| Author | Message | ||
     Bgreiner |
Hey guys, I bought my first Buell, an 03 XB9S one week ago today. It had 3700 miles on it, and I have ridden it 300 miles since buying it. Several days ago, I was slowing up to a light, and pulled my clutch in first gear to stop. Just as I stopped, the clutch seemed to slip, and the bike lurched foward, even with the clutch pulled in. Since I was on the brakes, the bike stalled, and it scared the crap out of me. Since then, it was done it twice, and most recent being tonight, when I pulled into the garage I almost hit the car. Then, I shut it off, started it in neutral with the clutch pulled in, popped it in first, and the bike took off. Same result in second gear. It only happens when I am coming to a stop, and pull in my clutch to stop. I am nervous about riding until I address the issue, and any ideas would be great. Thanks. | ||
| Sloppy |
CHECK AND ADJUST YOUR CLUTCH AS SPECIFIED IN THE SERVICE MANUAL! There are TWO clearances you need to check -- the cable AND the clutch pack. It's well detailed in the manual. If you don't have a manual but want to work on your bike then get one and invest in some tools as well. It sounds like your clutch cable is no longer disengaging the clutch... start there. | ||
| Buell_bert |
I would also change the primary oil this may cause a problem. Especially if it may be temp. induced. | ||
| Buell_bert |
Try the simple stuff first if you can. I see your from a northern area so check or change the lube first. Good luck. And let it warm up for a bit before riding. | ||
| Bgreiner |
Ok, yeah, the bike didn't come with any manuals, so I will either have to buy one or send it to the dealership. Thanks for the help. | ||
| Reepicheep |
There is a ball and ramp assembly for the clutch that will come out easily when you remove the derby cover (not the whole primary cover). I would pull that all the way out and make sure it isn't "gooey". Then I would go back through the clutch adjustment process as per the service manual (you will pay off that $50 on the first two jobs you do). Its kind of an odd sequence of steps, and I can't explain why it works so much better when you do them by the book as opposed to just one or two adjustments, but it does. Do the primary chain tension adjustment (by the book) as well... though if in doubt a little loose is better then tight. And change your primary fluid. Finally, the clutch cable seems good for about 10k miles before it starts to drag and fray, while your milage is a lot lower then that, if the cable was not kept lubed, it could be more then half dead anyway. So for another $30 or whatever, you can swap that out while you are doing the clutch adjustment anyway. Keep the cable you pulled on the garage wall, or tucked in luggage somewhere if you take a long road trip, for emergency use. The clutches on the Buells are as close to bulletproof as any bike I know of, so it is probably something simple. | ||
| Bgreiner |
Awesome, thanks for the good help, I will see what I can do. | ||
| Bgreiner |
Update: Well, I did not get a service manual yet, but I took the derby cover off, and let the oil drain out. The cable is intact and appears to be in good shape. I was not sure how to make adjustments, so I didn't mess with that. I am thinking the problem may be out of my league, because with the engine off, in gear, with the clutch lever pulled in, the bike will not rock back and forth like it should. So, I am thinking that this goes beyond a simple adjustment issue, and is more of an internal problem. | ||
| Reepicheep |
That'd be unusual. Dig out the 96 S1 manual buried here on the site and read through that for clutch adjustment. The procedures and parts are very similar. Was it on the side stand? I don't think you should not have lost fluid when you opened that cover, sounds like it is over full... (Oh, and thats not to say don't get the right manual, thats just to say read through it and see that it is not that bad). (Message edited by reepicheep on May 02, 2008) | ||
| Bad_karma |
Ben When you get the primary oil level correct check it for awhile along with the motor oil level. This will indicate if you have a crank seal problem. Joe | ||
| Bgreiner |
Yeah, when I pulled the round cover with three bolts off that expose the end of the clutch cable, brown oil came shooting out, while the bike was on the kickstand. I had to run and grab a drain pan, because it was a lot of oil. I have to run to work now, but when I get back tonight, I will look up that manual. And I triple checked the motor oil level, which is fine. | ||
| Bad_karma |
If you checked the motor oil with it cold and it was fine sound like it might be over filled. Joe | ||
| Bgreiner |
No, it had been running and the engine was warm when I checked it. I am not worried about that however, I am worried about how many pieces my clutch must be in. The primary fluid seemed to be at an appropriate level. However, I am now covinced that the problem is in the clutch itself, because the fluid is ok, the cable is ok, the adjustment is ok, but the clutch still does not work. It just will not disengage and allow for gear selection without choking itself off. It is just like I try to slam it in first gear with touching the clutch at all. A local H-D dealer is picking it up Wednesday, because with my limited resourses, I am at my wits end with this thing. I am scared of the bill from the Harley shop, but I don't know what else to do. | ||
| Bad_karma |
Ben In side the clutch amongst the plates and materials is a spring clutch assemble that fails. If thats the case I would recommend replacing it with the recommended two steels and one fiber plates. Good luck Joe | ||
| Bgreiner |
Well, the latest news is that the main clutch bearing siezed and exploded. This was caused by water entering through the stator. I have a feeling its gonna be a big bill, because the harley shop doesn't even have the tool to replace the bearing, because harley doesn't recommenend only changing the bearing, of course. Thats all I know for now, I am sure my explanation is not nearly as technical as it should be, but thats the easiest way to explain what the mechanic told me. | ||
| Sloppy |
If you washed out enough lubricant to wipe out that bearing, then likely ALL the bearings in the transmission are also gone -- and there's lots of them... The whole transmission will need to be disassembled and washed clean. That must have been a fairly big leak through the stator plug (located next to your starter). Did anyone pressure wash the engine? Go down to the shop and have a look at the transmission oil -- if there's that much water then it should look like white foam. Perhaps another cause is a lack of oil? There must have been a lot of water in the oil to cause this problem... | ||
| Blake |
If your Buell dealership doesn't have the tools to replace a simple clutch bearing, run, don't walk, to another dealership! The "Knowledge Vault - Manuals..." section has links to owner's manuals that are on www.Buell.com. Not for a 2003, but the 2005 will be good enough to help you understand what is required for changing lubricants and other routine maintenance. I've never heard of the stator wiring plug allowing water to leak into the primary/transmission. Usually that is due to a poorly fit boot at the clutch cable coupling/adjuster, the one halfway between the clutch lever and the clutch. |
