While riding this past weekend I thought i felt something strange under acceleration from a stop. felt like it took a second for the clutch to let go completely. Thought it might be wheel spin since I was riding in the dirt. Then on the way home on the tarmac i was in 3rd gear and punched it and again it felt like the RPM's ran up but the speed did not increase quickly like it should. I have never had clutch issues on any other bike so forgive my lack of knowledge. What am I headed for? thanks for your input.
It does sound like the clutch is slipping. If it is adjustable, losening the cable may fix the problem. I'm guessing yours has a hydraulic clutch, though, which I am not that familiar with. It could be that the plunger is sticking in the clutch master cyclinder or slave cyclinder, or it may need a new clutch. If you've ever thought about adding a slipper clutch or Rekluse clutch, this could be a good time to do it.
The clutch plates/springs are pretty easy to do.. you can swap them in ~20 mins if you know what you are doing (check the HOW if you aren''t familiar - www.ktm950.info ). Mine had been fine for 25,000 miles .. and then one day I decided to ride the bike over Pearl Pass I ordered my plate/spring kit from CJdesigns and it was at my door two days later p.s. make sure you properly torque/spec the clutch plate spring bolts so you don't pull a "Qwik"
Now that is a clean arse work bench... No beer caps , grease, dirt, extra bolts which weren't needed Bravo
Yeah, I used a Barnett, and all was fine until my oil jet decided to plug up. All things considered, it couldn't have happened at a better time as I was in the woods behind CJ's house at his big bike weekend extravaganza. The Barnett comes with a stringer spring, so be prepared for a bit of a stiffer clutch than the stock - which I run now. It's a perfect time, however, to take a look at the Rekluse. If you've ever thought of it the money you'll spend on new clutch disks will go a long way in that direction. Given the chance, I'd redo my choice for the KTM clutch and get the Rekluse. Of course, you can also get one of those from CJ.
I believe I have experienced the same with the OP. The clutch kind of slips and then engages completely. Comes and goes I believe. Nothing to worry about. I don't remember being the sign of failed clutch. Cheers.
Out of curiosity: How many miles on your bike now? And when was the last time service included cleaning the clutch oil jet?
Not only that, the granite portion is reserved for more important parts like triple clamps......etc.............
I am going to get into the bike this weekend. I will check the cable and the oil jet. The bike has just under 12k on the clock. Thanks for the ideas.
The only cables are the throttle cables. Your clutch is hydraulic. They are pulling your leg. Cheers.
Today found a friend's clutch had the central nut loose. Could be the reason for wierd behaviour. Guess it needs 32mm or 34mm socket.
I believe that this whole oil jet misery (the one on the other side of the bike at the CS) is a bit overrated on this forum.. IMO restriction in this jet (even if it's fully cloged) is not likely to destroy the clutch, unless you're sliping the clutch at the rpm limiter on desert like sand or on heavy uphill rides all day... (which would probably kill the clutch anyway:)) It's not the main, neither is the only oil feed source for the clutch, and as you may all know, it wasn't present on early production bikes - so not Meoni's bike is what I'm talking about (and these bikes ran lots of problem free miles as well) just my $0.02..
I just put a Outlaw clutch kit in my 2006 950 adv. 300 miles so far so good. It was like $100. Purely experimental. But worth a shot.
My clutch was dragging annoyingly from the first week. It may have been because the first weekend I tried its off road abilities and ended up stuck in the mud and tried to spin my way out. I finally got the clutch assy replaced under warranty on the last day of its 3 year warranty. So I believe oil rduction jet is there for a reason. Cheers.
