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09-02-10, 03:29 PM

I change the oil and filter every 6000km, and I’ve consistently used Motul 5100 full synthetic. The sump needs a top-up late in the oil-change cycle, and a month or so ago I was out of Motul when I noticed the level was down before a longish ride, so I added 300-400ml of Pennzoil 10-40W which I had on hand. I knew this was automotive grade (SM), not motorcycle (MA), but it’s not “Energy Conserving”, so my understanding was that it was free of friction modifiers that can cause problems with wet clutches.

However, in the weeks after the top-up, I started to notice increasing clutch drag. The bike started wanting to creep a bit, clutch in, at red lights. It got hard to find neutral. And up on the rear stand, there was a HARD clunk outa neutral into first and the rear wheel spun up pretty vigourously, in gear with clutch disengaged.

I frigged around with the clutch adjustment (per the manual, and also per Sid Squid), without a solution. I got frustrated, and a bit worried that I’d created a REAL problem. I surfed the web (mostly this site), and got good advice on clutch adjustment, but little help on the clutch drag issue. Last Saturday I changed the oil and filter (on schedule, at 36,000km), refilling with Motul.

Worryingly, the drag issue persisted. I buggered around with a variety of worm-gear and cable setting, to no avail. Eventually I just kinda gave up and came in to watch TV for the evening. The worry continued.

Sunday got consumed by home-office projects and Monday by work, but when I got home I reckoned I’d flip the bike back onto the stand and have another go. And – presto! – as soon as I fired it up and dropped it out of neutral into first, it was obvious ‘the problem’ was gone. There’s a tiny bit of drag, and the rear wheel turns very slowly for a few seconds after the clutch is disengaged, then stops. Once the engine if fully warm, most of the residual drag disappears. The worm-gear is adjusted as it should be, the cables too, and the bite-point is right where I want it – life is good again. It just took a couple days of soaking for the Motul ‘goodness’ to leach out the remnants of the Pennzoil ‘badness’.

And I’ve learned the lesson. If you’re having clutch drag problems and the adjustments are OK, think about the oil in your sump. Cheap (or inappropriate) lubricants could be the cause of your trouble.

09-02-10, 03:29 PM	#1
doser Guest Posts: n/a	Clutch drag and oil choice I change the oil and filter every 6000km, and I’ve consistently used Motul 5100 full synthetic. The sump needs a top-up late in the oil-change cycle, and a month or so ago I was out of Motul when I noticed the level was down before a longish ride, so I added 300-400ml of Pennzoil 10-40W which I had on hand. I knew this was automotive grade (SM), not motorcycle (MA), but it’s not “Energy Conserving”, so my understanding was that it was free of friction modifiers that can cause problems with wet clutches. However, in the weeks after the top-up, I started to notice increasing clutch drag. The bike started wanting to creep a bit, clutch in, at red lights. It got hard to find neutral. And up on the rear stand, there was a HARD clunk outa neutral into first and the rear wheel spun up pretty vigourously, in gear with clutch disengaged. I frigged around with the clutch adjustment (per the manual, and also per Sid Squid), without a solution. I got frustrated, and a bit worried that I’d created a REAL problem. I surfed the web (mostly this site), and got good advice on clutch adjustment, but little help on the clutch drag issue. Last Saturday I changed the oil and filter (on schedule, at 36,000km), refilling with Motul. Worryingly, the drag issue persisted. I buggered around with a variety of worm-gear and cable setting, to no avail. Eventually I just kinda gave up and came in to watch TV for the evening. The worry continued. Sunday got consumed by home-office projects and Monday by work, but when I got home I reckoned I’d flip the bike back onto the stand and have another go. And – presto! – as soon as I fired it up and dropped it out of neutral into first, it was obvious ‘the problem’ was gone. There’s a tiny bit of drag, and the rear wheel turns very slowly for a few seconds after the clutch is disengaged, then stops. Once the engine if fully warm, most of the residual drag disappears. The worm-gear is adjusted as it should be, the cables too, and the bite-point is right where I want it – life is good again. It just took a couple days of soaking for the Motul ‘goodness’ to leach out the remnants of the Pennzoil ‘badness’. And I’ve learned the lesson. If you’re having clutch drag problems and the adjustments are OK, think about the oil in your sump. Cheap (or inappropriate) lubricants could be the cause of your trouble.