2000 Ventur clutch

Don't know what happened but my clutch, shifter is acting up. Fluid appears alright, shows about half way up on the glass. Clutch leaver appears to be engaging with little movement, I also noticed that if I do not hold the clutch leaver in tight the bike will creep. I can up shift without problems but down shifting and finding neutral is like shifting without a clutch.

Help

Thanks,

labill

How old is the fluid? Brake fluid absorbs water over time and even though it looks like you have plenty of brake fluid you lose pressure due to the water in the lines. It can cause the symptoms you describe. Also can make brakes feel spongy.

The other thing you can do is check under the engine on the left side (shifter side) for any brake fluid. You could have a leak in the clutch cylinder or the clutch cylinder needs a rebuild although rare on a 2nd gen.

I had to rebuild the clutch cylinder on a 1st gen only because the bike had sat for many years. It had the symptoms you described.

Will check this out. Fluid is original. Hope that's it. Will be a few days before I can get to it.

Thank you.

labill

If flushing your clutch system does not fix it, then I suspect that your clutch slave cylinder is leaking and will need to be replaced. I am thinking, though, that a good thorough flush will fix your issue...

17 year old clutch fluid? I would definitely start with a good flush, try not to get any air into the system while doing it as it can be a pain to get all the air back out. I would then flush the front and rear brakes if their fluid is also original.

With brake fluid it is the age not the miles that matter. The fluid should be water clear, I am guessing yours is pretty brown. ANY color at all means that it contaminated and should be replaced right away.

Flushed the fluid out. Was dirty and a little condensation. New fluid. The first time the clutch had no pressure to it. After working it for a while I was able to shift. Decided to flush again, now I can not get any pressure tom shift. Master cylinder not leaking.

What did I do wrong?

Thank guys,

labill

Did you let the master run dry while flushing it out and get air in the system?

If so you will need to bleed out the air.

Did not run dry, kept fluid in but not full. I have continued to bleed the system but nothing. I know I am missing something, an expert.

Thanks,

labill

After I changed my slave I was having issues getting the system to purge all the air. I tied the clutch lever down and let sit overnight, enough air worked its way out to finally start pressure bleeding.

Sounds like you definitely have air in the system. Here's a video explaining how to bleed the line correctly. It also applies if you have air in the system. The same principle applies to your brakes. This is how I have been doing it for as long as I can remember. Have patience. When you have air in the system, you have to bleed like this until you do not see any more air bubbles coming out. Sometimes, you may possibly go through a crap load of fluid to get the air out.

Got it working.

Thanks to all for your help.

labill

I know I thanked all of you that put me on the right track in getting the clutch bleed and working but now a second problem. When I start it up cold and put it gear it jumps and stalls. After warming up will go into gear but then I can not get it into neutral without shutting down. It like its locked in first. With pressure I can up shift and down shift but right by neutral.

I also just put a thread up on the Barrett clutch and my sidecar. Might that be the problem now, wearing it out.

Help again.

Thanks,

Bill

I know I thanked all of you that put me on the right track in getting the clutch bleed and working but now a second problem. When I start it up cold and put it gear it jumps and stalls. After warming up will go into gear but then I can not get it into neutral without shutting down. It like its locked in first. With pressure I can up shift and down shift but right by neutral.

You are right. Just re-bleed and rode around the property. Working fine right now. Hope it stays that way, heading for New Orleans in June. My other concern was the clutch strain from the sidecar. I posted a thread on that asking if I should upgrade tom the Barrett clutch

Thanks for the response.

labill

Use speed bleeders to flush my lines, no problems. Just put new fluid in reservoir, open speed bleeder 1/4 turn, squeeze lever, close bleeder and top off reservoir.

For standard RSV:

SB7100S - Front brakes

SB8125L - Rear brake

SB8125 - Clutch

I know I thanked all of you that put me on the right track in getting the clutch bleed and working but now a second problem. When I start it up cold and put it gear it jumps and stalls. After warming up will go into gear but then I can not get it into neutral without shutting down. It like its locked in first. With pressure I can up shift and down shift but right by neutral.

 

I also just put a thread up on the Barrett clutch and my sidecar. Might that be the problem now, wearing it out.

 

Help again.

 

Thanks,

Bill

Thanks to you guys. This thread has let me know what my problem is & how to fix it w/out a dealer raping me. I did notice my master cylinder doesn't have a baffle in it, & the rubber piece is about 3/8 in longer than the master cylinder. Starting to wonder if that's not part of my problem also. I'm getting a rear tire done tomorrow & plan to see if I can get a new one w/out them trying to tell me I have to buy a new master cylinder for it. I think I'm learning slowly why it was cheap haha. I love the bike though & barring something catastrophic she's gonna be mine for a long time to come.