Clutch problem

[chicken]

My clutch seems to have a bit of a 'notch' in it. Occasionally when I pull it in it feels like it catches on something and kind of clicks. Does this have anything to do with the slipper clutch and has anyone else noticed it?

[Thundercleez]

Ive noticed that on all the ones Ive sat on...

-Frank

[CanyonCarver]

Originally Posted by chicken

My clutch seems to have a bit of a 'notch' in it. Occasionally when I pull it in it feels like it catches on something and kind of clicks. Does this have anything to do with the slipper clutch and has anyone else noticed it?

Yes, it's the slipper clutch. It's more noticeable when downshifting at higher rpm without matching revs. When I first noticed it, I experimented with different methods of downshifting until I could make it repeat. It put my mind at ease, as I first thought "Oh no! It's the dreaded bad transmission that all the mags were talking about on the pre-production bikes." Thankfully, it was a feature, not a flaw.

[Ninja]

When the slipper clutch is working it widens the clutch pack and this can give the clutch extra free play at the lever. It is all perfectly normal.

[Johnnyboy]

I have yet to see any of the things you guys are experiencing, in fact this is one nice gear box. Up shifts are smooth as glass, just need to know how to modulate the throttle, I don't use the clutch for upshifts. I do use it for backshifting though and no problems there either. I did take the slop out of the throttle cable whenI got my bike, adjusted all the controls first thing off. I can't ride a bike strait from the box, I don't know who the things are set up for, but it is un-comfortable the way the clutch lever and front brake control are parallel to the roadway. And you darn near have to lift you foot off the left perch to upshift. No none of this for me, pull her over and get the adjustments out of the way.

JB

[Gary J]

Originally Posted by Johnnyboy

I have yet to see any of the things you guys are experiencing, in fact this is one nice gear box. Up shifts are smooth as glass, just need to know how to modulate the throttle, I don't use the clutch for upshifts. I do use it for backshifting though and no problems there either. I did take the slop out of the throttle cable whenI got my bike, adjusted all the controls first thing off. I can't ride a bike strait from the box, I don't know who the things are set up for, but it is un-comfortable the way the clutch lever and front brake control are parallel to the roadway. And you darn near have to lift you foot off the left perch to upshift. No none of this for me, pull her over and get the adjustments out of the way.

I'm 100% with you on those immediate (before the 1st ride) changes to the controls on a new bike, JB! When I got my new ZX-10R a few weeks ago, I didn't even ride the bike away from the dealership when I bought it, instead electing to drive down in my truck, pick up the bike, and cart it home to be worked on in the garage for an entire evening. A big part of that pre-ride work was to optimize every single aspect of the bike (suspension settings for "rider sag" for my weight, damping, etc.), and also included the all-important setup of all the rider control adjustments and positioning, as you'd mentioned.

It's a bit amazing sometimes to see the way that the controls come setup (or lack thereof, really) from the factory, when the bikes show up on the showroom floors. As you mentioned JB, the "need to fix" list included the following:

1. Throttle freeplay WAY too much

- (I usually adjust it this to as close to zero as possible, but to the point that no RPM increase is seen when the steering in swung from lock-to-lock over the full range, tested while idling in the garage).

2. Clutch and front brake levers positioned on the bars such that their angle was too close to horizontal (forcing an un-natural "elbows down" riding position on the rider).

- (I loosen the pinch bolts on the clutch/brake assys, then sit on the bike in a normal riding position, outstretch my brake and clutch controlling fingers into a natural position, and then rotate the levers on the bar until they match the exact same plane as my forearm/hand/outstreched fingers)

3. The shift lever positioned way too HIGH. As JB mentioned, unless I was wearing really thick-soled hiking boots (or such), I would nearly have to lift my foot up off the peg to get high enough to make full range of travel in the upshift direction.

4. Clutch freeplay was a bit excessive, at least by my normal bike setup standards. I normally like about 2-3mm of freeplay, as measured between the clutch perch, and the surface of the lever at the location where the cable enters it.

