8:58 if you're stopped at the lights in gear with the clutch pulled in and the engine is running, all the plates are free. If any one friction plate is stuck to the steel this will lock the basket to the drum and the engine will stall (unless all the teeth are missing from the friction plate).
I tried your idea to clamp the clutch lever and it worked like a charm. It was jumping into gear even when the clutch lever was pulled in but after clamping it for 24 hours it worked great. This was on a 1973 Yamaha LT3 100. Thanks for the tip.
Rate this advice 100%. My 1938 matchless g80 was sitting with no oil in the primary case for a year. Clamped the clutch lever filled the primary with oil and left it over night. Within 10 kicks it broke free.
Man what a lifesaver. You talk slow in the video and take your time getting to the point. But the point is worth the wait. Had a bike that sat for 14 years. Clutch was solidly stuck. I'd read of putting ATF fluid in and getting them unstuck. Was planning on that, and assumed I'd have to disassemble the clutch. Topped up the oil, cranked the kickstart a dozen times to circulate the oil. Clamped the clutch lever. 36 hours later, it was releasing though not quite freely. Pumped the kick start a dozen more. 24 hours later, she was free as it should be. Now I can clean the carbs and get this Honda 750 Four back on the road.
Iv just got a zx7r that slips under wide open throttle, it had a new clutch kit and spring kit about 5k mile ago but its been off the road for 5 years stored nicely it runs fine and will go up and down the gearbox but slips when you put it under throttle load, sound like friction plates?
You sir, are a genius. Worked like a charm. It was a half a quart low, and sat for 2 months. It took 1 hour. 1964 Honda Dream 305 still running. Thank you!!!
You saved me a BUNCH of time and trouble boss!! I had tried everything I could think of to break the frictions and steels loose in the seized clutch on my 90 Shadow VT 1100c. Nothing worked and I had grabbed my Clymer's out in advance of opening everything up. Never occurred to me that the steady pressure applied over a period of time would do the trick. Just happened upon your video by chance and it worked like a charm (and I am running a juice clutch). Amazing! Thanks again for staying up late to shoot this. I owe you one.
This trick has just worked for me too! Left clutch lever pulled back to the grips with a couple of bicycle inner tube elastic bands wrapped round for 48 hrs, clutch was still seized when I tried to kick it over in gear with back wheel on ground. Started engine in 1st gear and ran on centre stand with wheel spinning at about 3000 engine RPM and jabbed the back brake, hey presto! The back stopped and the engine continued spinning - clutch now works perfectly. Great trick!
Watched your video after I realized I had a stuck clutch on my 1970 Honda SL 100. Put a clamp on the clutch level and left it overnight. I kicked the motor over a couple of times the next day and after the third try it broke loose and now works fine. After seven years your advise is still applicable. Many Thanks!!!!
DUDE!!!! My son broke the clutch cable on my wolf classic 150, which is basically a Honda CB 150 . Replaces the cable. The clutch wouldn’t work . Was stuck in gear. 8 months later I’m about to fork out cash to fix this and I see your Video.. we up and running!!! Soooo stoked . 100,000,000 thank you.
I definitely appreciate the advice. I'll give you some advice even though you didn't ask. You have a wonderful presentation of facts to get the clutch free, however stay within at least 3 minutes and don't make a 10-minute video out of it. Again thanks for the advice you seem like a clever guy
Thank you sir! Tried your method and my bike after sitting 8 years had a stuck clutch....only took overnight with the clutch lever clamped in, the next morning rocking it back and forth I heard a pop and knew I fixed it....put 20 miles on it today and it's working great! Thank you!
Quick way - front wheel against a wall - start engine put it in gear… drop the clutch! Plates should break free. Alternatively you can ride along in 2nd then apply rear brake whilst clutch is pulled in keep repeating until it frees up the plates
Iv just got a zx7r that's been off the road stored nicely for 5 years so nothings seized the brakes etc but the clutch is slipping under wide open throttle - in 2013 a couple years before it came off the road it had a new clutch and spring kit itl go into gear and pull away fine etc but under wide open throttle as you go up the rev range it slips - could this be a couple of stuck friction plates?
