shrinking friction zone

[egetaseb]

Hi guys.
I have a 2004 Nomad with about 22k miles and it is becoming increasingly challenging to maneuver the bike at crawl speed. The clutch lever is more sensitive than before and the range of movement in the friction zone is also narrower than it used to be. It is now quite tricky to find the zone without fully engaging or disengaging the cluth. What could have cause this and how can I fix the problem?

Thanks

[ringadingh]

Have you tried adjusting the wheel on the clutch lever, its numbered 1-5 for different size hands. It might help.

[egetaseb]

I tried that but it did not help. Thanks

[jesse]

Changed the fluid recently? It can do strange things.

[egetaseb]

I did not change the fluid but I opened the reservoir about 6 weeks ago to check the color and look for any sediments. The coloration was good (clear), there were no sediments in the reservoir and the fluid level was good.

[ringadingh]

It seems early on your bike , but maybe you are due for a clutch spring already, They wear in the centre and perhaps yours has collapsed a bit and doesn't have the range it once did. The good part is that its not expensive or overly difficult to repair yourself, if thats what it is.

[egetaseb]

Thanks. I will look into that. I hope that solves my problem.

[caper]

I thought with hydraulic cluchs there isn't a real friction zone , its ingaged or not???

[cactusjack]

There's a friction zone with a hydraulic clutch system. Unless you had a racing bike, you would want to have the ability to feather the clutch.

[ringadingh]

Take a look at Gadgets site, it has a good explanation of the spring replacement procedure.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Ringadingh

Take a look at Gadgets site, it has a good explanation of the spring replacement procedure.

Yeah, I did it a couple of weeks ago, it isn't that difficult. The bulk of the work is removing the front exhaust pipe and brake pedal and floorboard assemblies and the lower frame section just to gain access to all the clutch cover bolts.

[Yellow Jacket]

If your clutch (and brake) fluid has never been changed it needs to be done. Looking at the color in the reservoir won't tell you much. It can be clean and clear there but down at the other end at the slave cylinder it can be black as hades. The manual calls for replacing the clutch and brake fluid every 2 years or 15,000 miles.

[ringadingh]

If changing the brake fluid doesn't help, check the hoses that carry the fluid to the master cylinder, see if they are soft and are bulging rather than pushing the fluid through the system. If that wont cure it you may want to try a new spring.

[ponch]

I just did my front brakes on Sunday. You are right, the first squirt was dark. I put a few reservoirs full through to fully empty the system. The feel is better now. I will do the rear brakes and the clutch this weekend. Is it a hassle to take the cover off the left side?

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

If your clutch (and brake) fluid has never been changed it needs to be done. Looking at the color in the reservoir won't tell you much. It can be clean and clear there but down at the other end at the slave cylinder it can be black as hades. The manual calls for replacing the clutch and brake fluid every 2 years or 15,000 miles.

[Yellow Jacket]

Originally Posted by ponch

I just did my front brakes on Sunday. You are right, the first squirt was dark. I put a few reservoirs full through to fully empty the system. The feel is better now. I will do the rear brakes and the clutch this weekend. Is it a hassle to take the cover off the left side?

It's pretty easy.

First remove the left floorboard (two bolts).
Remove the toe and heel shifters.
Remove the alternator cover.