I burnt my clutch

[JWHITE518]

So I was riding offroad on my 96 1100RS, got into a tight spot, and gave it too much throttle while slipping the clutch. I could smell the clutch, and I think it felt soft for awhile. Since then everything's been normal. The bike has 93k miles on it. Did I just accelerate its eventual death?

Secondary question: what's the normal life expectancy of my clutch?

 

[PGlaves]

So I was riding offroad on my 96 1100RS, got into a tight spot, and gave it too much throttle while slipping the clutch. I could smell the clutch, and I think it felt soft for awhile. Since then everything's been normal. The bike has 93k miles on it. Did I just accelerate its eventual death?

Secondary question: what's the normal life expectancy of my clutch?

Sure - you accelerated its death by wearing more of the lining than you would have not slipping the clutch. But unless it got quite hot you probably didn't do much more than that. Clutch life depends greatly on where/how the riders uses it. A 5 miles stop-and-go commute might be as wearing on a clutch as burning several full tanks of gas going down the highway on a touring trip. There have been times that I have gone up through the gears once leaving the fuel stop and back down once arriving at the next fuel stop with next to no clutch use in between.

For mostly touring riders - small towns and back roads and such - 100,000 to 125,000 is my best guess for clutch life - although I've seen them go longer, and worn out sooner.

 

[Ozonkiller]

I've been caught in some of those traffic jams from hell, where the temp gauge is pegged and I was slipping the clutch for what seemed like an eternity and the clutch stunk to high heaven...

When I rolled over 100,000 miles on my '96 RS, I dove in and did a spline lube (it's first one I might add) and while I was there I installed a new clutch. The timing was perfect as I was just starting to kiss one of the rivets on the disc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is based on my experience, a clutch is good for about 100 thousand miles

Tom

 

[JWHITE518]

Yeah, I guess that'll be my plan. Make it through next summer's quota of LD rallies, that should put me between 100 and 110. Then next winter do some big PMs: clutch, spline, whatever else Paul tells me I should tell my mechanic to do.

 

[bikerfish1100]

important to realize/remember that BMWs use a single plate dry clutch, just like a car. unlike most other bikes they do not like to live in the friction zone. if you want max clutch life, you need to ride them differently at slow speeds- more like a on/off light switch than like a rheostat dimmer switch. that, or be ready to replace at more frequent intervals.