Ducati Monster Forum

So I had a driveway tip over and snapped the front brake lever. It was still usable but what better opportunity to replace the OEM levers with some CRG carbon fiber goodness? So a quick call to Jeff at Monsterparts and I separated myself from a few of my dollars for the aforementioned farkle.
Both levers were pretty straightforward and it didn’t take too long. I did have to make a quick run to AutoZone to get a 1.5mm hex head to get the tiny locking screw out. (Let me quickly apologize in advance, I just pulled up the parts list from Ducati Omaha and for some reason the little small pieces on either the brake or clutch lever are not listed so I don’t have honest to goodness names or part numbers.)
Anyway, once the levers were replaced I took a quick spin around the block and all seemed well. On the clutch lever though only the early part of the travel was needed for the plates to entirely dis-engage (I hope I have that right). I’m guessing that there is 2 ½ - 3 inches of travel total on the lever, however pulling the lever in ½ - 1 inch was all that was required to put the bike into gear. After my quick test ride my daughter asked me to take her to a friends house so we hopped on the bike. Other than the engage point being different all seemed well up until about 10 minutes into the commute. The clutch suddenly began to slip significantly, but then grabbed again. It happened about 4 times before I dropped her off. After she got off I didn’t get 3 blocks away and I was dead right there.
Without tools there was nothing I could do so I called my son and had him load the ramp and straps into the truck and he came and got me. By the time we unloaded at home a bit more than an hours had passed and the clutch had cooled off. As I suspected once off the truck the clutch worked well enough that I pulled right into the garage. Since it was 10:30ish I showered and went to bed. Now I am at work and the bike is at home, so:
There just doesn’t appear to me to be much to adjust, unlike a cable activated clutch that has lots of adjustment give. The only thing I can think of to adjust (here is where I don’t have proper terms) is the plunger (?) rod that goes into the master cylinder, right? And that is only adjustable in the smallest of amounts. It looks like I can dis-assemble everything again and I can likely get 1 or two turns in on that rod but that is about it.
Thoughts?

You've described the issue perfectly, as well as the solution.

What kind of shower soap did you use?

 [cheeky]

Some of Ducati's master pumps have quite a lot of adjustment for that plunger - a tiny allen to loosen it and a 7mm to turn it. It sounds like yours doesn't have it  :-\

Are you sure the plunger is seated correctly in the master?

I am a straight up Dove guy.  [thumbsup]

I am assuming the plunger is seated properly as there just doesn't seem to be much room for error there.

As far as the amount of adjustment available, there is a fair amount from fully out to fully in, there just isn't much from where it is currently sitting to fully in.

Thanks for chiming in quickly guys, I really do appreciate it.

Mark

If you're lucky, the little 'in' you have is all it takes.

You don't have too much fluid in the reservoir?

I had all of the fluids replaced a bit less than a year ago and everything has been fine to this point, so I wouldn't think I have too much in there.

But this leads me to my next question: If I cannot get the plunger "in" far enough, what is the next step?

Mark

Good question - I really don't know - you could grind down the tip, but that wouldn't be easy to get done or get done right.

Do you have any freeplay at the lever? I'm thinking about the possibility that you could have tightened the lever too much or that something might be obstructing it's movement...

 :-\

You need 1.5-2mm freeplay at the lever.  Less and you risk slip.

I'll check the freeplay and adjust the plunger at some point (between fence repairs) this weekend.

Thanks guys!

Mark

Well, after 3 days of hard work the fence project isn't finished, but the Duck is up!

Thanks again guys!

Happy 4th 'Muricans!

Mark

Very good  [thumbsup]

What was the solution?

I loosened the tiny locking bolt (?) and turned the plunger in a bit. It may take a bit more tweaking but I am on the right path thanks to you guys.

Now the fence on the other hand............... :P

Mark

I don't think reducing free play would solve your issue.

"In" is out  ;)

So he added?

Yes  [thumbsup]

Sorry, when I referenced "in" I meant "into the cylinder that holds the plunger" more.  :-[

Mark