35,000 and time for a clutch?

[Bob D.]

My 2005 R1200RT clutch does not engage until the lever is almost at the end of travel. Guess I may be needing a clutch replacement. It has about 35,000 miles so is that normal? here are my questions,

 

1. about how much can I expect to pay to have it replaced.

2. Is there a good video on how to do this yourself?

 

[GordonB]

At the dealer, parts $500+ (for a complete clutch kit) Labor approx $500

How are your seals, is it nice and dry under the tranny?

[Bob D.]

I'll take a good look in the morning but think it's ok. You think this is kinda low mileage for a clutch. I drive mostly the back roads here in Maine.

[johnlt]

35K sounds very premature to me unless there is a problem like a leaking seal. Normal clutch should last at least double that and many last much longer. A lot depends on riding style and environment i.e. long runs on the slab vs many stop & go's.

[Bob D.]

Not much stop and go in this part of Maine, lot of hills though and with my wife and me on the bike it takes lots of clutch to get going from a stop on a hill. I have smelled the clutch once or twice after starting from a stop on a steep hill with her on. But that was only a few times and quit awhile ago.

[Dale_K]

Shouldn't a hydraulic clutch self-adjust? Sort of like hydraulic brakes. Your brake lever doesn't change as the pads wear.

[Satguy]

Before you dive into clutch replacement..... might be a better idea to remove the starter motor and inspect/measure the thickness of the clutch disc.

 

If you can remove the body work, then it is a pretty simple job to remove the starter and check the clutch disc. You can also inspect the same area for oil contamination too.

 

Best of Luck

 

[Bob D.]

OK, I pulled the starter and it looks like I have lots of clutch left.(over 5mm, manual say to replace at 4.6mm) But there may be some oil seeping in from the motor. If so what now.

 

I have some photos I'd like to put in this reply that show the clutch and what may be the oil but they are to big (745KB) to use the add file. Any ideas on how to post them?

[Satguy]

As for posting photos, you need to host them on a server.... see this thread for more details. posting photos thread

 

 

It is very possible that your rear chankshaft seal is leaking a bit of oil. Other possible scenario could be a leaking clutch slave cylinder, since you mention that you must pull the lever all the way into the bar etc. You can remove the slave cylinder from the rear of the gearbox and see if oil is leaking from it. It will be a blue/green coloured mineral oil. If it is leaking, best to just replace it and bleed the system. If the slave cyl. is dry, then you are into removal of the rear half of the bike to get in and change seals on the trans. and engine.

 

 

[Paul Mihalka]

I did not fully get your original post. If your clutch engages/disengages with the clutch lever very close to the handlebar, it is MORE THAN LIKELY the clutch slave cylinder. Replacing the slave cylinder is not such a big deal/expense. If you keep riding it the fluid will leak along the clutch pushrod into the clutch itself, and then you need a new clutch.

[Bob D.]

Sorry for not being clear, I say you engage the clutch by releasing the clutch lever. My clutch does not engage until the lever is almost all the way out.

 

I think it is oil leaking from the rear crankshaft seal. But I would like a second opinion. The photos I have are pretty good but I don't have a server to put them on.

 

I am willing to try to replace the seal if needed but would like more info than I have on the BMW service CD.

[Satguy]

I have experience with replacing seals/clutches on R1200 bikes.... Used to work in a dealership.

 

It is a big job to split the bike in half and remove the transmission. IMHO, you need advanced DIY skills to complete the job yourself. A few special tools are very helpful too.

 

Maybe you need to have a dealer tech or good independent wrench take a look at your bike and offer an experienced opinion on it prior to tearing it apart??

 

Feel free to send me the photos at the email in my profile and I'll take a look. Bear in mind that I am not there in person to look at and touch your particular machine.

[Bob D.]

My skill should be up to the task. I work on large printers that are up to 40 feet long, run at over 250 images per minute. fold, staple, and bind and all that. they have systems in them like a "can bus" and need software and firmware upgrades.

 

But like most things I find you need to acquire a feel for what you are working on. I have replaced the ESA shocks and done valve adjustments and sync of throttle bodies but I really don't have a feel of how this bike goes together yet. Maybe after this. \

 

Thanks again for wanting to taking a look. but the email in your your profile don't work. photos are about 3 meg.

[Tim Wilson]

Make a free Photobucket account and upload them there.

