Slipping Clutch
 

Afternoon all,


Still enjoying my K5S muchly :smt026 but have begun to lose my rag with the slipping clutch, and want to fix it.

Symptoms / analysis / info:

- Clutch biting point is very very low, almost at full squeeze of clutch lever.
- Bike does not fail to disengage gear via clutch, i.e. it is not moving forward with clutch held in and in gear.
- At high RPMs or at lower RPMs in higher gears, it slips quite dramatically. Full throttle to redline is possible in 1st, maybe in 2nd, but not in 3rd or 4th without noticeable slip.
- Unsurprisingly, it is significantly more noticeable when riding 2-up. Clutch slip when 2-up becomes quite bad really. But maybe the passengers appreciate it :D
- I have not yet tried adjusting the clutch at either end of the cable. I am not perfectly sure how to do so.
- The bike is on 30,080 miles... and I fear previous owner was a bit of a wheelie merchant given condition of sprockets when bought. I have restored the bike quite a lot since I bought it and she's now in good condition, excluding this clutch. At any rate, I don't think it's impossible that the clutch plates will have excessive wear. Can I check, how DIY-friendly is it to do so...?
- I have done around 1200 miles on the bike at a guess. I do not think that the clutch slip has worsened. It's been the same since I got it. To begin with, I didn't mind, but now that the bike doesn't 'feel' that fast anymore, it's progressively more and more noticeable / relevant to riding style. I don't mean to sound like a ****--I just mean that, as normal, when I first got the bike it was seldom anywhere near the top end / high speed.

I'd appreciate a detailed how-to, or a systematic list of what to check in what order.

Thank you all in advance.

CCC.

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

Google sv650 clutch adjustment, plenty of info.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

See attached image.

Adjust the clutch first before you do anything else.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a1d48cf621.jpg

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

this one seems to be about right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1TC2OybT6o

there is one thing i would do different. the top lever adjuster should be around 5mm from fully 'home' when doing the adjustment. this give a little play if over adjusted. top tip, the SV clutch lever adjuster lock nut likes to work loose so nip it up with pliers.

also that lifter mech in the video is well dry they should be well greased.

dont fuss over the measurement of the lever play as its personal preference for bite point (this is why you leave 5mm on the lever adjuster). as long as the clutch disengages/engages properly then all is well.

if you want to get fully anal about the adjustment then there is also a specified 'dwell angle' on the lifter mech that is set by the correct adjustment of the clutch cable in relation to the lifter mech push rod lever.

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

Wealth of info here, thanks gents.

Definitely seems like you're all suggesting it's cable related rather than plate related?

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

The,"Clutch Mantra" helped me setup my Clutch on my Curvy,

http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54588

Mine wasn't slipping but was hard to get into neutral but the info covers the correct setting up anyway.

HTH :)

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

clutch slip can only happen with 5 things

1, the lifter mech push rod has no play. Adjust lifter mech or replace
2, seized or partial seized clutch cable. replace clutch cable
3, the wrong type of oil. too many friction modifiers (modern car oil)
4, worn/broken clutch plates or springs. this is rare but it does happen
5, notched clutch basket. this again is rare and more common on curvys

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

My money is on 3/. Too few owners understand there is more to oil than 20/50 and the makers name. It's a subject that repays reserch.

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

+1

Shouldn't use car oil in a bike - especially the 0W-20, 5W-30 'fuel savers' etc which have friction modifiers - SV needs 10W-40 - which not many cars use these days.

Re: Slipping Clutch
 

Oil wise I'm pretty clued up having owned fast cars for 5+ years. No worries there. I've changed the oil in the bike a few months ago.

That clutch mantra thread / associated video should sort me out I reckon. How many hours work is there in this...? Hopefully I can get some time for it!