Clutch woes
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Clutch woes
Just got my new tyres on and an oil change for cadwell this friday and went out to scrub them in.
Bugger the clutch has started slipping. Only flat out but still no help with a track day coming up.
I've taken the plates out and had a look at them, can you see if they are worn as the little bumps around the friction plates are still there but quite low.
when it's worn out, do they disappear completely. I cleaned up the steels with a grinding stone to see if it would help.
I thought it could be the oil but as i bought it from an Aprilia dealer it should be the right stuff.
Also bled the system to try to improve things.
Went out today and it seems alright although was hard to give it full welly in the pissing rain. So will still see if i can get one
How much do they cost roughly and whats the best place to get them from quickly. Will try Lincoln Aprilia tomorrow but they might not have one in stock.
Pointless going on the track and only being able to use half throttle. What an arse.
At least the weather should be ok
Ben
Bugger the clutch has started slipping. Only flat out but still no help with a track day coming up.
I've taken the plates out and had a look at them, can you see if they are worn as the little bumps around the friction plates are still there but quite low.
when it's worn out, do they disappear completely. I cleaned up the steels with a grinding stone to see if it would help.
I thought it could be the oil but as i bought it from an Aprilia dealer it should be the right stuff.
Also bled the system to try to improve things.
Went out today and it seems alright although was hard to give it full welly in the pissing rain. So will still see if i can get one
How much do they cost roughly and whats the best place to get them from quickly. Will try Lincoln Aprilia tomorrow but they might not have one in stock.
Pointless going on the track and only being able to use half throttle. What an arse.
At least the weather should be ok
Ben
- loafersmate
- Despatch Rider
- Posts: 89
- Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:38 pm
- Location: Nr Gainsborough
Re: Clutch woes
Surely too much of a coincidence - new oil and clutch slipthe duke wrote:Just got my new tyres on and an oil change for cadwell this friday and went out to scrub them in.
Bugger the clutch has started slipping.
Ben

Re: Clutch woes
Try these guys had good service from them in the past think you will have to pay around £150 + post. If you can't get a clutch in time for your track day you could try a few washers to increase the clutch spring tension as a stop gap.the duke wrote:Just got my new tyres on and an oil change for cadwell this friday and went out to scrub them in.
Bugger the clutch has started slipping. Only flat out but still no help with a track day coming up.
I've taken the plates out and had a look at them, can you see if they are worn as the little bumps around the friction plates are still there but quite low.
when it's worn out, do they disappear completely. I cleaned up the steels with a grinding stone to see if it would help.
I thought it could be the oil but as i bought it from an Aprilia dealer it should be the right stuff.
Also bled the system to try to improve things.
Went out today and it seems alright although was hard to give it full welly in the pissing rain. So will still see if i can get one
How much do they cost roughly and whats the best place to get them from quickly. Will try Lincoln Aprilia tomorrow but they might not have one in stock.
Pointless going on the track and only being able to use half throttle. What an arse.
At least the weather should be ok
Ben
http://www.motorcycle-road-and-race.co.uk/
Always expect the unexpected
Well i've just looked and i've been sold silkolene comp4 oil which is fully synthetic. The semi is super 4. It looks like i've been had and been sold the wrong stuff.
I'll have to go back in tomorrow and have a word, but i think that could well be the reason of slippage. At least it will be cheaper than a new clutch kit.
So much for main dealer advice....
I'll have to go back in tomorrow and have a word, but i think that could well be the reason of slippage. At least it will be cheaper than a new clutch kit.
So much for main dealer advice....
Aha got the answer i needed.
Went to the dealer and said i was unhappy at the oil saying synthetic and the clutch slipping.
His answer was that silkolene comp4 oil is synthetic ester based which means it's only a semi synth (complicated i know) and to prove it he showed me a silkolen poster on his wall that said the same and also that they had taken out the friction reducers to eliminate clutch slip, showing it was all genuine.
This was also backed up by another local bike shop and they said exactly the same. Even though it says synthetic on the tub it only means synthetic esters and the rest of the oil is untouched rendering it a semi synth.
This means that by coincedence of changing old crap oil for new, an already borderline clutch has started to slip (28000 miles old as well). Thankfully the dealer had a set of genuine friction plates and springs in so i bought them for £75 (not to bad i thought). I didn't get new steels as I'd had a look at them and they were fine so didn't need the extra cost.
So the lesson is oil doesn't do exactly what it says on the tin
Ben
Went to the dealer and said i was unhappy at the oil saying synthetic and the clutch slipping.
His answer was that silkolene comp4 oil is synthetic ester based which means it's only a semi synth (complicated i know) and to prove it he showed me a silkolen poster on his wall that said the same and also that they had taken out the friction reducers to eliminate clutch slip, showing it was all genuine.
This was also backed up by another local bike shop and they said exactly the same. Even though it says synthetic on the tub it only means synthetic esters and the rest of the oil is untouched rendering it a semi synth.
This means that by coincedence of changing old crap oil for new, an already borderline clutch has started to slip (28000 miles old as well). Thankfully the dealer had a set of genuine friction plates and springs in so i bought them for £75 (not to bad i thought). I didn't get new steels as I'd had a look at them and they were fine so didn't need the extra cost.
So the lesson is oil doesn't do exactly what it says on the tin

Ben
the duke wrote:Aha got the answer i needed.
Went to the dealer and said i was unhappy at the oil saying synthetic and the clutch slipping.
His answer was that silkolene comp4 oil is synthetic ester based which means it's only a semi synth (complicated i know) and to prove it he showed me a silkolen poster on his wall that said the same and also that they had taken out the friction reducers to eliminate clutch slip, showing it was all genuine.
This was also backed up by another local bike shop and they said exactly the same. Even though it says synthetic on the tub it only means synthetic esters and the rest of the oil is untouched rendering it a semi synth.
This means that by coincedence of changing old crap oil for new, an already borderline clutch has started to slip (28000 miles old as well). Thankfully the dealer had a set of genuine friction plates and springs in so i bought them for £75 (not to bad i thought). I didn't get new steels as I'd had a look at them and they were fine so didn't need the extra cost.
So the lesson is oil doesn't do exactly what it says on the tin![]()
Ben
.........Erm...... unless of course the new one still slips

No - only kidding (I hope)
- HowardQ
- World Champion
- Posts: 3921
- Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:20 pm
- Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Last time the my dealer put fully synth in mine (Putoline at 10,000 miles), it slipped on the way home. Took it out for a long run and was a bit worse. Just accepted that my clutch was cooked and started pricing up a replacement. Next time I took the bike out it was better, so thought I'd see how it went. 250 or so miles on and was not too bad.
Changed oil to semi synth 2500 later, didn't clean plates or anything, has never slipped since and still on original clutch with just over 20K on clock.
Changed oil to semi synth 2500 later, didn't clean plates or anything, has never slipped since and still on original clutch with just over 20K on clock.