Premature clutch failure

[gator]

Ok So we can start with I am a dumb ***.
6k trip adjusted all the cables ect before I left. On the way home guess
My Clutch cable got out of adjustment Dont know if it was clutch wear or
what.
All was fine untill about 50 miles from home I went to pass a truck (I
live in Texas so it was about 105) Pulling up the hill fine all of a
sudden clutch starts to slip.
That is when I notice clutch cable is tight.
Took it easy all the rest of the way home.
Adjusted the cable and took it out for a ride yesterday and I can brak the
clutch loose at about 6k RPM in 5th gear.
2 questions.
What would cause this kind of failure. Keep in mind I had been in the
rockies and had cause to heavy accelerate up much worse hills with no
problems.
second (pretty sure I know this answer) Am I looking at a clutch plate
replacement or do I do the whole clutch pak assembly?
Thanks Gator in Dallas

[Robert B. Hadden]

Gator,  What bike? What mileage?  Do you have play in the cable when
the clutch lever is released?  So you have play in the adjustment at
the clutch end of the cable when released?

Bob Hadden GS Gone, '62R27

On Aug 26, 2006, at 10:00 AM, gator@... wrote:

> Ok So we can start with I am a dumb ***.
> 6k trip adjusted all the cables ect before I left. On the way home
> guess
> My Clutch cable got out of adjustment Dont know if it was clutch wear
> or
> what.
> All was fine untill about 50 miles from home I went to pass a truck (I
> live in Texas so it was about 105) Pulling up the hill fine all of a
> sudden clutch starts to slip.
> That is when I notice clutch cable is tight.
> Took it easy all the rest of the way home.
> Adjusted the cable and took it out for a ride yesterday and I can brak
> the
> clutch loose at about 6k RPM in 5th gear.
> 2 questions.
> What would cause this kind of failure. Keep in mind I had been in the
> rockies and had cause to heavy accelerate up much worse hills with no
> problems.
> second (pretty sure I know this answer) Am I looking at a clutch plate
> replacement or do I do the whole clutch pak assembly?
> Thanks Gator in Dallas

[gator]

See I told ya I was a Dumb A**!!
Forgot to mention all the important stuff..
2000 R1100 RS. Bike only has 17K.
It was Adjusted correctly when I left for Vacation. Meaning I had the 5 mm
and the Handle and 12 MM at the adjusting Screw.
When It slipped on me I noticed it was Tight at the handle pulled over and
was able to get play back at the handle (not the total amount I wanted!).

Thanks
Gator in Dallas

> Gator,  What bike? What mileage?  Do you have play in the cable when
> the clutch lever is released?  So you have play in the adjustment at
> the clutch end of the cable when released?
>
> Bob Hadden GS Gone, '62R27
>
> On Aug 26, 2006, at 10:00 AM, gator@... wrote:
>
>> Ok So we can start with I am a dumb ***.
>> 6k trip adjusted all the cables ect before I left. On the way home
>> guess
>> My Clutch cable got out of adjustment Dont know if it was clutch wear
>> or
>> what.
>> All was fine untill about 50 miles from home I went to pass a truck (I
>> live in Texas so it was about 105) Pulling up the hill fine all of a
>> sudden clutch starts to slip.
>> That is when I notice clutch cable is tight.
>> Took it easy all the rest of the way home.
>> Adjusted the cable and took it out for a ride yesterday and I can brak
>> the
>> clutch loose at about 6k RPM in 5th gear.
>> 2 questions.
>> What would cause this kind of failure. Keep in mind I had been in the
>> rockies and had cause to heavy accelerate up much worse hills with no
>> problems.
>> second (pretty sure I know this answer) Am I looking at a clutch plate
>> replacement or do I do the whole clutch pak assembly?
>> Thanks Gator in Dallas

[Mick-7]

At 10:48 AM 8/26/2006 -0500, gator@... wrote:
>See I told ya I was a Dumb A**!!
>Forgot to mention all the important stuff..
>2000 R1100 RS. Bike only has 17K.
>It was Adjusted correctly when I left for Vacation. Meaning I had the 5 mm
>and the Handle and 12 MM at the adjusting Screw.
>When It slipped on me I noticed it was Tight at the handle pulled over and
>was able to get play back at the handle (not the total amount I wanted!).

Up at the lever you should have at least 7mm and I like to run
mine at 9mm.  Keeps the clutch rod from spinning the throwout
bearing at high RPM.
You 'could' pull your starter and look inside the clutch housing.
If you see any oil, identify it. It's either engine oil (rear main seal)
or tranny lube (input shaft seal).  I suspect you have an oiled
friction disc.

Mick
Tucson

[Robert B. Hadden]

OK.  Now we have the info, let's confirm that the clutch is good.  At
17k  you would have to be a really bad driver to have used up the
clutch disc!  I doubt that is the case.  First, you want to revisit the
adjustment down at the screw at the back of the tranny.  Perhaps the
lock nut is loose and the adjuster just slipped?  If that is in order,
check the cable for freyed(sp?) ends.  Perhaps the cable is about to
break?

