Stuck Clutch?

[mektek]

99 Katana 750 that sat for 3 months and was OK when parked. Now the clutch will not release. The lever has very little resistance until almost fully in, where it starts to have more resistance.
I've heard of people having the clutch plates stick after being parked for years, but three months? I've had it sit for longer before and it's never happened. This is the first time I used Valvoline motorcycle oil - could that be the cause??
I've checked the actuator and cable and it's moving normally.
Any ideas?

[steves]

Do an adjustment and make sure you have enough free slack.

[mektek]

I turned the adjuster screw on the actuator all the way in - that made it push the rod in deeper. Still, the clutch would not release.

[Kreylyn]

Sounds like something is catching the clutch plates. It could be a couple of issues... notches on the basket, a loose part under the cover, so on.

I'd suggest you pull the cover and do a closer inspection. If you lean the bike enough to the left, you can pull the cover with out draining all the oil and have a quick look. May want to have a gasket on hand for just in case, but it's not uncommon to be able to reuse it fine. If your careful.

Krey

[mektek]

As a last resort before removing the clutch cover I tried a few times to put it in gear with the clutch pulled in (with the engine at idle). I thought that the shock might free up the clutch, but the engine stalled every time.
I came back a few days later to pull the cover and tried the clutch one last time. It released
It's not smooth as it was before but maybe a bit of riding will clear it up.
I'm going to blame the oil for this problem. In the past using Rotella t6 I had it sit for six months and there was no problem. With Valvoline motorcycle oil it sat for 3 weeks and I had a stuck clutch. so I'm going to change the oil to delvac 400 and see how it goes.

Update: I went for a ride around the block hoping that the clutch would smooth out with some use, but no luck. When the lever is pulled in there is a jerking motion and I have to hold the bike back with the brake when stopped in gear. So it looks like I have no alternative but to take apart the clutch to see why it is sticky. (but not completely stuck)