home and didnt notice any problems whatsoever. it was when i went to ride it yesterday it was super hot outside and just came out of nowhere.

however, my clutch does slip when the bike is cold from 3rd to 5th gear if i get on it hard, but once it warms up its fine. i wonder if these 2 problems could be related?

 

[spursmech]

unk: Hey Mattness, if you haven't ridden it in a while, you had the engine side covers off, or drained the oil you might just need to let it run for a while as the clutch is dry. Could take about 10 minutes running to fix. Just about the right amount of time to bleed the clutch while you are waiting. Good Luck, Spurs

 

[davidon]

Hottest day you've ridden recentley - well, at least the hottest day since you last changed out the clutch fluid?

Usually find an air bubble has accumulated up next to the banjo bolt at the handlebar reservoir.

Burp it there BEFORE you bleed all the way down to the slave cylinder, and you'll have much better luck getting the air all the way out

IMO - hotter temps means thinner brake fluid and hence the air separates out of it and rises up until a bubble forms. You wouldn't even notice the air in the system on a cooler day cause it didn't all get together into the bigger bubble until the higher outside temps.

I've had that problem in the past. Rebuilt the master cylinder, re-bled the whole system ONLY TO HAVE A RECURRANCE a short time later. I still use DOT 3 fluid as did Yamaha when the sold this bike to me. Maybe the newer fluids don't incur this problem??????? The only long-term fix I found for mine was letting that air bubble out at the banjo bolt where it attaches to the master.

Just my two cents.

I've got clear brake and clutch reservoir lines and I am pumping out little air bubbles almost daily by leaning the bike to the right and turning the steering wheel all the way to the right and then pumping the brake..can see the bubbles coming out and going up to the reservoir.

 

[mattness]

as a matter of fact i did just take the oil cap off to clean around it easier before i went on the ride. its gotten better today. maybe that was it???? damn you guys are geniuses


edit: no wait cmon the oil cap??? that cant be it. its gotten better as i rode it though so i dunno. its engaging/disengaging at 65-75% of the levers swing. its getting pretty close to where it was originally..

where do your guys' clutches grab at?

 

[richwrench]

Mine grabs near the end - replaced the slave & it made no diff. That's just a VMAX clutch. I'm guessing maybe you had some clutch disc's sticking together? If you had air in it , it should not improve by itself. Yes, these clutch's are a bitch to bleed, but once they'e bled they're good to go IMHO...

 

[ripinanroarin]

Mine grabs near the end - replaced the slave & it made no diff. That's just a VMAX clutch. I'm guessing maybe you had some clutch disc's sticking together? If you had air in it , it should not improve by itself. Yes, these clutch's are a bitch to bleed, but once they'e bled they're good to go IMHO...

Thanks,..you just answered my question :biglaugh: My clutch comes out near the end as well.

 

[mattness]

ok its back to normal now, put another 60 miles on it today. weird....

in the world of vmax... we'll just NEVER KNOW

 

[jfeagins]

ok its back to normal now, put another 60 miles on it today. weird....

in the world of vmax... we'll just NEVER KNOW

You'll know all right. It'll be back.

I change my fluids every year - since 1986. I've had the exact same problem more than once. I used to just re-bleed the whole system, and it would go away for a day or even a couple weeks. Then it would return. I've yet to figure out where I'm introducing enough air to cause the problem. But when I have the problem, you can bet it is HOT outside that day.

Eventually, I had a time when I couldn't get the clutch lever to pump up enough to begin my re-bleed. That's when I found the air was locking it up at the banjo bolt. Since then, if the problem surfaces, I bleed only at that banjo bolt and the problem will be totally GONE for the remainder of the year - until next spring when I again put fresh fluid in it.

That's why I suspect the tiny bubbles getting in with a fluid change, then bla bla bla, heck, maybe it's a chemical process happening with DOT 3. Who knows. I'm good at coming up with theories. But that's just it - my theory. Bleeding at the banjo ALWAYS works for me.


Oh, and I forgot to say I've had this same problem on both my Vmaxes AND my 1300 Venture Royale over the years.

Maybe it's time to convert to DOT 5.1 I've been reading about.