@@s1dew1nd3r4 yeah most likely bud.. either that or lack of oil between the plates from sitting is common too... You can if its not your daily bike.. tie some string/wire around the clutch so its engaged and slowly it allows oil to penetrate between the plates. Can take 1-2 days tho. Or you can try the above mate ride along at low speed say 20-30 brake hard with the rear whilst holding the clutch in repeat a few times the vibration through the clutch helps free up and stuck plates. Only other cause of slipping clutch is wore out friction plates.. and using the wrong oil like semi - fully synthetic which im sure you arent doing that anyways
Just saw this yesterday, clamped the clutch lever in on my Triumph Thunderbird, left it overnight and 'it worked' clutch operating fine now, many thanks for this information 🙂
I have not rode my bike for 4 weeks at first I tipped it over and I assume I flooded it? Whatever it was I couldn't get it to start. After letting it sit and just charging the battery and waiting two weeks for a little bit warmer weather it finally started. I WAS SO EXCITED. Finally I could ride right? NOPE the clutch was stuck but I had no idea. I was driving myself mad playing around with the carb, air filter, spark plug, and battery. The bike would start up fine but then it would lurch forward and die when put into gear even with the clutch pressed all the way in. It was such a tease the weather was so nice I couldn't enjoy it. Literally losing sleep because it is a brand new bike and I couldn't use it. I was thinking worst case scenarios as far as ways to fix it. Then I tried your trick and it worked like a charm. Not only did you showing what to do but explaining the HOW and WHY with your spare parts was also key. I left my vice grips on for maybe 30 seconds and I could literally hear the springs in the clutch releasing like one of those door stoppers. Right away I knew that was it. I didn't want to get ahead of myself so I just let it sit over night. Today after a whole fucking month I rode my bike again. I can't thank you enough. All from a simple video you helped some random stranger make their life a little better :)
Vmax hasn't ran for 5 years. Warmed engine up, changed oil, warmed up again, pulled in the clutch and put in gear - it lurched forward and died.. Several times. Clamps on clutch. 24hrs later, warmed it up and tried it again.. Works fine! Thank you! Great tip! 🙂
Thanks so much for this video. My Kawasaki 1600 Nomad sat for two years due to illness. I am ready to ride again. and couldn’t figure out what happened. I would put in gear and it lurched forward. New oil and a clamp on the clutch lever for two days. Ran it twice till warm and then tried the clutch. I ran it down my driveway and it felt like it use to and worked great. Thanks for the heads up.
If you have an electric start just try start it in gear let the bike roll as soon as you get it started clutch in stop tilt the bike over to the clutch side while running in gear clutched in. Engage and disengage clutch just enough so it creeps forward it should get unstuck.
Thanks so much for taking the trouble to post this! My 400/4 and TL125's clutches were well and truly stuck - you've saved me a lot of time, trouble and oil as this trick freed them both within a couple of days
the problem you addressing is very important, i bought an old bike and i had exactly same issue i started solving by tightening clutch wire, but still bike kicks and shuts off when put in gear with clutch, so i had to leave it for 5 min in neutral then is soften up and while riding bike gear were so hard like you are doing without pressing clutch. so then i opened the clutch box and guess what, the additives you put in oil thinking it will clean the engine ends up jamming the clutch plates, the oil sludge was all over plates and were acting like a glue, i found clutch basket had teeths aswell causing this issue you are having. so i solved this issue and still working fine.
My girlfriend’s cousin gave me a 1978 Honda XL100 that had been sitting for over 6 years. I cleaned the gas tank, lines and carburetor. One front fork was bone dry and collapsed all the way. The other still worked a bit but the tranny fluid had gone bad and think. I refurbished them because I couldn’t find affordable parts. Half the spokes were broken. So I got that fixed. Finally after all that I had a chance to take her up and down the street. I let her idle for 10 minutes and she went into first fine enough. Going to second and third was really rough and so I was too scared to put her in fourth. She hated when I kicked her down gears and in first she was so rough. I would stick my foot out to turn and she would stall. Not she is stuck in gear and can’t get her back into neutral. I will try this method. Hope it works.
