Clutch change a solution?

It seems my K1200S doesn't like releasing its clutch plates when I pull the clutch lever. Seems like it takes about 3 seconds before I can click it into gear from neutral without a louder-than-normal CLUNK! Happens when the bike is fully warmed up. As well, upshifts have become, uh, unsmooth as compared to previous experience. Clutch has been bled with no change. No slippage detected while accelerating briskly.

I have 40k miles on the bike and am not given to abusing the clutch in any way shape or form. Is a change of clutch plates the solution?

Your thoughts, ideas, experiences and recommendations are solicited.

This was a good thread in another forum, on the issues and clutch fixes on K1200 wedge bikes. Unfortunately, it has been degraded by PhotoBucket’s unilateral and unannounced decision to change their hosting policies. Still, you might find it a useful read to aid in understanding the issues associated with these clutches:

http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=56173

Best,
DG

Clutch is an easy change with Barnett pack and takes about an 1 1/2 hours with proper tools. Here’s a good video...

https://youtu.be/csa4FVyvWD8


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Thank you, gentlemen. I don't suffer from basket rattle...yet. I think I'll try a plate change and see how that works. Thanks again.

My clutch has been replaced twice, once at 50k ish and then again about 90k. I now have 113k on the clock.


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BC1100S said:

Thank you, gentlemen. I don't suffer from basket rattle...yet. I think I'll try a plate change and see how that works. Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Not to start an oil thread...but what viscosity oil is in your bike? The spec changed early in the run as the original recommended weight was too thick and caused grabby clutches.

Dino 10-40...Castro’s....cheap at oreilly. I’m convinced when my clutch went at 90k, it’s because the dealer serviced the bike and went with full synthetic. It was only about 50 miles in the clutch started slipping...anyway, back to 10-40


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BC1100S said:

Thank you, gentlemen. I don't suffer from basket rattle...yet. I think I'll try a plate change and see how that works. Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Wet clutches depend upon proper oil flow through the clutch to remove any build-up of friction material that has been worn off the plates, and also to prevent sticking or adhering of the clutch plates to each other. Some manufacturers deal with this by feeding pressurized oil through the clutch, BMW has elected not to do that--the oil that enters the clutch on the K12/13 wedge engines is residual flow from the transmission. After the introduction of the wedge bikes and the appearance of some clutch issues, BMW changed the oil spec for the bikes and also redesigned a couple of the internal bits on the clutch, particularly the clutch stab, to improve oil flow through the clutch. So if you're going to have the clutch apart to replace plates you may still want to have a look at updating or modifying at least the stab so you can get better oil flow through the clutch.

If you buy the recommended oil from your BMW dealer you're getting a synthetic oil* in 5w-40 weight and sans friction modifiers that can interfere with clutch action. In reality, BMW sources their oil through name-brand vendors and right now I believe they are getting it through Castrol, which is why many of us are using this: http://tinyurl.com/ya9jack7
Using a regular automotive oil that includes friction modifiers, or the wrong viscosity oil, can definitely lead to clutch issues.
IMHO, of course.

Good luck with your project!
Best,
DG

*"Synthetic" has really become a misnomer since the Mobil1 lawsuit that essentially removed the distinction between "synthetic" and "dino". You'd have to really hunt today to find a commonly available oil that is a true ester-based synthetic oil...

henzilla said:

Not to start an oil thread...but what viscosity oil is in your bike? The spec changed early in the run as the original recommended weight was too thick and caused grabby clutches.

Click to expand...

Not to continue an oil thread but.....I'm using Mobil 1 10W-40 synthetic motorcycle oil.

"*"Synthetic" has really become a misnomer since the Mobil1 lawsuit that essentially removed the distinction between "synthetic" and "dino". You'd have to really hunt today to find a commonly available oil that is a true ester-based synthetic oil..."

GTRider: I thought that was a Castrol lawsuit? No matter, your point is well taken. I think Motul makes an ester-based oil.

BC1100S said:

I thought that was a Castrol lawsuit? No matter, your point is well taken. I think Motul makes an ester-based oil.

Click to expand...

Sorry for the sidetrack or hijack! Not an actual lawsuit, but a complaint filed by Mobil with a division of CBBB or one of the other trade agencies. Castrol changed the formulation of its Syntec oil and eliminated the PAOs, Mobil squawked, and the agency ruled that hydroprocessed mineral oil could still be advertised as “synthetic”. Mobil continued to use a PAO base stock for some time, but eventually I think that changed too. Bottom line is that the term “synthetic” on the bottle or in an ad doesn’t really mean anything and the oil companies can reformulate pretty much at will—witness the number of different color Mobil 1 caps on the shelf at your FLAPS or Walmart—and still call it synthetic whether it is PAO or HPM based. Somewhere around here I had a stack of articles on the complaint and follow up, but i think it all got pitched when I decided to buy, for all my bikes but one, the oils recommended by the mfg.

And this is usually where the AMSOIL and Royal Purple guys jump in and....we’re off to the races!

Again, sorry!

IMHO, of course.
Best,
DG

GTRider said:

Sorry for the sidetrack or hijack! Not an actual lawsuit, but a complaint filed by Mobil with a division of CBBB or one of the other trade agencies. Castrol changed the formulation of its Syntec oil and eliminated the PAOs, Mobil squawked, and the agency ruled that hydroprocessed mineral oil could still be advertised as “synthetic”. Mobil continued to use a PAO base stock for some time, but eventually I think that changed too. Bottom line is that the term “synthetic” on the bottle or in an ad doesn’t really mean anything and the oil companies can reformulate pretty much at will—witness the number of different color Mobil 1 caps on the shelf at your FLAPS or Walmart—and still call it synthetic whether it is PAO or HPM based. Somewhere around here I had a stack of articles on the complaint and follow up, but i think it all got pitched when I decided to buy, for all my bikes but one, the oils recommended by the mfg.

And this is usually where the AMSOIL and Royal Purple guys jump in and....we’re off to the races!

Again, sorry!

IMHO, of course.
Best,
DG

Click to expand...

A discussion about various oils using facts and not anecdotal evidence is always welcome. Thanks for the clarification!

So, I changed the clutch plate....

...and used ones from Barnett. The original were in good condition apart from the paste build up on the inside friction plate. BMW certainly seemed to make this one over-complicated (I'm not an engineer but I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night) so I got rid of the anti-chatter plate/ring assembly and of course didn't use the little rubber o-rings that were fitted to some of the friction plate tabs. I'm going to hazard a guess that BMW subsequently ditched all this stuff, too.

Anyway, while I still have to wait a couple of seconds before I snick into 1st gear without a "CLUNK", all the other upshifts and downshifts are smooth and consistent. Again, thanks for everyone's earlier contributions. They were all helpful.

edit: Heading should have read, "So, I changed the clutch plates..."