The bike sat in my garage over the winter, about 3 months. I started it up with no problem. When I went to move it, I noticed the clutch lever was very easy to squeeze. I put it in gear and it jerked forward and stalled. The clutch will not engage. I bled the system and still have the same problem. I did notice that when I opened the clutch master cylinder, is was very low and rusty looking and had gunk in it. I did clean that out before bleeding it.
Hi,might be able to help,there is probably nothing wrong with your master cylinder assembly,what has happened is that the clutch plates have stuck together,there are two ways to fix it,one is easy one not quite so easy,try the easy one first,what i normally do in this case is start the bike,roll down a hill or get someone to push you just to get moving,pull in the clutch,change up into second gear,to get the gear box working,change up into the highest gear you can(you dont need the clutch to change up)all the while you are still holding the clutch lever in,get up to a reasonable speed say 20-30 mph,keep the throttle open a little,keep the clutch lever in and start applying the brakes,it may take a few meters but the plates will let go and normal clutch operation should return,as the plates free up,the second option is to remove the engine cover dissasemble the clutch pack and free the plates manually,personally,i have always used the first method,sounds complicated but is actually very simple to do and will save a lot of time and frustration,give it a go first before you pull your bike apart,this is quite a common problem on bikes that have been sitting for a while..hope this helps..cheers
Testimonial: "I did try this but it did not work. I drove it for about 4 miles going up and down the gears and applying the brakes. I guess it has to come apart."
hi,thanks for the feedback,ok,it sounds like they have really frozen together,normally the riding trick works,but in this case it looks like you will need to pull the clutch plates out...cheeers
hi got a 1988 vt1100 i dry stored it for a year ,started no problem but put in gear wont move stripped clutch incase it was stuck togrther bleed clutch still no joy ,on a lift back wheel off ground put it in gear and its fine back on ground nothing,
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We used the above technique on my friends 88 shadow and it worked like a champ!! was quick and easy and saved my buddy alot of money! this is a must try technique before you take it to the shop!! i appreciate the info!!
Easy test to see if your master cyl is bad. Take a pair of pliers. Squeeze the brake hose enough to cut off the flow of the fluid. Pump the brake, IF the lvl gets hard then your slave or clutch is bad or stuck together. IF it does not get hard then the master cly is no good. replace repair is needed.
I was having the same issue as you and like I posted previously did the test and concluded i needed a new master cyl. However my wife searched the internet and found another test to try to see if it fixes the problem. I tested it on my bike and it completely fixed the clutch issue. I'm going to copy and pass the test answer my wife pulled from another site so you can try and see if this fixes your problem as well.
Heres what the guy wrote along with procedure to try:
Some bikes (Magna and Shadow included) have an additional problem with both the clutch and front brakes. The problem stems from the configuration of the master cylinder, which is that the connection to the hydraulic line at the master cylinder creates a pocket that air bubbles like to hide in (this is called a reverse trap) and the method for bleeding that section is a little tricky if you've never done this before.
Here's the procedure;
1) Bleed the clutch/brake line like normal.
2) Put a wrench on the banjo fitting (the bolt on the end of the master cylinder) and squeeze the lever.
3) (NOTE: Use a box end wrench for this) While holding the clutch/brake lever in, crack loose the fitting and reclose it quickly. Have a rag over the fitting connection that you are working on because it will spit at you as pressure expells the air and a little fluid.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not release pressure on the lever till the fitting is tightened back up or you will **** air back into the line.
4) Test the clutch/brake again. If done correctly, you will have pressure near the beginning of the lever movement rather than at the end (or none at all).
5) repeat as needed, but should not need more than 2-3 times.
Good luck! I hope this works for you definately a quick thing to try and saves you some money.
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I think the clutch oil was just too contaminated. I tried the first solution driving it about 4 miles going up and down the gears and applying the brakes and it still would not let go. I will try taking it apart or someone a little more knowledgeable do it.
Thanks for the tip.
The problem has been solved...I just had air in the line still. Like the last post stated... It had to be bled from the top near the master cylinder.
Thank you all for your ideas.
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