Hi Daniel, wish you the best with it! I love hearing about those classic Honda being rescued. Curious about how much clutch action you feel on the lever. Sometimes the cable after sitting a while will stretch like mad in the first couple hours put back to use. You probably know already that engine off and not touching the clutch at all, rocking the bike forward and backward should allow to shift through all gears relatively smoothly. If there's considerable resistance doing that, I would continue to do in hope gears start shifting smoother. It may be a case of some buildup of crud around the shift drum and manual shifting a bunch frees up the works. Also, how does the shift lever look too? If it's slipping on the spline, that will make catching gears near impossible 🧘♂️. Just a couple little things to hopefully help 🙏 Cheers
Thank you sir. I did know that if I was overwintering my bike (Ducati 750SS) I should have put on a bungee cord on the clutch to pull it, but I didn't bother and left it sitting 10 years (Kids) and now I have this problem. Good to know there is a potentially easy fix to start with. Will pull the sparkplugs and push around in gear for a while to circulate the oil to see if this works. Thanks for the helpful video.
That’s an excellent idea! I’m dealing with that on a CR250 we just rebuilt, and are having this problem. I’ll let you know the results. Thanks for a clever, elegant idea!
I have a 72 honda cl100. Bike confused me a bit cause everything I searched to match the bike for its year was a bit off and it took a minute for me to figure out that the bike is actually a spot on depiction of a 71 cl100. Not to big of a deal unless you're looling for exterior parts like side panels like me. I'm having new ones custom made since i dont have them or my headlight. Bike as been sitting for longer than ive been alive. My dad acquired it somewhere in the late late 90s possibly 2000 maybe 2001. He gave it to me when i was about 10 and i was born in 2003. The bike was acquired from my uncle's scrap pile and its been sitting for at least 20 years. I tinkered with it here and there but couldn't afford parts in middle school. I managed to get a set of honda oem points with a condensor and replaced them which made the bike run. I replaced the rear tire in freshman year of highschool and then deflated the tire and parked in the shed. I later got my hands on a fuel tank off a bike that was the same year but its was a cb125. Still fits the frame perfectly but its not original to that bike however I like the emblems better since they have the Honda wing on them and they're actual pot metal. Not plastic or stickers or some dumb shit. I ended up finding the original tank and ordered the mounts for it, i bought front fork seals to rebuild the forks. I got lucky and found a bias ply tire for it which is odd cause bias ply isn't widely available and neither are 2.50x18 size tires in general. I ordered a tube but the company sent the wrong one. I was very impatient and found a 3.50×18 and just sent her anyways. Now i just need to fix my clutch since its frozen from sitting so long. She's almost ready. I'm trying to get her going cause im tired of seeing it sit, and my buddy just got his 110 three wheeler goin and we're planning on taking the bikes on some trails around our area and up on the Indian reservation where he's from. Maybe later this afternoon ill have her moving
Just tried this on my 87 can am ase 500 that’s been sitting for years couple good kicks with but in gear and let it sit for half a day and it worked!!!!!!
+Brotherd Mike thanks for the positive feedback. One of my earlier bikes, many years ago, was a TS... It was a 1978 or 79 and 125cc if I recall correctly. No powerband but still stayed beside my buddy on his XR 100. Heck, many times he couldn't keep up which would irritate him because his bike was brand new. I still love the old air cooled two stroke and presently ride a 1983 Suzuki PE 175 for enduro events. Hope your clutch unsticks😀. Cheers
Anthony Holdway, in the end, I couldn't unstick my clutch with the trick in this video. But it was a painless job to drain the gearbox oil, remove the clutch cover/casing and separate the plates manually. My friction plates had dried out and fused to the steel plates.
Brotherd Mike luckily they aren't to expensive to replace. I dumped my oil and checked the plates the oil was really old n dirty. I can separate each plate it just feels like theres wet glue in between them so hopefully a oil change and a short run will clean it up
Thanks for the great tip. 66 Triumph Bonneville clutch plates were stuck together tight. Talked to a few very experienced motorcycle mechanics and they all said I`d have to pull the primary cover, a lot of work. Your video solved my problem in 3 days.
Thanks for putting this information out there! Im gonna try this on my cagiva mito since always when i put it into gear it likes to stall out even with the clutch lever pulled.
