Hello all, new guy to your forum so forgive me if you have already talked about this one. I have a 2001 1500 Drifter, I dont get to ride it as much as I would like due to running a business. After it has stood for a while, the bike runs fine but the clutch does not work, I think the plates are stuck together, if I try and engage 1st gear it leaps forward and stalls. If I run in down the hill where I am located with teh engine running then click it into gear, I can eventually break it free and it then works fine, I have to keep pulling the clucth lever in and revving the engine hard to break the plates loose. Once its free I can ride it normally and it works as it should
I rebuild and race classic bikes so I dont have much time, I really dont need to start stripping the clutch out if I dont have to - any ideas. There is a lot of information about slipping clutches on here and Youtube but nothing about this problem
If you've got air in your clutch line, the clutch won't 'release' as much as it should.
First thing I'd do is purge the old fluid with new - and that will get rid of any air in the lines too.
They have a tendency for the clutch plates to stick after they sit a while. Not sure what you can do to prevent it
Try a different brand of oil perhaps?
I start my bikes in gear (clutch in of course) with the rear brake on to break loose a sticky clutch.
Maybe that will work?
I have the same problem. Let me know if you find a solution.
Should have mentioned in the original replay...... This behavior is very common on these bikes after they sit for a while - even when the hydraulic clutch is working normally. Exercising the clutch several times with the motor running before putting in gear helps.
When was the last time you changed the oil and what type oil do you use? I use full synthetic (no friction modifiers) and haven't had this problem, even after sitting for 2-3 months during the winter (since 2002). May not help you, but might be worth a try before you open the box.
This is a bit of an old thread...I can honestly say I have never had the sticky clutch plate issue with either of my Kawasakis...I did have it a few times when I still had H-Ds, those few winters where I didn't have it torn down.
Mine clutch is always sticky when cold, especially after the bike has sat for several days - has been like that since new. I've always used synthetic oil and have tried various grades (mostly in an attempt to try and reduce all the engine noises -that's a separate issue). Thicker oil, not surprisingly, makes it lurch a bit more, but it will lurch with any grade of oil when it's sat for a few days.
It's a common Vulcan 1500 issue and is mentioned on Gadget's pages: https://gadgetsfixitpage.com/faq/index.php/10?query=Sticky+Clutch (https://gadgetsfixitpage.com/faq/index.php/10?query=Sticky+Clutch)