Shift lever locking up (intermittently)

Britfan60

Britfan60

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Started over a month ago. The bike was in 1st gear, and slightly pulling forward, shifting getting notchier, gear lever locking up attempting to shift into 4th or 5th. Bled the clutch. Smooth as silk. Another 60 miles or so, again. Bled the clutch, smooth as silk. Repeat. About 5 bleeds so far. Any suggestions? I have to prime the clutch with light taps of the lever before shifting successfully.
 
Is there a small leak ? Is the fluid level changing ? If not , why not try and adjust the clutch lever adjustment screw in a bit , say 1/4 to 1/2 turn. It could be you have some bedding in that has taken place and you need a small adjustment. As an experiment go to lever setting #1 and see if it improves. If it does , you need an adjustment .
 
Curtis,

If the bike is dragging in first gear with the clutch pulled in, then the clutch is not fully disengaging.
Means the clutch pushrod is not being fully extended by the slave cylinder.
Do you find air bubbles in the fluid when you bled the system?
Is the fluid coming out clear, or dark?
If the fluid is dark it may be contaminated.
When contaminated fluid heats up the effect is like air in the line, fluid compresses preventing proper operation.
You could try flushing the entire clutch line and replacing with new fluid.
 
Those symptoms have fluid leak written all over them. Inspect lever, reservoir and lines with paper roll to spot and soak up any fluid and then check the slave cylinder. If that has a leak, it will drip onto the chain and not leave a telltale.
Beware loose washers and the ball bearing behind the front sprocket cover if removing it to check the slave cylinder.
Happy fettling.
 
Fred. Each time, first squeeze, a bubble or two. Then solid. The fluid has a very slight purplish tint to it, but not very dark. Highly translucent. Havent noticed a change in fluid level. I have to check the capacity of fluid, but I've probably gone through a good 4 oz. so far. It seems to improve a bit with the lever on position 4 as far as the slight pull in first gear. I also made sure the connection to the slave cylinder was snugged up as well as to the reservoir. It hasn't done that since the first time, but the locking up going to the larger gears happens 1-3 time in 60 miles or so. Air is getting in but I'll try to move the plunger out a bit. I changed the lever myself from the broken one and fiddled with the plunger, but did over 1000 miles with no problem. Sucks not having a dealer around however the local Kawasaki dealer will help wherever he can. As he put it, its a motorcycle.
 
Did another bleed, more substantial, almost 2oz. A nd the fluid is now almost clear. I dumped some into my kitchen sink and it was dirty. Also turned the clutch lever plunger set screw a whole turn. Didnt get much chance to check it. Twice around the block. Still a little notchy. I think I'm going to have problems. Never had a hydraulic clutch before so this is all new to me. Cab I check the push rod movement if I undo the three screws and pull it out? Reluctant to screw with something I've never screwed with before.
 
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I had a similar issue when I first rode my bike home - the three bolts on the side where the clutch hose enters the case by the sprocket cover were loose so the rod wasn’t being pushed right in - have you checked those?
 
Kiwi961 said:
I had a similar issue when I first rode my bike home - the three bolts on the side where the clutch hose enters the case by the sprocket cover were loose so the rod wasn’t being pushed right in - have you checked those?
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Only by appearence did they seem tight. No gaps. I'll put a hex key on them and check to see if they are loose. Thanks. Hope its as easy as that.
 
Britfan60 said:
Did another bleed, more substantial, almost 2oz. A nd the fluid is now almost clear. I dumped some into my kitchen sink and it was dirty. Also turned the clutch lever plunger set screw a whole turn. Didnt get much chance to check it. Twice around the block. Still a little notchy. I think I'm going to have problems. Never had a hydraulic clutch before so this is all new to me. Cab I check the push rod movement if I undo the three screws and pull it out? Reluctant to screw with something I've never screwed with before.
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Does the clutch still drag when you pull in the lever and put the bike in first gear?

If you’re always finding an air bubble or two when you bleed from the slave cylinder nipple, then it sounds like there is a leak somewhere in the slave cylinder itself. Could be a worn seal, but that’s weird cause I have never had one of those go bad on any of my Ducks. If air is getting in then some fluid has to be getting out. Have you noticed any fluid on the engine cover below the slave?

If you want to remove the slave to check the pushrod you can undo the three screws and pull the slave off. Be careful when you pull the slave out - make sure the support plate and pushrod ball bearing don’t drop out of the slave. The whole assembly is full of grease to keep everything in place when you reassemble it.

I would look for evidence of fluid inside.

You know you can waste a lot of time screwing with this or just take the bike to the Kawasaki shop and have then look at it. They probably have a speed breeder and can do a much better job and get all the bubbles out. You can test the bike then if the problem returns again you can be pretty sure it’s a problem with the slave.
 
BritTwit said:
Does the clutch still drag when you pull in the lever and put the bike in first gear?

