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Clutch Slippage ?

1K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  dentedsatelite 
#1 ·
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Hi everyone,

I changed oil about 2,000 miles ago from GN4 to Delo 400, 15w-40. I know Delo has a small amount of moly, which of course may cause the clutch to slip if in large enough quantities. Many Wingers like Delo or other diesal oils such as Rotella and I am unaware of any problems they have had. I have been carefully paying attention to the clutch (friction zone) and gear shifting. I have not noticed any difference at all with the clutch (shifting gears & friction zone). Shifting with the foot shifter has been noticeably smoother since I change the oil to Delo and has been consistent.

As I was sitting on the bike allowing it to warm up today (on center stand), my daughter told me the rear tire was moving. I got off the bike, engine still running, and noticed the rear tire was moving very slowly (in the direction of forward travel). It turned about 1/2 rotation then stopped. A few seconds later, it began moving again, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 rotation then stopped again. I went ahead and took the bike out and did not notice anything strange with the clutch or shifter.

Could this be a symptom of "clutch slippage" we hear about ? Based on the rear wheel moving at idle (in neutral) is there anything to be concerned about ?

Thanks for your guidance.
Dave in Virginia
 
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#2 ·
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no.
 
#4 ·
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No. The movement is most often noticed more when the bike and oil is cold when it is thicker. The movement is caused by rotating parts transfering the motion to the oil and then to adjacent parts (usually in the transmission).
 
#7 ·
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your Wing is just like a normal man. picture yourself out on the driveway, You have been ready to go all morning, The wife is still inside the house doing ..............what ever they do that takes forever & you find yourself pacing back & forth.

Now look at your rear wheel again, & you will see your wing pacing the only way it knows how.

it's just saying "Lets go already"!:cheeky1:
 
#10 ·
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LDCSteve wrote:
Crazy question........Why would you not use a synthetic motorcycle oil designed for wet clutches and not have to worry about oil related issues?
What oil related issues? :baffled:
 
#11 ·
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A friend in my GWRRA chapter tried the Amsoil brand synthetic (at least I think it was Amsoil...may have been Mobil 1). He said the oil began to leak in a couple places a few months later. I don't know if the synthetic was the cause or not, but he seemed to think so. He said he heard of others developing leaks after switching to synthetic.

Anyone hear of synthetic causing oil to leak in an older 'wing ?
 
#13 ·
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I ran Amsoil for awhile in my 1200SEi, about the only leak I experienced was in my wallet. If synthetic floats your boat use it, but I doubt you'll see any significant difference in engine or transmission life. All oils need changing for two reasons, one is viscosity loss the other is contamination caused by combustion byproducts which contain acids and other nasties that attack bearing surfaces. Synthetics lose viscosity more slowly than dino oils but the contaminants still build up just as fast. So either type of oil needs regular changing. Dino oil changed regularly will protect as well for a lot less money. For synthetic oil to pay off you'd need to go longer between changes but that exposes the engine's components to contaminants. Take your pick, I use DELO 400 as I have in all my machinery for many years.
 
#16 ·
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hatchetman wrote:
LDCSteve wrote:
To each his own.....but you guys don't have a clue about synthetic oils.
Mabey not, but we do have a clue about acid damage & filter restriction due to debris in the oil from burning fossil fuels!
And most extended life oils benefit a lot more bang for their buck if a bypass micron oil filter is installed.

The big over-the-truckers have been doing this for more than a decade. And sport minded diesel pickup owners spend a lot of bucks installing the bypass oil filters.

A motorcycle does not have the space to spare for such luxuries.

I will continue to use dino oil and check it regularly. And that goes for my Dodge Cummins diesel too. I can't afford those fancy bypass oil filters. Plus, my truck doesn't see enough highway use to get any benefit out of one of those things.
 
#17 ·
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One reason to stay with petroleum based oil is that I don't want my Goldwing to last for 700,000 miles. The paint would be bad by then and it would need another seat and instrument panel light bulbs. Since we know they can reach 350,000 miles on dino stuff, that's enough for me.:cooldevil:
 
#19 ·
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LDCSteve wrote:
To each his own.....but you guys don't have a clue about synthetic oils.
Wow. What a statement! Isn't that a bit general given you don't even know who you are talking to? I'm with Exavid. The biggest leak you will find is in your wallet. I drove big rigs and buses for years and never had a problem with dino oils.
 
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