Clutch transmits power whith the lever in: how much is considered normal?

[flyboy]

I had noticed a long time ago that the bike is harder to push when the bike is in gear, with a clutch in, than when in neutral, and I always considered that normal (especially in cold weather)

Recently this has become worse, to the point that even a hot bike is hard to roll with the clutch in. Furthermore, when the bike is on a center stand, the rear wheel will roll when in fist gear, with the clutch pulled in.

The amount of pull is such that, if I hold the wheel still with a free hand to, it takes a considerable effort, but not enough to pull the bike forward when on level ground, and off the center stand.

I researched the threads on this forum, and I am seeing a lack of consensus as to what is considered a normal amount of pull, and what might be an indication of clutch issue (I got new oil in the bike, so it's not the oil problem as it's been suggested in some threads).

Some said the bike should have no power at all being transmitted to the wheel, whereas others say it's normal.

I'm getting ready to go on a trip, and now I'm wondering if I should pull the clutch out and investigate this more before I do so.

The bike is a 2002 Katana 750, oil is Motul 10W-40 with less than 300 miles on it. Clutch is stock, with 30288 miles on it, and the adjustment has been checked

Any thoughts as to what you might consider normal, and whether you think I should do anything about this at this stage, or just wait ill it gets worse (and what risk that might bring, especially on a 1000 mile trip)?

[maniac1886]

There are 2 adjustments for the cable and an adjustment for the clutch. Did you do all three?

[flyboy]

There are 2 adjustments for the cable and an adjustment for the clutch. Did you do all three?

I did the adjustment for the cable at the handle end, and the adjustment behind the rubber cap on the picture below. The handle freeplay is to spec. Not aware of any other adjustments though.

Also, when moving, if I squeeze the clutch all the way and then start letting go of it to see where the RPMs start climbing, everything is as it should be (that is to say, I have to let out the handle a lot before the engine starts grabbing - so it's definitely not a case on underadjusted clutch separation)

[Kreylyn]

When the clutch adjustment is properly set (as your info suggests yours is)...


The resistance when pushing, or the wheel spinning in neutral ... is due to the oil viscosity on the clutch plates. If your noticing a difference, it could be heat (general day to day temperature ) or the oil is/has changed.


I'd suggest an oil change might be in order.


Krey

[flyboy]

...due to the oil viscosity on the clutch plates. If your noticing a difference, it could be heat (general day to day temperature ) or the oil is/has changed.
I'd suggest an oil change might be in order.

Thanks for the advice brother, I was starting to think along the same lines last night.

So I checked my records, and the oil I have in the bike (Motul semi 10W-40) seems to have had a tad more miles than I initially thunk - just shy of 1K. Not enough for me to wanna change it yet, but it explained the fact it looked darker than I expected (I failed to report this, but after looking at the oil, I started suspecting a failed oil pump cause the oil looked pretty darn dark, which could also explain the draggy clutch).

In looking further into this, I did notice the oil level was too high, and on another forum I found that too much oil can cause extra clutch drag as well. So I drained about 20 ounces of oil, and the amount of drag did indeed decrease. Not as much as I had hoped, but it did bring it back to what I would consider "normal" for a Kat with as many miles as mine has.

It was probably just a case of a pre-2400 miles-cross-border-round-trip-mechanical-issue paranoia