2014 RT clutch question

[Bobhudak]

I have a 2014 RT with 60K miles on it. Lately, when I accelerate or shift hard it seems like there's a slight hesitation or the RPM's increase slightly before the bike responds. Does anyone have any experience either adjusting or replacing the clutch? Could it be something else? I've done all of my own service for at least the last 6 years and always follow the service check list in the manual. Could I have missed something, or should I be looking at something else? Thanks in advance.

After just reading related posts, I realize that recently I have been unable to start the bike when it is in gear and I'm pulling in the clutch lever. I have to start the bike while it's in neutral. Thanks again.

 

[Geekmaster]

Bob, it seems like you're describing two opposite symptoms. The first symptom infers that your clutch may be slipping under hard acceleration. The second symptom when starting, seems to indicate that your clutch is not disengaging.

This is a hydraulic clutch, so there is no adjustment. However, before jumping to replacing a clutch, there are a couple things to consider.

Since this clutch is a wet clutch, the biggest factor will be your engine oil, especially if the clutch is slipping. What oil are you using? If you're using motorcycle oil that meets BMW specs, you should be fine.

You mention that you have to start it in neutral. However, once it's started, can you stop in gear with the clutch pulled in, and will the bike keep running? If so, then again maybe it's an oil issue when the clutch is cold so that it's not fully disengaging, but assuming the proper oil that should not be a problem either.

And to answer your original question, the clutch is fairly straightforward to replace. There is also the possibility of bleeding the clutch hydraulics, although the need for that is fairly rare. There is also a slave cylinder, and if that is failing, I suppose it could cause the problem with disengagement at starting. However, I haven't heard of that failing on wetheads either, especially at only 60k.

 

[Bobhudak]

Thanks for your insight. I did switch oil when I did the last service. It is not BMW oil, but it is LquiMoly motorcycle racing oil that I bought at the BMW dealer. I checked when I bought it, and it falls within the specs for my bike.

When I stop, I always leave the bike in gear with the clutch pulled in. If I were to put down the side stand then the bike would shut off. I'd have to put the bike in neutral before I could start it again.

I'll keep looking and hopefully figure it out. I'm coming up on my 60k service soon. I'm also thinking of having the dealer do the service and go through everything as well as addressing the issues in my thread.

 

[pglaves]

Thanks for your insight. I did switch oil when I did the last service. It is not BMW oil, but it is LquiMoly motorcycle racing oil that I bought at the BMW dealer. I checked when I bought it, and it falls within the specs for my bike.

When I stop, I always leave the bike in gear with the clutch pulled in. If I were to put down the side stand then the bike would shut off. I'd have to put the bike in neutral before I could start it again.

I'll keep looking and hopefully figure it out. I'm coming up on my 60k service soon. I'm also thinking of having the dealer do the service and go through everything as well as addressing the issues in my thread.

Whatever else is going on it seems the clutch switch is not working. This could be a bad switch. It could also be that whatever part is supposed to move to activate that switch is not moving far enough.

 

[Geekmaster]

Thanks for your insight. I did switch oil when I did the last service. It is not BMW oil, but it is LquiMoly motorcycle racing oil that I bought at the BMW dealer. I checked when I bought it, and it falls within the specs for my bike.

When I stop, I always leave the bike in gear with the clutch pulled in. If I were to put down the side stand then the bike would shut off. I'd have to put the bike in neutral before I could start it again.

I'll keep looking and hopefully figure it out. I'm coming up on my 60k service soon. I'm also thinking of having the dealer do the service and go through everything as well as addressing the issues in my thread.

Thanks for the reply, Bob. Yes, the LiquiMoly should be fine for your clutch. It is also proper behavior for your bike to cut off when it is in gear with the side stand down, regardless whether the clutch is engaged or not. So if that's the starting behavior you described earlier, then that's not an issue. If it still won't start in gear with the stand up and the clutch pulled in, then you may have an issue with your clutch switch. Also, if you are still getting some slippage when shifting, then yes, you may need to look deeper. You may want to check to ensure that your clutch lever operates freely with no binding as well. Also, while riding at 4,000-5,000 rpm in 4th or 5th gear, try a hard acceleration to see if the clutch slips without operating the lever. That might also help to narrow down whether it's the clutch or something else.

Let us know if you find any issues or fixes.

 

[exgman]

When I stop, I always leave the bike in gear with the clutch pulled in. If I were to put down the side stand then the bike would shut off. I'd have to put the bike in neutral before I could start it again.

Bob - I also had the problem of being unable to start when in gear on my 2015 RT. My local dealer in Philadelphia replaced a switch which had failed. Here are two photos of the defective switch which was replaced. It's located in the assembly with the clutch lever:

Here's a screen-shot of the MAX BMW parts fiche which shows two versions of the same switch...one for RTs with cruise control, and a cheaper one for those without cruise control: