Recently I have been riding my 06' Ducati Monster 620, and was coming up a hill while down shifting. As I went to pop it into first the clutch would not kick into gear, and then I tried to bring it to nuetral and it did the same. I let the bike cool down for a little and after some tweaking was able to get it to pop back in. Took it to the mechanic and they said I should probably just let the bike warm up more, which sounds like a really sorry excuse for not wanting to do any work. I'm just having a hard time figuring out if the clutch needs to be adjusted or if there may be a bigger issue. Really wanted to see if anyone has had a similar issue and what they suggest to do.
Thanks!
Can you give a little more background? Had you been riding around a while - ie was the bike fully up to temp?
When you say the clutch would not kick into gear - Do you mean that you pulled the lever to disengage the clutch and attempted a shift that didn't happen? You are talking about two linked, but separate systems - the clutch and the transmission.
I'd wager that if you're having issues with shifting, especially down to 1st or finding neutral that you need to flush your clutch fluid. Old clutch fluid can pick up small air bubbles and get *wet*. When heated enough the water that's been absorbed by the brake/clutch fluid will become steam. Steam is even more compressible that air resulting is even more spongy feeling for brakes, or troubles disengaging the clutch.
Flushing the clutch is an easy job and will cost you you about $5 if you do it yourself.
Yea for the two times it has happened it has been when I have been riding, the bike has also been to full temp. both times. I engage the clutch then attempt to downshift and it just will not react. It has happened both times when I have been downshifting, and when I get to the 2nd gear it will not let me downshift to first, this is all while I have the clutch engaged so that it doesn't stall out. My dad thought that it could be the same issue as you are stating. Is there anyway you can give me a run down on how to complete this task or a site that would refer me to it?
Thank you!
Quote from: ostiano10 on September 23, 2011, 09:36:34 PM
Yea for the two times it has happened it has been when I have been riding, the bike has also been to full temp. both times. I engage the clutch then attempt to downshift and it just will not react. It has happened both times when I have been downshifting, and when I get to the 2nd gear it will not let me downshift to first, this is all while I have the clutch engaged so that it doesn't stall out. My dad thought that it could be the same issue as you are stating. Is there anyway you can give me a run down on how to complete this task or a site that would refer me to it?
Thank you!
If the lever doesn't move at all the problem is not the slave. For me, using the clutch for anything other than starting off is optional. Does the clutch have the same resistance as normal when you pull the lever? I would ask someone more knowledgeable to ride the bike. You could have a slave problem or a transmission problem. I would ask someone more knowledgeable to ride the bike and get their opinion.
The resistance in the clutch is the same and the foot lever to change gears also is mobil it just doesn't pop into gear. The only issue is that it's not consistent, and that's why I was trying to see if anyone ever had a similar issue. It happens sparingly, but i'm just trying to figure out what it is before I take it to a mechanic and they charge me to tell me they can't figure it out, because most of the time the bike is functioning normally.
Quote from: ostiano10 on September 24, 2011, 03:26:49 PM
The resistance in the clutch is the same and the foot lever to change gears also is mobil it just doesn't pop into gear. The only issue is that it's not consistent, and that's why I was trying to see if anyone ever had a similar issue. It happens sparingly, but i'm just trying to figure out what it is before I take it to a mechanic and they charge me to tell me they can't figure it out, because most of the time the bike is functioning normally.
I'm thinking it is one of two things:
Not following through on the shift.
Selector adjustment off Requires removal of sidecover to check.
If not following through is the cause adjusting the shift lever up or down may help.
Excuse a pedantic moment - but it'll help you in the long run.
When discussion a clutch, it is DISengaged when you pull the lever, separating the plate stack. The clutch is engaged when the lever is out, the plates are together transmitting power from the engine through the final drive.
As far as your question regarding info on bleeding the clutch. Shockingly there doesn't seem to be a tutorial on here about it - but the principles are the same as bleeding brakes here:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=16142.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=16142.0)
You can skip to step 9.
- Basically you attach a drain hose to the bleeder nipple on the banjo-bleeder on the clutch slave.
- You open the bleeder by turning it a just a bit counter-clockwise. *You may need a 2nd wrench on larger banjo section of the banjo-bleeder to prevent it from turning as well when you open the bleeder.
- Once open, pump the clutch lever a few times and on the last pull hold the lever to the bar. Close the bleeder before releasing the lever after the last pull. *Be sure that the fluid lever in the reservoir does not drop below the intake hole. If that happens you'll suck air into the lines and add to your hassle factor as it sets you back to square one.
- Add DOT 4 as needed to top up the reservoir. * you may need to repeat this open-pump-close-refill process a few times to ensure that the line is flushed.
While it's likey that flushing the clutch will improve things, we can't say 100% based on your comments. And flushing the fluid is an annual maintenance point, so if you haven't ever done it, it should be done regardless.
As Howie says, it's a good idea to get someone with more experience to give it a test ride.