Clutch Going bad??

[ha3482]

Hey everyone,

Have a 2001 Katana 750 with 28k miles. So this is what's going on, for the past couple of days i have started to notice that when I accelerate a tiny bit aggressive my RPMs go up but the bike does not really accelerate. Seems to happen I want to say around 7k RPMs and above roughly.

Did some googling and it seems similar to other people that say its the clutch. Wanted to come and ask you guys if it is the clutch? If so do I just need the clutch plates?

Thanks in advance!!

[ZukiFred]

What oil are you useing in the Kat, wrong oil will cause a problem, with only 28K miles it should not be the clutch.

[ha3482]

I normally use Mobile 1 10-40 but i believe the last 1 or 2 oil changes I used Castrol 10-40. I have been rough/heavy with the bike recently and I just came out of winter....maybe I should do an oil change with Mobile one again?

[MotorBikeMike]

Automotive oil Mobil 1 and Castrol?

[ha3482]

So I run "Mobile1" normally but winter was coming and I recently did an oil change with "Mobile1" and I wanted to do an oil change before I winterize it so I decided to pick the little bit cheaper oil "Castrol". Pretty much trying to save money since Castrol was $5 a qrt while Mobile1 was $11 a qrt.

As of right now I am still running the Castrol oil that I put in to winterize the bike.

[ha3482]

On my ride home from work I realized how horrible of an idea it is to not have changed the oil. Just did fresh oil change with Mobile1 synthetic. Will see how it performs tomorrow on my ride to work and report back

10-40 4t for motorcycles

[ha3482]

So rode the bike to and from work today and I think it's kind of fixed. It's definitely better but not sure if it's fully back to the way it was. Or I could be wrong and it is back to the way it was. Will have to do a little more riding until I am confident in saying if it's fixed or not.

[MotorBikeMike]

Same thing happens to my bike, but only when its cold. Once it warms up, it goes away and I'm able to put full power through the clutches without slip. Same issue? Does your slip go away after it warms up?

[ha3482]

Same thing happens to my bike, but only when its cold. Once it warms up, it goes away and I'm able to put full power through the clutches without slip. Same issue? Does your slip go away after it warms up?

Hey Mike thanks for the reply! So it does get better but..i feel like its not all there like it use to be. Did not get to ride much these past few days (bad weather) but tomorrow should be nice so will see on my way to work. Feel like its at a point where its in this limbo state. Feels like its slipping but then sometimes its not, where in the past power was always there. Will ride tomorrow and report back.

[Kreylyn]

Hey Mike thanks for the reply! So it does get better but..i feel like its not all there like it use to be. Did not get to ride much these past few days (bad weather) but tomorrow should be nice so will see on my way to work. Feel like its at a point where its in this limbo state. Feels like its slipping but then sometimes its not, where in the past power was always there. Will ride tomorrow and report back.

Have you done a clutch adjustment?

Krey

[ha3482]

Have you done a clutch adjustment?

Krey

Hey Kreylyn thanks for the reply!
Yeah messed all around that and have it at the proper location. I will play with the clutch adjustment one more time tomorrow on my way to work but I am 99% sure that option I have eliminated as the cause of the issue.

Rode today to and from work (100 miles) and can say it's definitely losing power once I hit that 7k RPM mark. Revs go up but not acceleration. Remember in the past that was roughly where the power band would kick in but nope. If I throttle it gently it stays but if I am aggressive it slips/revs up.

[92xjunker]

That sounds like the clutch. What oil is in it? Automotive oil will do exactly what you're describing. What do the fibers and plates look like?

[Kreylyn]

IF the clutch is properly adjusted, and it's still slipping, then it's probably going to need replacement fibers at the least. Springs should also be checked for in spec. If I remember right it's 34mm minimal free length for the springs.

Krey

[ha3482]

Thank you 92xJunker and Kreylyn for the reply!!

Sadly did not get to ride today (bad weather) but tomorrow I shall so will mess with clutch setting one more time just to make sure 100%.

Oil wise I have always used motorcycle oil, specifically the Mobile1 10-40 4t. But when i was winterizing it I used cheaper motorcycle oil but still it was motorcycle oil. Now I have a clean oil of Mobile1 10-40 4T motorcycle oil.

This is also my first bike so I have learned a lot from it but at the same time I have been rough on it while keeping up with oil changes and such so keep that in mind. I also know for a fact the previous owner did not take care of it at all so there is also that.

@92xjunker and @Kreylyn I have not opened it up so I am not sure on the conditions of the plates, but if I do change the clutch I will be replacing the friction plates, steel plates and springs (Barnett Carbon Fiber Complete Clutch Kit) and gasket.

Will report back after riding tomorrow. Once again thanks everyone for all the help, I greatly appreciate it!!! Hope my somewhat detailed post will help someone in the future.

-Humza

[92xjunker]

Barnett spring are very stiff, is use OEM.