Clutch Drag

[cheetah64]

Hey everyone, I'm new to posting but have been reading these forums for a few months now. Back in January I picked up a 90 katana 1100 and have been working on getting it road worthy since. I had it out on the road about a month ago, it was running ok, needed an idle adjustment but shifting was smooth. After riding it for a little while, I noticed that the clutch was starting to grab before letting go of the clutch lever. I tried bleeding the clutch from the bleed screw on the slave cylinder but it did not seem to help.

I was finally able to get back to the bike a little bit this week. I took the sprocket cover off and used a clamp to squeeze the slave cylinder and again tried to bleed the system. I'm still unable to move the bike while it is in gear with the clutch level fully squeezed. Also, if the bike is running and I have the rear brake held, the engine will die as soon as I shift into gear.

The clutch must not be fully disengaged but I cannot tell where the failure is coming from. Is there a way to test the slave or master cylinders individually to determine if one is not up to spec? Another note I should mention, when I squeezed the slave cylinder with the clamp to bleed the system, upon releasing the clamp, the slave cylinder slowly extends itself without any input from the clutch lever/master cylinder. I found myself racing to get the sprocket cover back on before the slave extended too far. Could this be a sign of a dying slave cylinder?

[92xjunker]

Personally I would rebuild the master and the slave cylinders, due to the release issues with 1100 clutch. Seems to be an issue on them.

[katanarider]

I used a brake bleeder pump...

http://www.harborfreight.com/automotive-motorcycle/brakes/brake-bleeder-and-vacuum-pump-kit-69328.html

Its important to build negative pressure/vacuum inside the hose with the device making fluid coming out. While negative pressure/vacuum it achieved tighten the bleeder valve on the slave, careful not to loose vacuum inside the hose. At that point you should be able to squeeze the clutch lever on the bike to begin building pressure. Continue to bleed the hose manually in that manor. Once you feel you have good clutch engagement with a tight clutch lever feeling, crack (barely loosen) the master cylinder bolt on the handle bar to bleed the air bubble that gets trapped at that banjo bolt.

EDIT: Its good practice to allow the air bubbles to rise up the hose a few hours/or a day or two. Then re-bleed the handle bar/master cylinder banjo bolt.

Report back

[Dr. Acula]

Alternative

If you don't get results from your hydraulic rebuild work, pull your clutch cover and see if your discs are intact. The originals are individual glued on squares. Mine debonded and were stacking up on each other taking away all clearance when released. I was also missing about 11 of the squares so I pulled the oil pan and sure enough they were on the screen all ground up. My oil had a gasoline odor. Sure enough,pulled the carbs and had 3 heavy floats. Good luck, let us know how you turn out.

[92xjunker]

What the ^%## is a heavy float?

[thebird_19]

What the ^%## is a heavy float?

I'm assuming a sinking float, meaning it didn't shut the fuel off and filled his crankcase with gasoline.

[92xjunker]

What are the chances of three doing that? I'm going to say Miss adjusted sure..

[Dr. Acula]

Not misadjusted, heavy

If you hold these plastic floats up to a bright light and can see fluid in them, the seal on them has been compromised. The float is heavier than it should be.

[92xjunker]

No, it's not. It's damaged. The float will alway weight the same. The fact that it has fuel in them doesn't make them a heavy float, it make them a sinking float, a bad float.

[Dr. Acula]

What

Sir, read what you wrote, and realize that you're just sniping. If it's got fuel in it, it's heavier than it should be. Don't write just to write.

[92xjunker]

It's not a heavy float, it's a sinking float, like a boat with a hole in it. Same principal. Stop using made up terms. Noobs need to learn the correct information.

[4wred]

If you hold these plastic floats up to a bright light and can see fluid in them, the seal on them has been compromised. The float is heavier than it should be.

When I'm checking floats I fill a small container with gas and throw the floats in for a while. Partially submerged, then when you release them they float back up if they are good! Also a good visual as said above with a magnifying glass

[cheetah64]

So I was able to pickup a brake bleeder from HF and just got back from bleeding the clutch. I pulled enough fluid through to almost fill the container that comes with the tool. Now, if I put my full body weight into the tire I can start to spin it while in gear with the clutch lever pulled. I also tried after warming the engine up and still the same thing. I figured I would leave it for a few hours and try again to see if any air moves in the lines. Is there anything else I could try before I look to rebuild both the master and slave cylinders?

[katanarider]

Is there anything else I could try before I look to rebuild both the master and slave cylinders?

Yes...
1) Do like Dr Acula suggest and check your clutch pack.

If you don't get results from your hydraulic rebuild work, pull your clutch cover and see if your discs are intact. The originals are individual glued on squares. Mine debonded and were stacking up on each other taking away all clearance when released. I was also missing about 11 of the squares so I pulled the oil pan and sure enough they were on the screen all ground up. My oil had a gasoline odor. Sure enough,pulled the carbs and had 3 heavy floats. Good luck, let us know how you turn out.

2) Cut your losses and give up on the hydraulic clutch and install a cable clutch lever from a 600cc or 750cc. From what I've been told all you have to do is shave/shorten the worm gear pin a few millimeters with a grinder.

EDIT: See post #63...
http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=137111&page=7

[kdo58]

If your a purist rebuild your master cylinder. I bought new style master cylinder and that fixed my clutch drag.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XFW0slYqscc