Transmission plates appear to be struck again

[labill]

My daughters 2007 1100 V-Star at it again. Attempt to put it in gear and its like no clutch. Went through this two times before. First time took to shop. Was told oil caused plates to stick with it setting. Warmed up and was able to free.

 

About two weeks later same thing. Warmed up and worked. Now its stuck again. Warming up does nothing, pushing and dropping into gear nothing.

 

I have changed oil and no change. Is there an additive I could add to clean the plates and maybe free them?

 

Thanks,

labill

[djh3]

What brand/kind of oil has been run in it? Dont know much about the v-star 1100, is the clutch hyd or cable? I would think if its getting stuck, there has to be something causing it besides the oil. Oil could be part of issue, but release springs or something else could be weak. Sea Foam can be run for a short time in a crankcase and may loosen up some crud if it is messing things up. To long and you could wash out the bearing I would suspect. Read the label. Maybe snap the clutch a few times with bike in neutral to see if it will break loose. My suspicion is though there is something else at play and the oil is just the part that makes it increase.

[MiCarl]

It's not that oil makes them stick. It's lack of oil from sitting a long time and possibly some corrosion too.

 

Of course if the clutch lever has too much free play that can also be a problem, or make it harder to unstick them.

 

Make sure the clutch lever is adjusted properly. When you pull it the end should only move 1/4" or so before you start to feel tension.

 

Then move the motorcycle to a location with good traction. A dry concrete driveway is usually pretty good, garage floors and asphalt rather slippery.

 

Without the motorcycle running work the transmission into 5th gear. Do this by rocking the motorcycle back and forth gently as you shift up.

 

Now pull the clutch lever and rock the motorcycle back and forth hard. The idea is to have the hammering from the drive line break it free. If it does break free you need to ride it hard with lots of gear shifting to clean up the clutch pack.

 

If that doesn't work you'll need to tear it down and rebuild the clutch.

[djh3]

Carl, would running some sea foam or something like that thru the motor help break up the gunk/shellac ??

[MiCarl]

Carl, would running some sea foam or something like that thru the motor help break up the gunk/shellac ??

 

I do not know, have not tried. My guess is it wouldn't get in to where you need it to originally break them free.

 

Once they're free a good hard ride will probably clean them up.

[Flyinfool]

Do like MiCarl said to try to break it free.

 

I would think that the best way to clean them up, once they are free, is to do some slow speed practice in the friction zone.

 

The oil being used could make a difference. I found that the Valvoline MC oil has almost zero ability to prevent corrosion. I had removed the valve covers while the engine was still warm from running and over night, indoors, the cam lobes were rusty by morning. I no longer run Valvoline. The rust showed me that it drains down so completely and quickly that there is nothing left to lubricate the parts at startup. You may have a similar issue with the oil draining back to completely and not trying to leave a film in place.

 

Maybe switching to a different brand of oil will help to prevent this in the future?

[djh3]

Not to turn this into an oil thread, but........ I like Rotella T6 syn or Mobil 1 10w40 and summer I would run the V-twin 20w50 if on long trips. I think the Synthetic oils hold up better in motorcycles than the dino oils. Obviously the trick here is going to be to get them free.