Just bought an old bike motor was seized. Used on blaster to free it .clutch is frozen but I cant pull the lever so I'm guessing this technique wont work in my situation. Thanks for sharing this
Thank you for the vid. Fixed my exact problem on my 81 kz1000. I was about to crack into the clutch but the vice on the clutch lever fixed in in a matter of 15min. 👍
Few cable ties on the clutch lever 24hrs, then rode it for about 20mins with ties still attached, bingo, clutch let go, cut the cable ties off, (make sure to carry a blade on the ride to cut the ties mid ride) ride home.normally, all fixed, put the ties back on for a while get some lube in-between them haha, not a single bolt turned for this fix, boom.
7 1\2 mins before... "Hey, just hold the handle down a while and add oil..." I swear this guy is from a sienfeld episode. "Jerry! Yeah, I couldn't keep going out with them... ... They were a slow talker! A slow talker, Jerry!"
I think im on the other side of the problem i thinke my clutch is slipping. Took it apart and cleaned it with w d 40. Got a little bit better. But someone told me to scrape the pads on a cement floor sort sanding it to get the glaze off. Heard of that?
Hi harrygrimley, I've roughed up dirt bike brake shoes to increase performance. Usually do it on my vintage bikes just before race day, use an 80 or 100 grit sandpaper. Clutch is bathed in oil though so any that I get in my shop with slipping trouble, first thing I suspect is springs. A service manual should give you specs on spring length. Tensile strength of each spring is hard to measure. Manual also for friction and steel plate thickness. If plates are worn bad usually that shows up in the cable - cable will seem stretched... and even if you put new one it would be adjusted oddly out more than it should as the clutch pack is not filling intended space. I'm certainly no clutch expert, never tried roughing friction plates either. My thoughts on that... probably would help for a short period. High gloss on friction plates I would think means they slipped a good bit and the intense friction caused overheating, baked them to a gloss. If anything, I'd lay a sheet of 1000... maybe 800 grit on a pane of glass and give plates a quick scuff. My focus is still on the springs though. Also, some makes, models specify only conventional oil, mineral oil, transmission fluid, etc. More to the point, if the transmission fluid spec doesn't call for synthetic oil, putting that in definitely can give you slip. Best regards 🧘♂️
Well, tried the clamp trick on a 2000 Vulcan 800. Couldn't get it to roll with clutch lever pulled. Let it sit overnight. Next day, its working like it should. Thanks
same problem on yz125 2011 twice, doing all this this time, cba to change it again, clutch is like new, bike is bullshi7ing me, should work, i thought about booting it round with the clutch in and heating it up, came looking for this basically, thanks man, if it works i will be back,
I just bought a 1981 yamaha seca 550 for 65 bucks. I cleaned the carbs and it fired up and runs great.. It had been sitting for 3 or more years. So the clutch is stuck and i really just want to ride it lol
common knowledge to some sometimes is new knowledge to some xD thank you for that. now i finally know why the clutch in my honda does not work anymore.
Good idea ive got a new gn and after a couple of days rest when it starts and goes into first it kicks as the clutch plates separate so ive tied the clutch lever back, to see what happens
My actuator arm doesn't engage anything so clamping it would be pointless. Any guesses why? It worked fine u til the cable broke amd we replaced it. Not The bike won't roll in gear with the actuator arm all the way forward (the way its supposed to bE to shift).
Thank you so much for watching and your comment. I would actually recommend if you can to wait a day or two before you plan to use your scorpa and do the lever then. I've discovered that long term takes the tensile strength from the springs and clutch starts slipping 😑. Cheers
Thanks mate.. I have been struggling with my bike clutch and gears and due to lockdown i was not able to find any mechanic support. I too got my gears stick together i think cz i dint used it during the lockdown period. Hope your idea would work fir me. Thanks
Would a chain locking up the rear wheel cause a certain gear to stick? My chain failed and locked up the rear wheel and I tried to restart but it’d die (thought it hydrolocked from gas spilling into the air box a few days earlier) well after finding out the chains the issue I replaced that and proceeded to test drive only able to get it to 2nd gear 3rd refused to move and then gas was spilling into the engine causing oil and gas to leak from the air box. I tore it down and nothing looks bad no metal shavings or anything but bikes still refuses to go past 2nd
Hi will riseabove, what year, make and model bike have you got? Really sounds like possible bent shift fork...doesn't take much of a bend to jam up the works. I've had the same thing- chain fail rear wheel lock up- happen to me many years ago. I was on a Yamaha 400 maxim. Nearly killed me, never hurt the bike a bit lol. A compilation of troubles are hard to juggle and sort right. Hope you can get fuel under control🙏. Without actually inspecting all transmission bits, my bet is shift forks and/or the shaft they travel on. Take a very close look at the grooves in the shift drum for any sign of damage. Best regards.
