[VDIGUY]

So I parked my wing ( 98-1500) about 2 weeks ago. The battery went dead, which I was expecting with the age and such, it wasn't unexpected.
I went out of town, came back, bough a battery and installed it. Now I notice the clutch lever is really soft, almost no resistance when squeezing it. Its soft enough that the clutch doesn't fully engage to allow me to shift.
What would cause it to go soft like that in 2 weeks?
Kind of starting to feel like I should have kept my Intruder....
Thanks, Gordon

 

[DaveO430]

Probably ran out of clutch fluid in the reservoir so now there is air in the lines. Possibly a leaking slave cylinder. This is why the fluid should be changed regularly (clutch and brake every 2 years) to prevent corrosion.

 

[rpeters549]

You might try filling and bleeding to see if it solves the issue. Goldwings are very reliable, very good at what they do. But they are also very technical and do better with regular use and regular maintenance.
Be patient. When repaired you will be glad of it.

 

[unionjk]

Top up the reservoir and then clamp/tie the lever all the way into the grip with the handlebars turned to full right lock and the bike on the center stand. Leave it this way overnight.

9 times out of 10 the bubbles are at the top of the hose and will travel upwards into the reservoir on their own this way.

I had the exact same issue two weeks ago when I returned from 6 weeks in the UK, at first it was poorly, but after 10 miles or so I almost lost all ability to pull the clutch.

I did this for two days and my clutch is working better now than it was before I left. Yes the fluid was a little low, I guess it sucked a little air when the fluid hit a bump or two.

 

[Zeke66]

Try this if all else fails:

GL1200 in the video, but the procedure works on the GL1500 too.

 

[123788]

Zeke66, or anyone who can answer this dumb question from a girl triker...will that trick work with the front brake lever too? We've put a new master cylinder kit into it but the brakes won't bleed...nothing moving out of the reservoir into the brake line.

:?