Rooted clutch? Please help

**noobi** · 26th May 2008, 19:05

is my clutch stuffed??
my 2007 Gas-gas ec125
wont start in gear with the clutch in, just lurches forward like the clutch isnt in???
it has a hydraulic clutch and i dont think its too much play
it doesnt effect perfomance but if i stall it i cant pull the clutch in and move it, have to stuff around trying to find neutral, very annoying.

i just got this bike second hand off a guy who did lots of enduros, i dont know if the clutch is just knackered or what, but the guy i bought it off was adament that everything was mint, as he said it got stripped to frame and rebuilt like every 20 hours or something rediculous like that.

any ideas would be appreciated before taking it to a bike shop.

**B0000M** · 26th May 2008, 19:16

does it work properly once the bike is going?

id suggest bleeding the clutch if its hydraulic.

**crazyxr250rider** · 26th May 2008, 19:23

Its fine, modern clutches have a lot of drag.
Dont worry unless the bike is trying to drive foward, (a tiny bit is ok but may require the plates to be deglazed).
The clutch in my YZ250F was really bad so i just scrubed the steels with some fine W&D sand paper (kept them wet with kero and gave the a good clean after) and it was fine and still is!

**noobi** · 26th May 2008, 19:38

it works fine once going but if i come to a stop in gear, pull in the clutch it will stall if left idleing
thanks i will try the deglazing idea

**Rupe** · 26th May 2008, 19:38

My ec200 can feel a bit like that at times but there is nothing wrong with it, works great while traveling along. Maybe it's when you are on a hill and the bikes weight is pushing it in the gear. Push back then clutch in and start her.

**noobi** · 26th May 2008, 19:39

what do you mean by trying to drive forward??

**Rupe** · 26th May 2008, 19:44

Originally Posted by noobi

what do you mean by trying to drive forward??

If you were facing down hill on the bike it helps on mine to push back slightly so the weight of the bike isn't on the gears if you like.

It doesn't stall if I just stop normally on the flat with the clutch in like yours tho.

Maybe try the deglazing idea.

**crazyxr250rider** · 26th May 2008, 19:46

Like it you can kind of hear the clutch whuring and it creeps foward at fast idle
on flat ground my YZF was imposible to get into neutral while running and it was imposible to start in gear (asside from bump starting of course but even that was friken hard).

**noobi** · 26th May 2008, 19:52

ill have to listen for the clutch, and try the pushing back idea but its not really a problem just really annoying trying to start up hill or something, cuz the bike is taller than im used too(had a 150f before so heaps taller and lots more power

)or i could just not stall it as another idea.
thanks for the ideas much appreciated

**mattwood** · 26th May 2008, 19:56

im pretty sure i had the same problem with my KX, and i was using gear box oil that was to thick i think was the problem..? could help lookn into that perhaps?

**Danger** · 27th May 2008, 08:22

Sounds like you have air in the line. You need a big syringe and some fluid (check your resorvair cap, some use brake fluid some use oil, don't mix them up) and fit a piece of hose to the syringe, then to the bleed nipple at the engine, open and with the cap off the resorvair inject fresh bubble free fluid into the line until it over flows all the old fluid out the top. Its a good idea to have your fluid sitting in your syringe until you are sure there are not bubbles in the fluid. Also in your piece of tube. Its easy to do and should bring your hydraulic clutch up like new. If yours uses oil you can use 5wt fork oil. Thats what I use and it fixed my clutch on the KTM. Yes my model uses oil, not brake fluid. Other models use brake fluid.

**cheese** · 27th May 2008, 09:04

Is this a good way to get air bubbles out of your brake lines too?

**Danger** · 27th May 2008, 09:55

Yes but before you do that try just laying the bike over to the left side a little and being sure that the top of the brake hose is below the resorvair tap the hose and the resorvair cap with the handle of a screw driver while also flicking the lever in and out lightly. Often that will remove any bubble sitting in the line. Helps if the bike has been sitting still for awhile so that the air is not desolved in the fluid.
Some banjo bolts tend to trap air as well and often it helps to remove and drill a hole in the other side to allow the bubble to escape. Most banjos only have one hole and if its sitting in the downward position you have a bubble trap.

With the syringe method you need to find a syringe that has a straight shoulder for your hose rather than a taper which does not work well because the hose blows of the syringe.

**ali-s** · 27th May 2008, 17:25

Originally Posted by rupecopp

works great while traveling along.

this is the key, whilst travelling along the trans oil is hot and much more fluid and doing a good job on the clutch plates - when stopped the oil cools and thickens (oil is thixotropic) creating a sticky goo - get the lightest best quality gear oil you can get (silkolene/amsoil etc.) ditch what's in there at the mo - change for the light stuff - ride (half hour +) at a good lick, drain and refill, you will notice a big change - the little gassers clutch is virtually indestructable and if anything a bit over engineered for a lil 2 bang, don't worry it won't be stuffed, if you do need to bleed the line - use a mineral oil as specc'd in the manual and on the resevoir cap - make sure you have some freeplay at the lever (I run the bolt at half way) - let us know how you go