My 2009 Honda Rebel 250 had only been sitting for about two weeks when the clutch stuck. I rocked it back and forth while in gear and the clutch released. A week later, it was stuck again. I’m trying your method now and will check it in one and two days. If it doesn’t release, would a complete oil change with Honda brand oil be worth trying? I’ve been riding since 1967 and have never had a clutch stick although most of my bikes are started and ridden every two weeks. I’ll let you know.
Hi Jeffrey, wonderful fun bike the 250 Rebel! Yes, plates stuck as often as your experiencing, for the minimal extra cost I'd just switch out to Honda brand oil -H4 I think they call it- as a process of elimination. If you can, run the engine up to operating temperature before drain and have a close look at that oil. Hoping it's not milky but if so you got water/condensation and possibly the exposed steel plates developed some rust. Fresh Honda oil and a ride probably will sort it 🙏
Long story short, because he doesn’t make it short… put a clamp on the clutch lever and handle bar so the clutch is engaged. Let that sit for a few days.
I just got a zx7r that's been laid up for 5 years but moved about periodically and ran upto temp but not really been ridden anywhere. It had a new clutch kit and spring kit in 2013 so in like the last 5k miles but was then off the road from 2016 - now the bike fires up and runs fine and I can ride it and go up and down the gearbox but when you put it under wide open throttle the clutch is slipping as it goes up the rev range, would that be sticking friction plates? As the clutch itself is still actually fairly new.
Hi, that actually sounds like the engine is overpowering the clutch and the clutch is slipping periodically. Same thing happens on my 1400 intruder and I just ease off throttle a moment and she hooks up again. I believe springs should be replaced, or upgraded to get that plate pressure back👍
I got my 1970 Kawasaki 90cc Busmaster (G3TR) to run after a subtantial carb cleaning only to find out the clutch is stuck. Clutch lever is clamped open. I hope I see success so I can report back.
Really nothing to lose but a day or two time. Give it a try, I'd be interested to know if she breaks free. It's work dozens of times for me, just relaxes those plates and lets the oil back in 🙏. Best of luck!
What if the bike has a hydraulic system to operate the clutch? Is it still safe to keep the lever pressed in over an extended period of time, or could that cause issues?
No difference in the theory behind the attempt to free up the plates. Only change is now you are relying on hydraulic to maintain pressure, so if a few days or a week pass and you still have pressure when you release the handle (feels same as day one), that's a tight system. You may develop a dead spot that goes away with a few full pumps of the lever, or it could turn completely flat and have to bleed line to get it back. Either way, any loss in pressure (clutch action) indicates a leak... more loss= bigger leak.
Sorry for such a delay in responding, life got crazy. Did you get your trouble sorted out Clive? It does sound like the clutch isn't letting go. Another possibility is kickstand safety switch but that can be ruled out if they bike will actually move under its own power, then when brought to a stop in gear immediately stalls -that kind of behaviour points directly to clutch.
@@shopyoga yes thanks it was the clutch plates that had gummed together into a solid mass due the gasket inside the clutch case letting coolant mix with the oil and turning it into a gooey mess .all sorted now .im hopefuly going to cut the restrictor out the exhaust this week .its a weird affair where its restricted deep inside the exhaust itself .ive no idea what ill find when i Dremel it open
2005 Kawa Nomad 1600 had it new since then with 17,000 miles Can’t roll bike when in gear with clutch lever pulled in. Try to start in first clutch pulled in and bike jumps forward two feet. If I start bike in neutral warm up then try to drop it in first it lunges forward 2-3 feet dies. Then it’s ok Bike rides well and no clutch slipping at all. Once the first break it’s good to ride all day but park it fir a few hrs and it locks up again. I have chg all Dot 4 a few times. Used the right oil no additives. I can’t tell what’s wrong and nobody else can either. I try rocking it back and forward in gear with clutch pulled in and it takes 10-15 hard pulls/pushes to break it free then everything is fine?? HELP!!!
