Is the clutch bad, GL1200??

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i could be wrong but----try this first. put it up aginst a solid object , wall , house , tree , curb , truck , anything thats good to push on. put it in 2nd gear and fearther the clutch , add a bit of thottle to keep it running , see if you can get the clutch to slip. if it slips get it hot enough to burn off the glaze thats on the clutch disks . after setting for that lienght of time your bound to have some glaze on the disks. after it cooles off some . change the oil and filter. nothing wrong with the rotella 15-40 . i use it in my 83. when you change oil watch for any friction disk pices. they will be small. also the oil will be dirty looking. thats the glaze comeing off.
thats my 2 cents worth.

if there is a lot of disk stuff in the oil . a clutch change is in order. its do able with the engine in frame . close ---but do able.

imported post

1. I noticed that the clutch seems to be slipping when I hit
around 4,000 rpm, then as I rode it home it started to slip at 2,500 rpm.

2. It didn't engage the clutch until (the lever) was almost fully extended.

3. I am just looking for someone to say yea it's your clutch, replace it.

Click to expand...

I'll address these in reverse order:
3. No, it's not your clutch, (yet). Don't replace it.

2. Hydraulic clutches automatically compensate for clutch wear, unless something is plugged. (hint)

1. Although you didn't exactly say so, I assume it gets better after the bike cools off for a while, then slips more and more as it heats up?


It sounds like when you rebuilt the master cylinder, you missed the return port. Open the reservoir and look for a VERY tiny hole, in line with the piston. If it's clear, working the lever should squirt fluid into the air!:shock: Yeah, that's fun, but don't waste it. If no fluid comes out, use a small pin drill or needle to clean it out. Go gently as you could damage the piston if you get too aggressive.
This port relieves the pressure on the back side of the piston and allows excess fluid a return path to the reservoir. As the engine heats up, fluid in the slave cylinder expands and tries to return to the reservoir, but if this port is plugged, it can only push on the slave piston, slowly releasing the clutch, and giving you that "poorly adjusted cable" feeling.

This is the only thing I know of that will cause ALL of your symptoms. Let us know what you find out.

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I use a hand operated vacuum pump to bleed the brakes and clutch
slaves on my 84I's. Never have had a problem yet. Just refreshed the
fluid and bled my clutch slave on one of them on Sunday. It took about
five minutes to do, using the vac.

Speedbleeders should work to take the PITB out of the process, also.

Just my experience.

Glad your bike is on the mend, Soulharvester.

imported post

:cooler: I'm glad you got it working.
My buddy had the same problem a month ago on a v45 Magna. It's pretty common and commonly missed, but the symptoms are always the same and impossible to miss once you know what to look for.
The wrong oil or a glazed clutch will never cause the lever issues you had, and trouble bleeding will usually cause the clutch to fail to completely disengage, causing hard shifting.
How old are your timing belts?
If they are good, it's time to put some miles on to get it loosened up.




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