Couple of problems with the 2010 1100S yesterday

[BlackdogGS]

Saturday I rode the Monster 1100S 150 miles to our vacation place near the coast.  No problems but when I got on the bike for my return trip I had trouble shifting because the clutch wouldn't disengage completely.  I had to pull over and adjust the clutch lever a little.  That got me going for the next 50 miles or so but the problem returned.  Than I got a check engine light.  I made it home with the light still on and a bad clutch. 

This clutch issue happened before and was fixed by bleeding the air out of the system.  Strange I have to do this so often.  I'm not sure about the light.  I'm not with the bike right now so I'll have to look at it later.  So I'll bleed the system and check for codes.  If theses anything obvious I could check let me know.   

[EEL]

Is your slave cylinder leaking? That could introduce air into the system.

[koko64]

Check engine light, hmmm. Probably unrelated. How's your oil level? Hot weather? It's a DS 1100S so dry clutch.

I sometimes wonder with the clutch line routing how the fluid fares in hot weather against a hot motor. Look for weeping at the back of the slave cylinder as EEL suggested.

[BlackdogGS]

No fluid leaks and reservior is full.  Engine oil level is perfect.  It was about 80 degrees. I had this same clutch issue last year.

[koko64]

Might be worth a full clutch fluid change and bleed.

[BlackdogGS]

Might be worth a full clutch fluid change and bleed.

I had this same exact clutch problem last year and did a full fluid flush, strange I have to do it every year.

[Howie]

Wouldn't be strange if you have a leaking slave.  Pull it off and have a look. 

[EEL]

Its an M1100S so I'm assuming you have radial masters with remote reserviors and a bleed nipple at the lever as well as the slave.

I would suggest you try to reverse bleed. Pull the lever in and open the bleed nipple at the master cylinder. Keep the slave cylinder connected as the spring return on the rod will push the fluid back up and out the master cylinder bleed nipple.

If you had micro bubbles in your line they tend to rise up and accumulate at that spot.

I had the same issue when I first bought my 1100 EVO from its prior owner and it took  3 squeezes and opening of the bleed nipple at the master to get the feel back. Havent had any issues since.

I wouldnt do a full fluid flush again until you try this first.

[koko64]

EEL is right. Air bubbles can get trapped up high around the master cylinder area and the banjo bolt. You would be surprised how much air is released when you bleed from the upper bleed nipple.
Howie has a point. Careful and close examination of the rear section of the slave cylinder may reveal the slightest weep that undermines the system.
Heat, from the weather and the engine, as it builds up, will expand the air in the system and you have lost pressure.

It can take a lot of effort to get a system totally air free.
Things people do include:
Cable tying the lever (often overnight) to let air work it's way up into the resi, if there's a leak it will show!
Placing a source of vibration on the lines to help the micro bubbles break free
Using the various pressure/vacuum bleeding tools on the market, some which make reverse bleeding easier.
Persistent manual bleeding of each bleed nipple until the result is achieved
Or a combination of all these. There would be a lot threads you could search going into all of these methods.

[BlackdogGS]

I'm using this slave cylinder.  The last time this happened I was convinced the bleeder was bad so I replaced it.  I'll be with the bike tomorrow and bleed the system.  Then I'll try to retrieve the codes.

[EEL]

Try to bleed my way first.. Its the easiest and requires the least amount of fluid.  Just the standard lever pull method at the top bleeder. If you rebleed the entire system first you could re-distribute the micro air bubbles back into the entire line and have this problem all over again.

I'm not saying my method is guaranteed to solve the problem. Its just an issue that you can eliminate right off the bat so you can move on to the more complicated ones.

[SpikeC]

 When I installed a new slave on my 1100ds after bleeding at the master with a vacuum bleeder I had no lever, I then used it at the master and it worked perfectly.

[BlackdogGS]

I did what you guys suggested and bled the clutch at the master.  It took all of a few seconds and now it's back to normal.  I just lost a few drops of fluid doing it.

Now for the engine light.  I took it for a 30 mile ride.  Started with no light than the light came on after around 7 miles.  I pulled over to retrieve the code and found I had no neutral light.  The code is "CAN" line (communication between ECU and instrument panel).  So when I get the engine light my neutral light fails also.  Any ideas as to what I should check next?  Thanks!  I love this place.

[Howie]

When the neutral light fails and it is convenient pull to the side of the road.  Does the neutral light come on when you place the bike in neutral?  If so, the switch is not the cause.  You will need to trace back the wiring.  further diagnosis might be aided with a Dds tester or equivalent  .If not, pull the lead off the neutral switch and ground it.  Neutral light comes on now?  Switch problem. 

[BlackdogGS]

I took it out today, the first 7 miles were fine no light, good clutch.  Than the clutch suddenly went bad just like before.  I adjusted the lever on the fly.  (I just put a 11mm wrench in the bike so I can bleed the master on the road).  Than after a few more miles the engine light came on.  I was thinking about turning around but I pressed on.  Then I lost the speedo, tach and odometer. After the 80 mile ride I bled the master and the clutch feels good again.  I switched the 5 amp instrument and ECU fuses and took it for a short ride, no changes, still engine light and no gages.  What now?