Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

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egagnon086
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Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by egagnon086 »

I'm noticing a Clutch smell after riding ~100 miles, These are not hard miles just 60mph Hwy. I'm not sure if this is normal for a boxer as this is my first. The bike pulls normally and doesn't make any strange noise, and shifts like it should, Kinda clunky but I guess that's normal. I have the following concerns:

Is this normal, This is only after the bike is warmed up and ridden ~100 miles, and it just smells like the clutch when at a stop light or parked.
Does age cause premature clutch failure or only riding wear, I'm sure this is the original clutch from 95?
What can I check or adjust to verify? Maybe the clutch lever adjustment?

Thanks for any help/info.

Bike info:
95 R1100R
9500 miles

Eric
BMW R1100R 1995
Low miles <10,000

No mods....yet
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peels
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by peels »

smells like clutch? try and elaborate. :D

burnt metal? or oil?

if its oily smell, check your slave cylinder for leaks. And your clutch reservoir and see if its low or milky looking. . you could be leaking fluid out the slave. Or gear oil from the trans. look up around the back of the transmission for oilyness. It drips on the catalytic converter and cooks and stinks.

Only 9500 miles on a 20 year old bike? Did you just get it?

Iv'e learned the hard way that a sitting bike is not necessarily a good bike. Id flush everything. clutch and brake fluid. drive and gear oil. etcetcetcetc
2002 R1150R. Helmets save more lives than loud pipes.
egagnon086
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by egagnon086 »

It doesn't have a slave clutch, its all cable on my 95.

And by clutch smell, I mean it smells like when you slip the clutch.

All oils are fresh, major dealer service back in march from the original owner. A 60 year old woman, didn't get to ride much. Bike is in pretty amazing shape.
BMW R1100R 1995
Low miles <10,000

No mods....yet
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peels
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by peels »

egagnon086 wrote:It doesn't have a slave clutch, its all cable on my 95.

And by clutch smell, I mean it smells like when you slip the clutch.

All oils are fresh, major dealer service back in march from the original owner. A 60 year old woman, didn't get to ride much. Bike is in pretty amazing shape.

my apologies. I thought the cable clutch was done away with a few years before.
2002 R1150R. Helmets save more lives than loud pipes.
jmckeown
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by jmckeown »

I had this happen to me, as well as what felt like slipping. Turned out I didn't have the appropriate slack on the clutch cable.
kalali
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by kalali »

The slack at the lever should be 2mm and the distance between the thumb wheel and the adjustment nut, on the cable at the lever needs to be 12mm. This is after the clutch is properly adjusted at the clutch fork behind the transmission.
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CycleRob
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by CycleRob »

egagnon086,
First, as a reason why this smell would occur, it sounds (smells?) like an unadjusted, as in never, actuator lever's freeplay adjustment. Sure, you've got the proper clutch lever freeplay, that's easy and noticeable -but- the transmission mounted release lever's freeplay adjustment will get smaller as the clutch plate wears. Your 10K miles of clutch wear could be "normal." Some riders can rapidly accelerate that wear by the amount of clutch slipping and excess RPMs used to do something as simple as a routine take-off. You are at the point now where continuing to ride the bike, especially at speed against a headwind, can severely overheat and destroy, as in explode, the clutch plate, in addition to leaving you stranded. Needles to say, stop riding your bike!

The cure is to VERY SOON have someone very capable adjust the freeplay, down on the transmission mounted release lever's locknut retained adjuster screw. You can see it moving, just ahead of the rear wheel, when you pull in the clutch. While the "wrench" you choose is at it, I'm sure the freeplay at the handlebar mounted clutch lever would also be set.

I found a clutch adjustment procedure inside a .PDF file free for download, on the lower half of page 14 in that file. Download it here:
http://www.ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads/R1 ... -25-02.pdf
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RimNuh
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Clutch Smell after riding 100 miles

Post by RimNuh »

I cant help on that one, I have never had a smell like that from mine. And its a automatic also. Has anyone else has this smell?? Mike
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sykospain
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Re: Clutch Smell after riding ~100 miles

Post by sykospain »

I gather that BMW changed to a hydraulically-actuated clutch when the slightly more powerful 1150 range of motors was introduced. The extra power from that motor required a stronger slutch diaphragm spring, which would have meant a heavy lever operation, so they changed from cable to DOT4.

Make sure to follow CycleRob's sensible advice and get that actuation lever free play adjusted before you even go to the shops on it for a loaf of bread !
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