Getting all those settings right to my personalized needs, followed by some time spent taking out spring preload on the shock and forks (for my 170lb. weight) to get the "rider sag" correct, and optimizing the damping settings, were all part of the setup process that I did before my ZX-10R wheels made their first revolution with me aboard. The time spent with my new bike in this setup/"bonding" session, was definitely good time .... and time well spent in allowing me to get the full potential from the package.

Gary J

[zrxhooligan]

I found a lot of these things needing to be “fixed” as well. I also noticed something the other night that I found on my ZRX at delivery. The coolant level in the reservoir tank was WAY low. I believe that this is from the air working it way out of the system but never the less it’s low and something I would look for after your first few rides.

Kyle

P.S. any hint on suspension setups for fat asses like my self? :)

[10r_Geezer]

Originally Posted by zrxhooligan

I found a lot of these things needing to be “fixed” as well. I also noticed something the other night that I found on my ZRX at delivery. The coolant level in the reservoir tank was WAY low. I believe that this is from the air working it way out of the system but never the less it’s low and something I would look for after your first few rides.

:roll: :roll:
I had the same problem with the coolant in my 10r, and my dealer had to add a few more litres within 100 miles of riding :shock: ....he said it was an air pocket :o .....700 miles later and its fine now BTW

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Gary J

Getting all those settings right to my personalized needs, followed by some time spent taking out spring preload on the shock and forks (for my 170lb. weight) to get the "rider sag" correct, and optimizing the damping settings, were all part of the setup process that I did before my ZX-10R wheels made their first revolution with me aboard. The time spent with my new bike in this setup/"bonding" session, was definitely good time .... and time well spent in allowing me to get the full potential from the package.

Gary J

Gary
Seeing as how the 10 has top out springs both front & rear is the sag settings any diff than other bikes?? meaning could referance #'s like 32-35mmF & 30-32mmR be OK for laden sag #'s ??

BD

[Gary J]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Seeing as how the 10 has top out springs both front & rear is the sag settings any diff than other bikes?? meaning could referance #'s like 32-35mmF & 30-32mmR be OK for laden sag #'s ??

OK, Big Daddy, let me share what I can, on my personal approach (FWIW) to the basic suspension setup on sportbikes, and the ZX-10R in particular. These are only my views, and what I've found to work for my street/track riding, and not intended in any way to be "the gospel". There's many perspectives on suspension setup around, and each person should, by all means, do what works best for them.

Regarding the "rider sag" numbers you mentioned in your post, actually they're not quite a match to the numbers that I typically setup most sportbikes. I typically shoot for about 30-33% of "total travel" for that bike, as the target measured "rider sag" in the front forks, and about 25-30% of total travel for the resultant "rider sag" dimension in the rear suspension.

That normally translates into target "rider sag" dimensions somewhere around the numbers listed below. For a starting point, this is what I've setup on my ZX-10R, and found to work exceedingly well when I had it out at speed on Laguna Seca's race circuit, last week.

----------------------------------------------

'04 ZX-10R: "Rider Sag"

(measured with rider in full gear, seated on bike, as compared to fully "topped out" dimension .... measured when suspension is forcibly pulled up on ...... to include top-out spring compression travel dimension)

- Front Forks: 36-38mm
- Rear Suspension: 26-30mm

------------------------------------------------

You'll notice that I mentioned the need for actually "pulling up on" the suspension on the ZX-10R, to get an accurate full extension measurement (rather than just lifting the bike to get the appropriate wheel off the ground, as is all that's needed on non "top-out spring" equipped suspension bikes. This is important, for if this is not done, the real "rider sag" dimension will be underestimated by at least a couple millimeters.

I've got some chassis setup changes that I'm working on doing to my stock suspended ZX-10R too at this point, but will need to wait until I get back to the track next Monday (April 19th), to evaluate whether they're going in the right direction (for calming down the hard-on-the-gas "nervousness") .... before I publicize them to anyone else. I only want to share changes that have already proven to provide real world positive results, to keep from leading any other ZX-10R owners in the wrong direction.

Gary J