The clutch basket has 'fingers' that hold one set of plates... typically the friction plates, and if they become worn or grooved even a little, that can cause those symptoms. That's rare though in that model, happens quite often to two stroke dirt bikes. A change in oil brand, type, viscosity can cause that too. More likely though, is that this has just become the nature of that bike with that mileage. I run a 1988 1400 Suzuki Intruder and have similar scenario. First start, cold start, if I want to leave right away I have to keep choke partly on and aim careful and expect to stall at first stop, hydraulic clutch will not disengage rear wheel until the engine warms at least a little and she's cold-hearted. If I let it sit 4-5 minutes while I put helmet and gloves, clutch is free (maybe the slightest pull at wheel) but no stall no issue. Otherwise, five to seven minutes into the ride sorts it too. Also, cold bike clutch in in gear would take three men to rock clutch free. I have new line, master and slave cylinders, but have yet to open basket.. likely never will until she starts slipping. These massive torque engines require stiff clutch springs, and to pull and lock the lever even overnight may guarantee it will move clutch in in gear, but also guarantee clutch will start slipping soon because spring tensile is gone. Hope this helps.
Mine does stay okay all day after that initial warm up. A slight change of habit may help. After you are parked for a few hours and suspect clutch will be sticking, warm up just a little longer and hold clutch in for five or ten seconds before shift to gear🤔 Sorry about that oil comment as I reread and see proper oil, no additives.
Clutch plates do not turn independent of each other all of the clutch plates turn together as a group and all of the metal plates turn together as a group
+Larry Hawkes I never meant to leave the impression that they do. I'll have to watch through that video again. I meant to articulate the metal plates should all be able to move 'independent' of the friction plates. I was trying to stress the idea that the entire clutch pack is quite likely stuck and it can take time and patience for them to let go each other with this method.
You took something that could have been a 2-minute video and made it into a 10-minute video. It took you 6 minutes to get to your clamp idea. I will try it. Nice video but speed it up next time...
I have a weird problem. I have recently changed the clutch plates myself and after that i have ride my motorcycle at high speed, then i was not able to pull the clutch completely if i reduce the speed then the clutch becomes normal. If i ride it less than 60 or 65 kmph no problem at all. What might be the issue?
Hi @subramanip8434, I agree that is a weird problem! Actually never experienced that or knew anyone who had. I love a challenge though. Sadly I don't have a solid answer but my thoughts are that the basket may not be seated fully in place. Although, usually if not the casing will give trouble going on flush. I have seen clutches put together 'not quite right' cause wonky issues such as too much cable slack can't even disengage transmission, lever won't operate the clutch at all, or that the clutch was engaged full time - meaning switching into any gear the bike would not move at all. That said, I'd give it a thorough inspection looking for any oddity. Scuffing on the inner casing? With the case off, operate clutch, look at the movement going on. Looking for anything loose, bent, shiny, shavings, etc. Find nothing, proceed to take apart. A thorough inspection I'm sure will sort it. If you can, determine as you ride is this in fact being caused by centrifugal forces. Also is it original parts by the manufacturer or aftermarket? Normally no issues with OEM parts but occasionally aftermarket may have a blemish in fit or thickness. Also, if you still have your old plates, count them...and check on Ronnie's parts fisch online to compare numbers. One extra old steel plate left in there can cause very odd clutch action. If you go through it again and have no joy, get back to me with more info, year make, model and anything else you can add and I'll continue to help troubleshoot. Cheers, happy new year and best wishes with it.
@@shopyoga Thanks a lot for your swift reply. The carbon plates are from OEM, but the metal plates , basket, and pressure plate are from an aftermarket manufacturer. I also suspect this might be the issue but not 100% sure as the clutch is working completely normal till around 60 to 65 kmph. May be in the coming weekend i shall disassemble and will inspect. Btw , is there any specific order(1 to 4) in fitting the clutch plates and metal plates or any condition on which side should be facing inside and which should be facing outside?
@@subramanip8434 some have a different inner and outer friction plate and all the center frictions are same. Usually noticable with a paint mark on them, possibly even scribed. The position flipped either side in or out should never matter with all friction plates. Steels shouldn't matter which side face in or out... but if there's a smooth almost rounded off edge to those steel plates, try putting all steels round edge face in. According to any MX threads I've read, that is the recommended application.
