Clutch whine advice.

[Goosifer]

I am hoping someone can offer some insight into this.

A while back, the bike developed a bit of a whine whenever the clutch lever was pulled, there was also a small but noticeable pulse while riding in the friction zone.

A recent misfortune involving roadworks, stones, and a radiator has the bike up on the table and while the fairing is off, I thought it best to have a look at the clutch assembly.

And here is the problem, or possibly part of it, the Pull Rod(#46102) is nicely chewed up and the Release Lever(#13102) also looking a little bit shabby.





What causes this? Is it just these parts failing and in need of replacement, or a symptom of another problem?

When replacing these should I, as a matter of course replace anything else, needle bearings etc.

The bike is on 22000 kms, and prior to this, the clutch has not been opened.

[haydes55]

Has the bike ever run with low/no oil? If the push rod has worn, you would have had to adjusted the cable to allow it to fully engage the clutch. The whine could have been this being pushed to far running on something. Who knows. Best to replace the push rod, bearings etc while it's open. Best safe than sorry and the parts aren't usually expensive.

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[AllanB]

Probably help to mention what bike ........

[Honest Andy]

You're right to question it.
That doesn't look like normal wear and tear to me. Looks more like "something else" has worn out and is now causing abnormal wear on other associated parts.

Apart from that, umm, I'm no help...

[Goosifer]

I cant vouch for the previous owner, but over the last 20000km's the level has always been kept spot on.... owning a KLR has taught me well.

I'm in agreement with you there, I'll replace the rod, lever, bearings, and anything else that looks slightly worn. This might just be kicking the can down the road, but I'll know soon enough if it starts acting up again.

The bike is a 2007 Kawa ZX6R, t'was a bit daft not to mention that in the original post.

From replies on a kawa forum, it's not a common problem, but does crop up now and then across the entire ZX range, most people only notice once the rods head shears off and the clutch stops working. I can't find a definitive reason for why this happens, but the common consensus is pretty much as haydes55 said, the parts are inexpensive, just replace them and cross your fingers, this seems to have worked for most.

[Grumph]

When you replace, try and set it up so that there is free play at the clutch end of the cable, not just at the bar.

Too often, these get set up so that the pullrod is permanently rubbing. The best heat treatment in the world won't stand that.