Hilko Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Hello again. I don’t make any comments on here (don’t know enough to really give a useful opinion on most issues) but I do read all the topics and feedback. I did write a post a while back regarding the fuelling on the old girl (1979 GSX1100et in standard trim) and got the reply I needed to help me sort the problem out. I am hoping the same will happen with this issue which has been there for a while but appears to slowly be getting worse. Gearchanges on the bike are great when rolling but when at a standstill it is really clunky and extremely difficult to get into neutral. I tend to change into neutral before coming to a complete stop as it is often near impossible to get neutral at traffic lights etc. Has anyone else come across this issue and if so what, if anything, fixed it? Cheers. Quote Link to comment
TonyGee Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 your clutch is dragging. take up more slack and see if it helps. Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 Thanks for the quick reply. I adjusted the cable at the bars to give 1-2 mm slack but makes no difference. Should I adjust at the casing end? Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 The wheel does spin quite quickly when on the main stand in neutral. Is this another symptom of clutch drag? Quote Link to comment
Gixer1460 Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 7 minutes ago, Hilko said: The wheel does spin quite quickly when on the main stand in neutral. Is this another symptom of clutch drag? If cold, its likely oil drag but it shouldn't be silly rpm's, if hot, then yes draggy clutch! If its adjusted correctly then its probably clutch plate / basket wear. These old monsters are a little clunky on gear selection / location of neutral - most get used to it after a while! Quote Link to comment
TonyGee Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 yeah you might have to pull the clutch plates out, my 750 ET is getting a bit that way, will have a look at some time. Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I do only see the bike on the stand when it is cold as I am warming it up so perhaps that is oil drag as you say. I’ll check the adjustment at the casing end first and then adjust at the bars (as I think it is supposed to be done) and see how it goes. The bike only does a few hundred miles a year and hasn’t had a long trip since I brought her from N Ireland to Poland about 15 years ago when she ran like a dream. Perhaps she’s just feeling neglected! Its also not common to find 10w40 oil here so I use anything from 15w40 to 15w50. Are they very sensitive to the higher viscosity oils. I only use the bike on good weather days. Quote Link to comment
Captain Chaos Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 the engine was designed for 10w40 so it's best to use 10w40. Higher viscosity will only make your clutch issue worse. Semi synthetic motorcycle oil, no car oil. Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I always use mineral oil. Is the change to semi-synthetic just a matter of draining and replacing including the filter. I was led to believe that any residue from one type can cause emulsifying if the two come into contact or is this just an ‘old wives tale’? Quote Link to comment
Captain Chaos Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 as far as I know you can swap mineral for semi synthetic without any problems. But mineral should also be ok for your bike (although someone migth correct me) Quote Link to comment
Arttu Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Over the years I have used 10W40, 15W40, 20W50, 10W50 and probably some others too. Mineral, semi-synthetic and full synthetic. Bike oil, car oil and even some "tractor oil". All work ok. However, there have been some slight differences in clutch operation between different oils but I haven't noticed any clear connection to viscosity or oil type. Seems to be just random. Making the clutch drag free, or even close, can be quite delicate job on these engines. The first thing is to make sure that you get full travel from the lever to the clutch pack. Second common problem is grooves on the clutch hub and basket which prevents the plates moving smoothly. Then the plates can be bent/warped which will cause dragging too. Also sometimes there seems to be a good amount of black magic involved too... 1 Quote Link to comment
SuzukiMad Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 I put synthetic oil in an old GS1000 and it caused an oil leak from the head, clutch and rocker gaskets plus made the clutch slip. Went back to mineral oil and the leaks went away. On a newly rebuilt GSX1100 had no issues at all with leaks or slip with synthetic oil. Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted September 8, 2022 Author Share Posted September 8, 2022 Changed to 10w40 mineral oil, adjusted clutch as per the manual and now clunkier and worse than ever to get into gear. Had no problems changing whilst in motion before but now it’s dreadful. Looks like I’ll just have to keep fiddling. Maybe my bike likes the higher viscosity oil? Quote Link to comment
Mike711 Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 Is your chain loose? Quote Link to comment
Gixer1460 Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 Bearing in mind the age of the bike and the clutch basket is likely to still be original - notches in the basket teeth isn't uncommon and will certainly not help smooth clutch operation. Also non Suzuki fibre plates aren't a good idea with these either. Loose chain also good call! Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted September 8, 2022 Author Share Posted September 8, 2022 Chain is fine I checked and adjust regularly. Looks like I’ll have to start looking at the clutch components. Quote Link to comment
Fazz711 Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 Definitely look at notches in the basket. Quote Link to comment
rodneya Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 I put new clutch plates, steels and small aluminum spacers behind the spring and it made things better. My basket does not have grooves and there is still some drag and it can be hard to find neutral. I had it nicely adjusted, but I had to take the motor out to split the cases again and fix a problem and Im having a hard time getting it perfectly adjusted again, so maybe the black magic mumbo jumbo does apply. A high idle speed does make it much more difficult to find neutral while standing still Quote Link to comment
Gixer1460 Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 6 hours ago, rodneya said: A high idle speed does make it much more difficult to find neutral while standing still Well, idle it down then - should idle reliably @900-1100rpm! Quote Link to comment
Hilko Posted September 11, 2022 Author Share Posted September 11, 2022 Mine is at 900 so not sure it makes much difference. It’s obviously something that affects bike when running as I can easily get neutral with engine off Quote Link to comment
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