Motosource rescues a Duc

[Vegasrider]

Once again, Motosource goes over and above when it comes to customer service.  Bike is inop, no clutch so Rich swung by and picked it up.  I guess I entered too many slow ride competitions.

[GreenMachine]

Oh yeah.  That'll do it.   

Great of Moto Source to do that for you.  Be sure to make it worth their while.  Wanna keep people like that in business.

Back to the reliable FZ for the time being.

[RichVee4]

That is a big help they were able to pick up your bike.  Think the clutch failure was due to wear?  Did you have any indication it was going out?

[Vegasrider]

That is a big help they were able to pick up your bike.  Think the clutch failure was due to wear?  Did you have any indication it was going out?

Yes, gradually it became very difficult to shift at idle or low rpms.  It's like trying to shift through a box of rocks.  Then the engagement zone gradually became closer to the grips to a point that I was stalling the bike if I didn't really concentrate utilizing the clutch.  The color of the fluid became darker, but that could have been from the rubber diaphragm shifting.  I opened the reservoir and it was empty.  So where did all of the fluid go? I couldn't find any noticeable leaks.

According to the Ducati forum, dark coloring of the clutch fluid is not uncommon and can't be explained.  The oem slave cylinder has been mentioned that it's not of great quality and aftermarket ones are much superior. 

For starters, flushing, purging and bleeding the new fluid is in order and see if that solves the problem.  Don't mind riding the FZ, but that bike is going to need a lot of work too.  Leaking fork fluids, plugged rear tire, bald front tire, etc.

[Vegasrider]

Bike is back.  No replacement of parts required.  Engagement zone is where it should be and the bike shifts a lot smoother, I can now find neutral!

This is what it looks like now.


This is what it looked like before, after 9000 miles.


Now my FZ has been left at the shop, going to get estimates for some needed repairs.

[GreenMachine]

I saw that van driving in from Sacramento on Monday evening. 

That fluid looks yucky.  What does the Ducati service manual say about oil replacement interval?

[RichVee4]

The fluid is very dark but level is still good.  You would think it would still function for a clutch system where there is no heat build up in the fluid like brakes.   Looks to me like there is some reaction of the fluid with the plastic/rubber components causing the color change.  Wonder what a dot 5, silicone based, fluid would do.  Guess you will have change the fluid more frequently.