Clutch Problems

[FFshadowrider]

I have a 1985 Shadow 750 that the clutch will not disengage. The bike had been working fine up until this happened. I parked the bike in my garage after a trip and it set there for a week without moving. When I went to go for a drive I started the bike and when I tried to put it in gear it just stalled. Once realized clutch would not disengage I started to troule shoot problem. (I am lucky enough to have the service manual.) The clutch is hydraulic so I took apart the master cylinder and slave cylinder to check for wear or leakage. Everything looked good so cleaned up and put back together. I have since put new seals in both master and slave cylinder but still no clutch. The slave cylinder is moving when the clutch lever is pulled in. I have taken the clutch cover off and removed all discs and they are all well within service limits. There is a rod that runs from the slave cylinder on the left side to the clutch on the right that seems fine. The only thing that was noticed was a small oil drip from one of the breather lines under the bike while it had set for a week. I had not notced this before. Oil was a little dirty so that was changd as well. Everything looks good but it seems like something broke as it went from working good to not working. Any help I could get would be greatly appreciated.

[Pistol Pete]

My 83 magna 750 had thye same problem and it turns out that I had an air bubble in my hydraulic system. I took me using a vacuum bleeder to get all the air out and now all is fine.

[michelsmith]

Originally Posted by FFshadowrider

I have a 1985 Shadow 750 that the clutch will not disengage. The bike had been working fine up until this happened. I parked the bike in my garage after a trip and it set there for a week without moving. When I went to go for a drive I started the bike and when I tried to put it in gear it just stalled. Once realized clutch would not disengage I started to troule shoot problem. (I am lucky enough to have the service manual.) The clutch is hydraulic so I took apart the master cylinder and slave cylinder to check for wear or leakage. Everything looked good so cleaned up and put back together. I have since put new seals in both master and slave cylinder but still no clutch. The slave cylinder is moving when the clutch lever is pulled in. I have taken the clutch cover off and removed all discs and they are all well within service limits. There is a rod that runs from the slave cylinder on the left side to the clutch on the right that seems fine. The only thing that was noticed was a small oil drip from one of the breather lines under the bike while it had set for a week. I had not notced this before. Oil was a little dirty so that was changd as well. Everything looks good but it seems like something broke as it went from working good to not working. Any help I could get would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

Clutch push rod gone. NO You did see the push rod when you took the slave cylinder off right?
"the hydraulic system sticking" Ridiculous.
You say you are trying to get the clutch to DISENGAGE? Don't you mean ENGAGE?
Fill and bleed. But bleed it at the master cylinder if you cannot get the slave to respond.
Just loosen the nut of the hydraulic line where it goes into the master cylinder. Works every time.
Bubbles like to go up hill.

You say you had pressure at the banjo fitting of the slave cylinder.
That means the master cylinder is producing pressure. No need to bleed master or slave at this point. So if the master is producing pressure (evident at the slave banjo) the problem is the slave. If there was a lot of pitting inside the slave cylinder walls it (housing) may have to be replaced. Other wise fluid will just leak past through all the pits.

The clutch plates can get stuck together from sitting, and the oil turns to varnish like glue.
You might want to check that out so if you do get pressure on that clutch rod you do not bend the clutch rod by forcing it to unstick the clutch plates. Very common.

Take the clutch cover off and check out those clutch plates.

[FFshadowrider]

Originally Posted by michelsmith

Hi,

Clutch push rod gone. NO You did see the push rod when you took the slave cylinder off right?
"the hydraulic system sticking" Ridiculous.
You say you are trying to get the clutch to DISENGAGE? Don't you mean ENGAGE?
Fill and bleed. But bleed it at the master cylinder if you cannot get the slave to respond.
Just loosen the nut of the hydraulic line where it goes into the master cylinder. Works every time.
Bubbles like to go up hill.

You say you had pressure at the banjo fitting of the slave cylinder.
That means the master cylinder is producing pressure. No need to bleed master or slave at this point. So if the master is producing pressure (evident at the slave banjo) the problem is the slave. If there was a lot of pitting inside the slave cylinder walls it (housing) may have to be replaced. Other wise fluid will just leak past through all the pits.

The clutch plates can get stuck together from sitting, and the oil turns to varnish like glue.
You might want to check that out so if you do get pressure on that clutch rod you do not bend the clutch rod by forcing it to unstick the clutch plates. Very common.

Take the clutch cover off and check out those clutch plates.

Thanks for the advise. I will take the clutch discs out and clean them. Had them apart before and checked thickness to find they were still had lots of life in them but did not do a good cleaning of them. I can see the push rod move the pressure plate when cover is off and lever pulled. Put cover on and start bike to still have clutch not disengage. With bike on centre stand I can get bike into gear and cannot stop back wheel with clutch lever pulled in. Clutch will not disengage between motor and transmission.

[seruzawa]

The hydraulic clutch master and/or slave piston might be worn out. You may see the release mechanism move but it may not be moving enough. Try bleeding the system. Then if that doesn't work try a new piston kit in the master cylinder. Finally replace the slave cylinder.