[4wheeldog]

An engine oil leak would make the clutch slip, but it would not move the engagement point out from the handgrip. A leaky slave cylinder could look like an oil leak, and would definitely have an effect on the engagement point. Impossible to know from afar, but what you describe sounds more like a bad slave cylinder. Good Luck.

[Bob D.]

If it was a leaky slave cylinder would that make it harder to disengage the clutch? I think I'm just going to ride it until something fails or the clutch starts to slip. Then it has to come apart anyway and have the clutch replaced. I don't mind doing the work but I'll miss riding in the fall.

 

Funny, one of the reasons I went with BMW was their reputation for being rugged and reliability. So far fuel gage inop, need dealer service software to fix, lots of luck getting hold of that. Shocks replaced in less than 20k. Oil leaks and a clutch going south at 35k.

 

Sheeeesh, was as AMF ever this bad?

[Joel]

I think I'm just going to ride it until something fails or the clutch starts to slip.

 

Don't do that. If it is a slave cylinder as Paul suggests (and I concur, after just having mine replaced at 25k miles finding out that this isn't rare), neglecting it until you have a failure is likely to substantially increase your repair bill. Like 2x. A stitch in time, as they say ...

[KROWBAR]

Not trying to hijack the thread. Have same situation I think. Just got a used '07 R1200RT. Previous bikes used clutch cables. No experience with hydralic clutches.

 

On my bike if I pull the clutch in while in gear and in motion the clutch starts to disengage after a very small amount of lever travel. My guess is about 1/4-1/2" measuring from the end of the lever. Is this normal? Bike has 11K on it. No leaks. As far as I can tell the clutch is not slipping when the lever is all the way out. Just a little concerned about the small amount of travel to disengage.

 

Thanks in advance

[Dave_C]

Not much stop and go in this part of Maine, lot of hills though and with my wife and me on the bike it takes lots of clutch to get going from a stop on a hill. I have smelled the clutch once or twice after starting from a stop on a steep hill with her on. But that was only a few times and quit awhile ago.

 

Don't tell her you said that. Anyway, I have 50,000miles, and my original clutch is in good shape. Some riding style perhaps. I put the bike in neutral at all stoplights. I don't slip the clutch for more than a couple seconds when I start off, and I keep the rpm's as low as possible until the clutch is fully engaged(even with my wife on the back). I see a lot of riders with the clutch lever pulled in while sitting at a red light for a long time, I think that's a bad idea. I have a 2006 rt. My clutches lasted a long time on my other BMW's and cars too. I had a Honda civic with 150,000 miles on the original clutch.

Quit those smokey burnouts!

[LeftCoastMan]

I see a lot of riders with the clutch lever pulled in while sitting at a red light for a long time, I think that's a bad idea.

 

I thought that this was an urban myth, until I was listening to Car Talk on NPR last weekend. Someone asked this question (of course with regards to a car), and they also thought it was a myth until they looked into it. They found out that extended engagement of the clutch at stops can wear it out prematurely, and they recommend going into neutral. I'm starting to do it with my bike.

[Paul In Australia]

I think you will get howled down on this suggestion. Being in neutral tends to leave you a bit exposed if somebody is about to run over you from behind. The suggested method is , in gear with clutch in, at least until the cars behind you have securely stopped. The idea is you angle the bike at a stop with the clutch in in case you need to escape an imminent rear ender. Nasty at best and somewhat fatal possibly.

In practice I think most people combine both methods a bit.

regards

PCH

[Don_Eilenberger]

The reason to hold the clutch lever in, and stay in 1st gear at a light is to allow for rapid avoidance of BDC (Brain-Dead-Cagers) rear ending you. It's what the MSF recommends, besides keeping a close eye on your rear.

 

What I do depends on the situation. If I'm first one at a light (and I often am since the cars in front of me like to go through the red lights - it's a NJ tradition now..), I'll stay in gear, clutch in, until at least 2 cars come to a stop behind me. Then I'll put the bike in neutral and give my clutch hand a rest.

 

If I'm in the middle of a line of traffic - again, I'll wait until 2 cars have come to a stop behind me to go into neutral (hoping they'd be a buffer between me and the BDC texting away..)

 

If I'm the only one at a light - I stay in gear and watch to the rrear, watching to see where I can jump to if some BDC comes up without showing signs of slowing.

 

There are no hard and fast rules - but I'd rather replace a clutch eventually than be the meat on a car sandwich.