2005 M620ie Clutch engagement Question

[ljsmonster]

I recently purchased a 2005 M620ie Monster with 12,000 miles. I love this little Duc, but the clutch engagement is almost immediate making leaving from a stop harder than it should be. Is this normal? Otherwise, the clutch seems to work just fine. If it is not normal how can this condition be improved?

[Howie]

I can't tell normal over the internet, but there is a possibility that a good clutch bleed could help.  Are your levers adjustable?

[stopintime]

Normal and you'll probably get used to it  

It's the "slipper" APTC clutch that feels like all the action is limited to a few mm of lever travel. Maybe old school engineering/thinking from Ducati.... when it was important to have all clutch action on the tip of the lever to allow very fast gear shifts... racing style.

You could change to an older 750 clutch, without the APTC, and have a little more control, but then it also becomes a little harder at the lever.

[ducpainter]

Is the slave cylinder stock? Adjustable levers?

Either of those mods can alter the engagement point.

If those are both stock, try bleeding. Air in the system can cause minimum slave travel causing this problem.

If you've come from a bike with a cable operated clutch, there is definitely a learning curve to a hydraulic clutch.

[ljsmonster]

The clutch level and master cylinder are all stock.  The system has been bled with no apparent air being detected.  I have considered changing the level first to one that is adjustable.  If that doesn't help, changing the master cylinder is an option, but since I am using stock mirrors it would have more challenging.  Thank you for all of your comments!!

[ducpainter]

Adjustable lever won't help.

[Howie]

Just some clarification.  The clutch is engaging too close to the grip, correct?  If opposite stopintime is correct.

Bleeding a clutch is simple in theory, but often not so much in real life.  Trapped air small enough to not be noticed in a car is significant in a bike.  You want to make sure the master is as close to horizontal as possible or air can be trapped in the high point of the master.  After bleeding a good trick is to zip tie the lever to the grip overnight.  Another good method is back bleeding.

[Slide Panda]

Yep - if it's Stopintime describes that's just how it is with the APTC equipped Ducs like the '05 620. It takes a bit of practice, but once you're used to the fact that most of the lever pull has already disengaged the clutch, and the working friction zone is a pretty small segment of the levers sweep, it's not bad

[ljsmonster]

You're right!  The more I work with it the easier it becomes.  Thanks for all your input!