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Clutch issue

37K views 83 replies 30 participants last post by  arthury 
#1 ·
here's some background info.

have had my 14 N1K for about 5 months, have about 2300 miles on it not.

lately, when i leave for work and go to down shift when coming up to a stop the clutch will not disengage. this happens in 3, 2 and 1 gear.

i have done all of the following
-checked/changed the oil
-checked the clutch fluid
-adjusted the clutch hand lever

just dropped it off at a authorized Kawasaki repair shop hoping that its something small.

was wondering if anyone else has had a issue like this.
 
#8 ·
Do you mean that they didn't acknowledge the issue you described, or they were unable to find a cause for the issue you described?

I have gotten use to blipping the throttle that seems to free the clutch. It happens in the higher gears on my bike. It has happened since day 1. It is not the clutch cable if it was it would do it all the time. It feels like the clutch plates are sticking together. An old Triumph, BSA thing years ago. We will see what my dealer says when I take it to him. I have tried different oils.
In the FJR community we have "sticking clutch plates" too. The solution is to pull the clutch pack, separate the plates and soak them in fresh oil overnight.
 
#5 · (Edited)
here's some background info.

... go to down shift when coming up to a stop the clutch will not disengage. this happens in 3, 2 and 1 gear...
So what do you do? You force it to the lower gear with the drive engaged or does it eventually disengage? The clutch not disengaging is very strange since it is all mechanical. I don't believe they changed to a hydraulic clutch in 14 did they? I could see the clutch not engaging as a more probable issue with the cable or mechanism sticking.

I would lubricate the cable.
 
#6 ·
I have gotten use to blipping the throttle that seems to free the clutch. It happens in the higher gears on my bike. It has happened since day 1. It is not the clutch cable if it was it would do it all the time. It feels like the clutch plates are sticking together. An old Triumph, BSA thing years ago. We will see what my dealer says when I take it to him. I have tried different oils.
 
#9 ·
heres the best way to describe the issue.

leaving the house to go to work is it only 30km.
therefore ill get into 2nd gear ans coast along.

once i get to the stop sign about .5 miles away i will release the throttle then pull the clutch in.
as i do this the clutch will stay engaged for about 2-3 seconds as the lever is pulled in.

hope this explains it a lil bit better
 
#10 ·
I just got back from a great ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 2 days up on the parkway and 1 day home on I 81 about a 1000 miles total and 7000 on the bike and all my clutch dragging problems seem to be gone. I hope. My symptoms were the same as solgrernys.
 
#11 · (Edited)
It's a shame your dealer is trying to screw you.
This is a known issue, my bike did the same thing, after doing research online, I found out that this is common as far back as 2012 models.
Read about it here:
Transmission Rattle noise at start up -FIX - Kawasaki Z1000 Forum: Kawasaki Z1000 Motorcycle Forums

My service department was pro-active, and actually tried to troubleshoot the problem, instead of blowing me off. I didn't have any rattle sounds, just the hard shifting, and unable to find neutral.
When they couldn't find the problem, they contacted Kawasaki, which pointed them to the clutch. They found the plates to be dry due to lack of oil.
KAWASAKI recommended they do the above mod, and replace all clutch plates. Surprise... All under warranty!
My bike, 2014 Ninja1000 abs, with 4800 miles shifts like butter again.

Maybe take it to a different shop that is actually willing to troubleshoot your bikes problems...
Good luck!

Bart
 
#12 ·
clutch sticking

I have 3800 miles on the motor now. The bike was broken in similar to what kawasaki recommends..perhaps a little accelerated. I use 10-40 kawa oil, its been changed twice. The description of my clutch performance is..when the bike is first started and warmed up to leave (non-fridge temps conditions) the clutch seems to stick when trying to downshift from 3rd into 2nd or 1st for the first several stops....as the motor comes up to full operating temp the stickness seems to go away and all shifts seem smother. I was wondering if a blended oil or syntheic might help the possible issue of the plates not getting enough lubrication? The clutch lever seems ok reference tension and.

Because I'm a little parinoid after reading this forum; when I give the bike to the dealer for the 3800 mile service I am going to describe the above circumstance and see what they think.
 
#13 ·
My 2014 is at the dealer now for the same issue. There is some mods the factory recomends to increase oil flow to the clutch. My dealer did these moods along with soaking all the clutch plates in oil. This did not work. So it's back to have new clutch plates installed. They know there is a problem because of the bulletins increasing oil flow. Almost seems that they weren't put together right at the factory. I will let you know what happens when I get it back next week.
 
#14 ·
clutch issue

The bike has been back from the dealer for a while now and it seems to be good.
I saw the bulletins from Kawasaki to the dealer on what to do to increase oil flow to the clutch plates.Grinding a flat spot on the clutch rod and drilling holes in the clutch basket along with new clutch plates. I don't know if the plates are different than the oe stuff. Kawasaki knows there is a problem because of the bullitens. Daniel i hope this helps you out.
 
#16 ·
So I've got my bike all apart anyway figured I would try the clutch hub mod by drilling holes in it. While I previously stated it was better with the Synthetic in it, I don't love the idea of running synthetic on a bike that isn't fully broken in. Upon disassembling of the clutch, I found that the first few plates seemed to have sufficient oil on them, but after 3 or 4, they were bone dry even with the synthetic, it was clearly just masking the real problem better. I haven't had a chance to ride it yet, and probably won't for a week or so, but I would characterize what I saw as a design flaw.
 
#17 ·
My bike has done this now twice when coming to a stop and I've noticed my shifts have gotten harder. Looks like I'll be needing to do this mod, or is it worth a trip to the dealer?
 
#19 ·
If the bike is under warranty, the best thing you can do is take it to the dealer, and let them do the mod. Then all the liability is on them if anything goes wrong.
My bike still shifts like butter after having the mod done at my dealership around 4000 miles ago
 
#21 ·
I can assure you that it's not the cable. This is no doubt the clutch itself. Worked good for 80 ok today, but I did notice the clutch is grabby pulling out. A trip to the dealer is in order.
 
#22 ·
Went to the dealer, they ran the vin, and there was no service bulletins listed for my bike? I wasn't planning to leave the bike, just ask about issue to see what they knew. Service guy said he's heard of issues like this before, but they haven't had any bikes in for it. Does anyone know the # or have the service bulliten for the 2014? The hard shifting is getting annoying.
 
#23 ·
#25 ·
The stock clutch runs super dry. Its not supposed to. When I switched mine out for the 2014 Versys 1000 slipper clutch, I was surprised at how dry the plates were.

The new clutch has oil holes drilled in it, and is kashima coated. The cost is around 400.00, but its the best fix for this issue.

Heres a thread, on a different forum, that will guide you through everything needed to do the swap.

http://www.riderforums.com/4th-gen-...5-versys-1000lt-slipper-clutch-would-fit.html

Not mandatory, but nice. You can for sure fix the stock clutch by drilling some holes.
 
#27 ·
Its sure no big deal to fix.

You'd be surprised how un-complicated our clutch is. I believe anyone who could remove a back wheel, and put it together could handle this job.

Master this one and you'll have them all. All mootorcycle clutches are made by a japanese company called fcc and the designs are all VERY similar, if not identical.

My ninja 1000 i sat @ 6000 miles and has been ridden hard. The stock clutch had burned oil spots on the plates and was almost dry.

I had reason to open the new clutch after 50 miles. Plenty of oil on the plates.
 
#28 ·
Neighbor said to lube the brake and clutch cables but I also read that some shouldnt be lubed at all...is this the case the the N1K, mine is a 2012?
 
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