Now for what I really think might be the issues.
1 - Perhaps you need a spline lube and the clutch simply hangs up on
the splines a bit.
2 - Perhaps you have a seal (motor rear main, or tranny front seal)
leaking oil onto the disc.

That's about it for options that I think of.  You should be able to put
the bike in second or third while underway, hold the engine at say 4k
rpm and let go the clutch lever.  The clutch should grab and hold.  If
not, you have a problem above.


Bob Hadden '05R12GS is gone, '62R27

On Aug 26, 2006, at 11:48 AM, gator@... wrote:

> See I told ya I was a Dumb A**!!
> Forgot to mention all the important stuff..
> 2000 R1100 RS. Bike only has 17K.
> It was Adjusted correctly when I left for Vacation. Meaning I had the
> 5 mm
> and the Handle and 12 MM at the adjusting Screw.
> When It slipped on me I noticed it was Tight at the handle pulled over
> and
> was able to get play back at the handle (not the total amount I
> wanted!).
>
> Thanks
> Gator in Dallas

[Andrew Johnson-2]

Why did the Y2K GS have a hydraulic clutch, but the RS retained a
cable clutch? Was the move to hydraulic clutch something that came
with the 1150 engines, to each model?

[Clive Liddell]

Andrew,

Yes, another answer to a question nobody asked (IMHO).

Regards
Clive Liddell
Pietermaritzburg
South Africa
R850R
R1100RT


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-oilheads@... [mailto:owner-oilheads@...] On Behalf
Of Andrew Johnson
Sent: 27 August 2006 04:42
To: oilheads@...
Subject: Re: Premature clutch failure

Why did the Y2K GS have a hydraulic clutch, but the RS retained a cable
clutch? Was the move to hydraulic clutch something that came with the 1150
engines, to each model?

[Mick-7]

At 07:02 AM 8/27/2006 +0200, you wrote:

>Andrew,
>
>Yes, another answer to a question nobody asked (IMHO).
>
>Regards
>Clive Liddell
>Pietermaritzburg
>South Africa
>R850R
>R1100RT

Wouldn't it be great if all the 2008 models came with
CABLE operated clutches.??  : ))  BMW would then tell
us how perfect and how simple the design was.
   Then we could laugh just like the whizzy brake fiasco
that ended with the move back to non-power brakes
this year.  Sheesh!

Thanks for the laugh Clive.

Mick
tucson

[will3hawks]

A friend of mine bought a new (at the time) R1150GS Adventure. He is in his 50's ergo does not do the "dumb kid stuff" IE: burnouts, wheelies etc. He would occasionaly ask me if a bike as new as his should use oil, and I told him that my experience with broken in oilheads was that they usually don't. He did tell me that sometimes he found a couple of drops of oil on the ground near the center of the engine/gearbox. at aproximately 19k his clutch began to slip. Long story short, he had a faulty rear main seal which allowed oil onto the clutch plates. The BMW dealer (Hermies-Port Clinton, Pa. got BMW to spring for the fix-apparently this was not the first time they have seen this with 2000 and up oilheads. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Will

gator wrote:

See I told ya I was a Dumb A**!!
Forgot to mention all the important stuff..
2000 R1100 RS. Bike only has 17K.
It was Adjusted correctly when I left for Vacation. Meaning I had the 5 mm
and the Handle and 12 MM at the adjusting Screw.
When It slipped on me I noticed it was Tight at the handle pulled over and
was able to get play back at the handle (not the total amount I wanted!).

Thanks
Gator in Dallas

> Gator,  What bike? What mileage?  Do you have play in the cable when
> the clutch lever is released?  So you have play in the adjustment at
> the clutch end of the cable when released?
>
> Bob Hadden GS Gone, '62R27
>
> On Aug 26, 2006, at 10:00 AM, [e-mail] wrote:
>
>> Ok So we can start with I am a dumb ***.
>> 6k trip adjusted all the cables ect before I left. On the way home
>> guess
>> My Clutch cable got out of adjustment Dont know if it was clutch wear
>> or
>> what.
>> All was fine untill about 50 miles from home I went to pass a truck (I
>> live in Texas so it was about 105) Pulling up the hill fine all of a
>> sudden clutch starts to slip.
>> That is when I notice clutch cable is tight.
>> Took it easy all the rest of the way home.
>> Adjusted the cable and took it out for a ride yesterday and I can brak
>> the
>> clutch loose at about 6k RPM in 5th gear.
>> 2 questions.
>> What would cause this kind of failure. Keep in mind I had been in the
>> rockies and had cause to heavy accelerate up much worse hills with no
>> problems.
>> second (pretty sure I know this answer) Am I looking at a clutch plate
>> replacement or do I do the whole clutch pak assembly?
>> Thanks Gator in Dallas