If you’re always finding an air bubble or two when you bleed from the slave cylinder nipple, then it sounds like there is a leak somewhere in the slave cylinder itself. Could be a worn seal, but that’s weird cause I have never had one of those go bad on any of my Ducks. If air is getting in then some fluid has to be getting out. Have you noticed any fluid on the engine cover below the slave?

If you want to remove the slave to check the pushrod you can undo the three screws and pull the slave off. Be careful when you pull the slave out - make sure the support plate and pushrod ball bearing don’t drop out of the slave. The whole assembly is full of grease to keep everything in place when you reassemble it.

I would look for evidence of fluid inside.

You know you can waste a lot of time screwing with this or just take the bike to the Kawasaki shop and have then look at it. They probably have a speed breeder and can do a much better job and get all the bubbles out. You can test the bike then if the problem returns again you can be pretty sure it’s a problem with the slave.
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I'm always getting a few bubbles. I've been bleeding it practically after every ride. Of course I called GC numerous time and was promised a call back to no avail. Going the Kaw dealer today. Of course they told me already that a slave cylinder would cost a lot more through them than through Norton. Somehow I don't even care. I just want my bike fixed and they are only 2 miles down the road. I'm not noticing any external leaks nor any changes in level. Frankly I'm tired of all the bleeding with the same results. I've already gone through about 6 ounces of fluid. Wish me luck. Not blaming Norton for this one. Its a Brembo problem.
 
If you're always getting bubbles, then it's a leak in the slave somewhere for sure.
Good luck at the Kawa dealer.
 
If you choose to change the slave cylinder, you could consider one of these from Oberon. They claim it cures all sorts of clutch gremlins and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Shift lever locking up (intermittently)
 
That's Nice . It may even by less money than factory. Of course check first !
 
BritTwit said:
If you're always getting bubbles, then it's a leak in the slave somewhere for sure.
Good luck at the Kawa dealer.
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Well. I went to the Kaw dealer and lord knows the owner, who is usually a pretty nice guy, was storming around like a nut. They sell watercraft too, so, I would imagine peak bike AND waverunner season, he's busy and sure looked cranky. One of the guys said if he works on an off brand, it would probably be off season. So....eff dat. Another old school mechanic looked at the bike. No cracks, no wet spots. He said before I start changing slave cylinders and paying to have the bike worked on, change the nipple. There's a little check valve in there that can go bad. As matter of fact, although I haven't seen in the first few times, I'm starting to see fluid travel a little backwards toward the nipple after I lock it up, so I just ordered a few Brembo OEMs because I couldn't find the M10 x 1.0 in the auto parts store. The Kaw dealer ran out. Let you know how that goes in a few days. Thanks for the tip on the slave cylinder, Tony.
 
Ok. Finally got the local Kawasaki dealer to tell, order a slave cylinder and bring it to him. Honestly, it does look easy enough of a job, but I want the man to get used to seeing this bike so throwing some work his way may be a good thing. Does anyone know were I can order either the Brembo, what model it is and would you consider the above posted Oberon. When I told him my symptoms of the shifter locking up at higher RPM from 2 to 3, he said that sounds like tranny, but the fact that I intermittently lose pressure, he said to start with the slave. I've been searching for Brembo to know avail unless I should just go through AF1 where, no offense to them, I'll probably pay a nice dealership markup and possibly wait longer.
 
Ask Rob Jameson how much for a new Brembo from Norton ? At least give Norton a chance to earn your business. They know you have no dealer so they will ship one out to you.
 
Rob Jameson - Norton UK said:
I can support if you don't have a local dealer no problem. The brembo part from us is less than the oberon one, but send me an email and i'll go through it with you.
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Thank you Rob. Truth is, I already ordered the Oberon. Now it dawns on me, is it compatible with the master cylinder or would I have to change that too? I've never dealt with hydraulic clutches before. That bike on the right in my photo is pretty much all I know. The purchase was not to slight Norton or you in any way. I just wanted to try something different and anodized in gold, its probably going to be aesthetically pleasing too.
 
Installed the new slave today. Gold anodized Oberon. Nicely designed. Too bad I still have the issue. I did a flush with an electric pump and then bled by hand. Went for a quick sport. After a few blocks and running through the gears a few times, I locked up again going into third gear. Double pumped and shifted. Then a few times I felt no pressure. Came home, ran another 8 oz. of fluid through. Pumping solid, no air. Went for a ride. Locked up once and felt notchy. Kept going and it seemed to have improved. Tomorrow I'll do a fairly longer ride. Anybody know anything about bleeding the master cylinder on these Brembo hydraulic clutches. I know they sell a rebuild kit for them too. I don't suppose that adjusting screw should be turned in more since the condition is intermittent.
 
Hi Britfan , Are you sure its a clutch issue now ? Maybe you have a sticking shift mechanism ? If the clutch is not releasing at the stop sign you will feel the bike still pulling in gear. Is that what is happening ? What do you mean when you say locked up ? Do you mean the tranny is not shifting into next gear , or out of that gear ? There are parts behind the primary cover that can cause this in the shifting .
 
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