Rapid response for clutch help please

[Pasta Burner]

Hey Strangers…I hope all is well as I’ve been otherwise occupied and not on much.  I gave a new coworker and friend @GreenSauce the pleasure of borrowing my beloved 87VR…he fell in love and flew from Utah to Iowa yesterday to buy a 92 and ride it back home to Utah.  He’s about 700 miles into the trip and called saying the clutch felt soft and didn’t want to shift down on the highway and had further trouble shifting while exiting.  Got to the gas pump and after fill up he says it’s now gripping hard and even wanting to pull with clutch lever fully pulled in.  I think I thought I read about this but a search didn’t pull up any quick results.  He says the fluid is still half sight glass but looks dirtier than when he started.  Ideas?  Thanks!

[Pasta Burner]

He’s in Kadoka attempting to make it to Rapid City tonight if anyone is in that area

[Chaharly]

I've had it happen where the clutch fluid has leaked out of my master cylnder, but the rubber cap sucked in so I couldn't actually see in the glass that its empty.

If i was gonna bet 100 bucks, I'd say he's gonna need to add brake fluid to the clutch lines and bleed! Best of luck. 

 

 

[Pasta Burner]

He made It to Rapid city without problems, we chatted on the phone almost the entire way, he was in heavy rain earlier and once things dried out the clutch worked fine….we are thinking moisture and low boiling point in the fluid 

[saddlebum]

I have been dealing with the same issue for  few years now. Clutch begins to refuse to disengage when the engine is hot and when the engine cools down it comes back. Replacing fluid and bleeding system cures it for awhile, but eventually the issue returns. A couple weeks ago I replaced the slave and the engine seal at the push rod. So far it has been working OK but I yet have to go for a long ride which is when it would most often occur. When this occurs neutral was also difficult to get into. 

[Pasta Burner]

@saddlebum that sounds exactly like @GreenSauce problem.  He called me at a fuel stop but it was an extended stop for phone call when food / whatnot so the bike had time to cool and when he got back on the road it was fine again. 

[cimmer]

I would also look at the hydraulic rubber hose lines as they are getting very old and most likely swelling when the clutch lever is pulled in.  I replaced the ones on my 89 VR about 10 years ago cause I could feel the hoses swell when I wrapped my hand around them. With the steel braided lines, not an issue now. But I would flush the brake and clutch lines with new fluid and see if that makes a difference also.

Rick F.

[Pasta Burner]

13 hours ago, cimmer said:

I would also look at the hydraulic rubber hose lines as they are getting very old and most likely swelling when the clutch lever is pulled in.  I replaced the ones on my 89 VR about 10 years ago cause I could feel the hoses swell when I wrapped my hand around them. With the steel braided lines, not an issue now. But I would flush the brake and clutch lines with new fluid and see if that makes a difference also.

Rick F.

Thanks I’ll let him know.  I’m going to tempt him into @skydoc_17 delink kit with clutch line replacement

[skydoc_17]

Hey Tom,

I'll be watching this thread closely! I think all of the issues have been mentioned here. Old Flud, Sketchy Slave Cylinder, and old Brake and Clutch Lines! When he gets back in town, get him signed up and we will begin to make his scoot rideable again. This is all your fault Tom, Your a two wheeled crack dealer! Your the "Snoop Dog" of trickin' people into purchasing 30+ year old motorcycles! LOL!!! This all sounds like the trip I took to pick up my 87'VR many years ago. He'll have a blast! 

Keep us posted.

Earl.

[Pasta Burner]

He made it home safe.  But we have some work ahead of us