Clutch fluid replacement - Now can't get into neutral

[DanGSX]

Hey guys, hope you're all well.

I've just got my 14 back from the garage. I had it in for a clutch fluid replacement, but now I'm noticing that I can't seem to get neutral easily at a stop. I have to put considerable pressure on the shift lever, but it skips 1st and goes into 2nd. It seems easier to get to neutral by kicking down from 2nd, but it never used to be like this. It was always smooth.

Any idea what the issue could be? I'm going to take it back anyway, but thought i'd check here for ideas. Getting paranoid they've gone and ruined my gearbox.

Thanks!

[Hooli]

Doesn't sound like the clutch is fully releasing, maybe not properly bled or assembled quite right. I'd doubt it's the gearbox.

[DanGSX]

Doesn't sound like the clutch is fully releasing, maybe not properly bled or assembled quite right. I'd doubt it's the gearbox.

Hi Hooli, thanks so much for the comment.

Is there a way I could test this? Perhaps shutting the bike off, putting it in 1st and trying to move it with the clutch held in to check for resistance?

I'll let you guys know what happens when I take it back.

[Speedy1959]

Not saying its normal but mines a bit that way..
I can lessen it by altering the span of the clutch lever...
if you set it so it bites further out then when you pull it in its released to a greater extent.

In my case I think my clutch is dragging a bit..
Ultimately I will disassemble it and renew bits if needed..

sounds a good idea to put bike on centre stand and see how much resistance the wheel needs to be turned with it in gear and clutch lever pulled in..
Having said that I couldn't tell you what "normal" should feel like.

[Hooli]

Doesn't sound like the clutch is fully releasing, maybe not properly bled or assembled quite right. I'd doubt it's the gearbox.

Hi Hooli, thanks so much for the comment.

Is there a way I could test this? Perhaps shutting the bike off, putting it in 1st and trying to move it with the clutch held in to check for resistance?

I'll let you guys know what happens when I take it back.

You could try that but unless you know how it normally feels it might not help much as I know mine seems to drag in that situation but works fine with the engine running.

[DanGSX]

Not saying its normal but mines a bit that way..
I can lessen it by altering the span of the clutch lever...
if you set it so it bites further out then when you pull it in its released to a greater extent.

In my case I think my clutch is dragging a bit..
Ultimately I will disassemble it and renew bits if needed..

sounds a good idea to put bike on centre stand and see how much resistance the wheel needs to be turned with it in gear and clutch lever pulled in..
Having said that I couldn't tell you what "normal" should feel like.

Hi Speedy, thanks for the reply.

I tend to find the particular mechanic I go to sets the clutch lever travel to number 4. I don't like this, as my hands are bigger, so I set mine to 1. Don't like getting the bite point almost immediately.

I gave them a call, but the mech isn't in at the moment, so said i'll get a call back at some point. In the meantime, i'll just have to deal with it, but hope it's nothing too serious.

[seth]

As @Hooli says sounds like it's not bled properly and not fully disengaging .
I have a welding C clamp I lock the clutch piston fully on bleed it then release everything and test it all works ok so your not trying to bleed against the clutch springs.

[DanGSX]

As @Hooli says sounds like it's not bled properly and not fully disengaging .
I have a welding C clamp I lock the clutch piston fully on bleed it then release everything and test it all works ok so your not trying to bleed against the clutch springs.

To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. Sounds like I need to push for them to re-do the work.

Would it cause any damage to my gearbox or anything related if I were to continue using it? When riding, everything feels fine and gears shift smoothly. It's only when I come to a stop that I get issues with neutral.

[Andre]

Like others said, it probably hasn't been bled properly (if the mechanic only changed the fluid).

As for testing for clutch drag, I put the bike on main stand, with running engine at idle, put it in gear. Pull the clutch lever and apply light pressure to the rear brake pedal. The wheel should stop spinning. If you need to exert strong pressure on the pedal to stop the wheel, your clutch is dragging.

I doubt you will damage the gear box but personally I wouldn't ride it much, except to get it to the mechanic (there are those who shift up without pulling the clutch lever).

[DanGSX]

Like others said, it probably hasn't been bled properly (if the mechanic only changed the fluid).

As for testing for clutch drag, I put the bike on main stand, with running engine at idle, put it in gear. Pull the clutch lever and apply light pressure to the rear brake pedal. The wheel should stop spinning. If you need to exert strong pressure on the pedal to stop the wheel, your clutch is dragging.

I doubt you will damage the gear box but personally I wouldn't ride it much, except to get it to the mechanic (there are those who shift up without pulling the clutch lever).

Thanks Andre!

I'm going to head over after work. Not happy, so i'm leaving it with them until it's put right.

They did say the Slave cylinder has a slight leak and needs an 'overhaul' So not sure if this could be related, however I didn't have these issues when taking it in, so...

[seth]

If the slave cylinder has a leak then that'll be the cause of your problems

[DanGSX]

If the slave cylinder has a leak then that'll be the cause of your problems

Before I took the bike in, I noticed the fluid level through the sight glass had fallen slightly over a few months, but not enough for it to fall below minimum. Still, everything worked perfectly, including shifting into neutral. So I'd assume the leak wasn't causing any problems at that point?

Makes me wonder - why now?

I do notice the fluid is two-tone through the sight glass. The upper half more clear, but looks like a dark murky fluid coming up from the lines in the bottom half of the sight glass.

[Hooli]

Sounds like the reservoir needed cleaning out then but they didn't bother.

As Seth said a leak at the slave will cause it, air will be getting in & stopping it moving properly. It's probably got worse as the dirt in there has been disturbed & has caused the leak to get worse. My slave was dribbling for a bit, I stripped it down & put it back with all the same bits (just clean) and having scraped crusty deposits off the bore, works fine now.

[Mister Fishfinger]

If you've got two-tone fluid it hasn't been bled properly. If you are changing the fluid you have to change all of it, after which it should have a nice clear appearance in the window.

One of the (few) failings of these bikes is that the slave cylinder doesn't have a rubber boot over it to protect the actuator. This means that over time, chain grease and road dirt gradually gets drawn into the cylinder each time you operate the clutch. This is what causes the fluid to turn black.

It can also cause the slave cylinder to weep fluid because the crud gets into the seal. When I got my bike it suffered both problems (black fluid and leaking slave). Fortunately there's an easy fix (documented on this site) - other Suzuki models do have the protective boot and it fits right on with no mods.

It certainly fixed the issue for me. Stripped and cleaned the slave cylinder, fitted a new seal and boot, bled the system, no problems since.

A competent mechanic should be able to do this for you, no problem. The parts are cheap and easy to get as well.

[Edit] - here's the link: http://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=259.0

Once again the forum is a goldmine of useful stuff.

[DanGSX]

Guys, once again thanks so much for your insights.

I left the bike with the garage yesterday and they said they'd take another look and thought it may be trapped air. I got the talk about switching into neutral before coming to a stop etc.

However, I am going to take the advice given here and purchase the slave boot for when the slave gets overhauled. Preventative maintenance is always good.

I do have a scottoiler fitted and it makes quite a mess to be honest. Perhaps some of this oil is getting in.