Clutch problem R1200GS LC?

[Guitar George]

 

Hello,

As everyone here on the forum knows, the earliest models of the water-cooled boxer are not the quietest when it comes to shifting. Mine is from 05/2013 (bought new) with just over 100,000km (63000miles) on the odometer.
With every up or down shift, the thing makes a lot of noise, especially in the low revs. I've been looking for a solution to this problem for a while now if it exists at all.

A few weeks ago I learned that the first models of the boxer LC were delivered with a slightly too short thrust adapter in the clutch. I thought that this might also be the reason that when putting the bike in 1st gear, a small jump is created.
When checking with the dealer, it appears that this part has already been replaced.

The next item that comes to mind to take a closer look at, is the clutch. I don't have any problems with a slipping clutch yet, but if I put the bike in neutral and give the rear wheel a little push, the wheel turns without much effort.
If I do the same with the clutch pulled in and the bike in first gear, you have to put in a little bit more effort to get the wheel to turn.

Now my question is; would the problem be solved if I replace the clutch with a slightly more efficient one, such as the EBC SRK165. I also considered the Recluse Torqdrive, but that is an expensive undertaking. 
I hope that someone on the forum can help me out and direct me to the right solution before starting this venture to replace the clutch?

Regards,
GG

 

 

[dirtrider]

Quote

 

Hello,

As everyone here on the forum knows, the earliest models of the water-cooled boxer are not the quietest when it comes to shifting. Mine is from 05/2013 (bought new) with just over 100,000km (63000miles) on the odometer.
With every up or down shift, the thing makes a lot of noise, especially in the low revs. I've been looking for a solution to this problem for a while now if it exists at all.

A few weeks ago I learned that the first models of the boxer LC were delivered with a slightly too short thrust adapter in the clutch. I thought that this might also be the reason that when putting the bike in 1st gear, a small jump is created.
When checking with the dealer, it appears that this part has already been replaced.

The next item that comes to mind to take a closer look at, is the clutch. I don't have any problems with a slipping clutch yet, but if I put the bike in neutral and give the rear wheel a little push, the wheel turns without much effort.
If I do the same with the clutch pulled in and the bike in first gear, you have to put in a little bit more effort to get the wheel to turn.

Now my question is; would the problem be solved if I replace the clutch with a slightly more efficient one, such as the EBC SRK165. I also considered the Recluse Torqdrive, but that is an expensive undertaking. 
I hope that someone on the forum can help me out and direct me to the right solution before starting this venture to replace the clutch?

Regards,

 

Morning  Guitar George

 

I'm not sure that anything will get rid of the (putting it into 1st gear jump or clunk)  as that is pretty typical with a wet clutch.  It is mainly due the oil drag between the clutch plates, especially with cold motor oil. If you have a real clunker when shifting from neutral into 1st  then you might try shifting into 2nd before shifting down into 1st. 

 

On the shifting problems, there were a number of changes to the transmission & clutch package on the later 1200 water cooled motorcycles. How much each single part made a difference is about anybody's guess.

 

You can try setting the clutch lever to maximum out (maximum stroke when pulled in) as that can help by moving the clutch plates farther apart with clutch lever fully pulled in. 

 

You can also try different engine oils, possibly you can find one that allows a little better clutch release, or improves shifting. 

 

Probably your best bet on the shifting part is to try different shifting techniques, like shift lever preload timing coupled with different de-clutching timing for the shifts.   Sometimes you can find just the right dynamic preload & dynamic clutch lever timing to allow smoother shifting. 

 

Upshifting at higher engine RPM's also sometimes improves upshifting. Try it to see if that helps. 

 

Personally I usually shift without the clutch going "from" 2nd up to 6th  (normal riding only)  but use the clutch for heavy acceleration, then shift down without the clutch from 6th to 3rd but then usually use the clutch going down into 2nd & 1st.  But this takes practice & a good solid understanding of RPM matching.  Once perfected you can usually get them to shift smooth & seamlessly.   

[realshelby]

Based on my experience with my Suzuki clutch basket business, I can tell you switching to EBC or Barnett clutch discs will have no effect on shifting. What DR says about how you shift, when you shift are all something to practice. Different oils can have an effect on shifting..but not so much difference in the clunk going into gear. That is the nature of a wet clutch/hydraulic actuation system. Anything you can do to increase the stroke of the master cylinder ( moving out the lever and removing handgrip covers) can help with that. But you will always have some drag in gear with the clutch pulled in. If you can easily turn the rear wheel by hand in that condition, that is a good thing. While a wet clutch can have a bit of drag, that is less to do with oil on them than the fact there are multiple plates stacked against each other with no spring mechanism between each plate to move them away from each other. While these transmissions do have some clunk, I have found them to be a good shifting unit overall and very, very durable. 

[TEWKS]

Can’t help with your question but I’d like to suggest that you ditch that font. Not meaning to be rude, honestly just trying to be helpful. 

[Dave_in_TX]

11 hours ago, TEWKS said:

Can’t help with your question but I’d like to suggest that you ditch that font. Not meaning to be rude, honestly just trying to be helpful. 

Yes, that font is very difficult to read.

[Guitar George]

Hello,

 

 

Sorry for using this font. I am new to this forum and I was testing a few things out including the font.

Thanks for your comments.

 

 

The reason why I would like to replace the clutch is that the EBC srk165 also comes with stiffer springs and I thought these stiffer springs might be the solution to the problem. But maybe not.

The last service was done by a BMW dealer and they always put too much oil in the engine. The whole sight glass is covered with oil, well above the red circle.

Next month I will change the oil with Repsol 5w40 racing oil with the following specifications : API SN • JASO MA-2 (T903:2016) • JASO MA-2.

 

Hopefully this does the trick.

[LAF]

I had a Yamaha 10 FJR and they are notorious for clutch packs sticking.  The dealer fix was to pull the clutch pack and soak the disks.  That worked for a bit but never resolved it.

 

I installed this Scorpion Clutch Pack and spring pack and never had an issue again. https://www.barnettclutches.com/1314/yamaha/0/0/2010-yamaha-fjr1300.html 

 

Not sure if a BMW would respond the same?