Clutch problem sort of

[Rev J]

Last week my wife and I left eastern NC for Maggie Valley NC, roughly 350 miles. The closer we got to Maggie I noticed the clutch began to feel spongy. We were in the turn lane to our cabin and I could not shift, no clutch whatsoever. Thank you Jesus we were not in the flow of traffic. Anyway it's 4:45 on Saturday afternoon and called the nearest MC dealer (not Harley). They were closing at 5 but gave me a number to an independent mechanic. Was not able to contact this person so I called HD of Asheville. They were closing also but was told if I could get it there Sunday they would look at it. Whats weird is that after cooling some the clutch starts working again. So HD of Asheville drains fluid and it's nasty. Mechanic said there was moisture mixed in with fluid, probably condensation. Anyway a fluid flush and change fixed the problem. Mechanic recommended changing every 2 years or ten thousand miles. The folks at HD of Asheville were absolutely great! Put us ahead of everybody else and took care of the problem so we could enjoy our vacation.

Moral of the story check your fluids and change as required. Live and learn, Rev. J.

 

[joem]

Richard, oil is cheap enough that if it were my trike I'd change it sooner then they recommended. Maybe 5000 miles or once a year depending on the usage such as summer time heat and driving style. The clutch gets a work out with the extra weight of the trike. Certainly cheap insurance.

 

[ultrafxr]

Richard what happened was the fluid in your hydraulic lines overheated and boiled. Look at how close to the exhaust the line for the clutch (and the rear brake) are. Had this happen to me on my 2012 CVO Ultra (two up and pulling a trailer) riding up Sandia Crest Byway near Albuquerque. Half way up I lost both my clutch and my rear brake. After I got to the top and got it stopped using the front brake and it cooled off they seemed to work fine. But I got all the hydraulic fluids flushed and changed and like you said the old fluid was beyond nasty. Moco recommends 2 year service as was stated. I'm a believer now and will follow that (if not sooner) for sure!

 

[Rev J]

Richard what happened was the fluid in your hydraulic lines overheated and boiled. Look at how close to the exhaust the line for the clutch (and the rear brake) are. Had this happen to me on my 2012 CVO Ultra (two up and pulling a trailer) riding up Sandia Crest Byway near Albuquerque. Half way up I lost both my clutch and my rear brake. After I got to the top and got it stopped using the front brake and it cooled off they seemed to work fine. But I got all the hydraulic fluids flushed and changed and like you said the old fluid was beyond nasty. Moco recommends 2 year service as was stated. I'm a believer now and will follow that (if not sooner) for sure!

Yeah definitely be paying closer attention to hydraulics. Maybe change around 5000 mile mark.

 

[vito]

Last week my wife and I left eastern NC for Maggie Valley NC, roughly 350 miles. The closer we got to Maggie I noticed the clutch began to feel spongy..... The folks at HD of Asheville were absolutely great! Put us ahead of everybody else and took care of the problem so we could enjoy our vacation. Rev. J.

That is the major reason I ride Harleys. Other brands cannot stock parts for all their variations so the drill is to tear the bike down to determine what's needed, order them overnight, then fix the bike next day. That means at least a two day turnaround at best. Sucks when you are away from home.

 

[ultrafxr]

Yeah definitely be paying closer attention to hydraulics. Maybe change around 5000 mile mark.

It really is more a function of time than mileage. The brake fluid is hygroscopic and moisture will find its way in. Couple this with the extreme temperatures and you've got a recipe for problems after a while. Harley's maintenance schedule calls for a flush and fresh fluid every two years so if you want to be more proactive I'd do it annually . . . maybe early spring just before the riding season begins.

 

[GARYD]

I had the same problem last summer at the HOG rally in Ontario Canada, actually I had 2 problems. One, the water pump quit and then the clutch. One of the old time mechanics at the dealer said here's a little trick when that happens again. Rapidly squeeze and release the lever until you feel it grab. It worked for me all the way back to Chicago. I took the super slab all the way so I wouldn't have to do that very often.

Dealer in Tonawanda NY stayed open 4 hours after closing on Sunday to replace the water pump. There are great dealers out there. I sent then a rare pack of Harley cigarettes for there troubles.

 

[Jack Klarich]

It really is more a function of time than mileage. The brake fluid is hygroscopic and moisture will find its way in. Couple this with the extreme temperatures and you've got a recipe for problems after a while. Harley's maintenance schedule calls for a flush and fresh fluid every two years so if you want to be more proactive I'd do it annually . . . maybe early spring just before the riding season begins.

Good info, I would add

Anytime you compress brake fluid ( that is your clutch fluid ) you create heat, along with the heat from the engine and ambient air temp ( don't forget the heat from the trap door on the tranny

Combine this with nature taking its toll on the fluid as soon as it was added

This is important because the clock is ticking on this fluid and shame on us all for neglecting it

Harley wants this fluid flushed every 2 years

I have already done mine on my 17 M8 and will do it yearly

 

[ultrafxr]

Motorcycles (and not just Harleys) are hard on brake fluid in brake and clutch lines . . . much more so that in autos it would seem.

 

[Wmitz]

My opinion, they should have stayed with the clutch cable. The hydraulic clutch system sucks. It just another example of the ineptness of their engineering department. Today’s softails have a clutch system that is smooth, has very little strain on the hand/fingers, doesn’t rattle at idle, and doesn’t transfer fluid on some, and some that don’t. Going on 2 yrs they haven’t found a fix. Personally I believe more things are being engineered so that people have to spend more money at the stealerships for maintenance/replacement parts.

 

[ultrafxr]

My opinion, they should have stayed with the clutch cable. The hydraulic clutch system sucks. It just another example of the ineptness of their engineering department. Today’s softails have a clutch system that is smooth, has very little strain on the hand/fingers, doesn’t rattle at idle, and doesn’t transfer fluid on some, and some that don’t. Going on 2 yrs they haven’t found a fix. Personally I believe more things are being engineered so that people have to spend more money at the stealerships for maintenance/replacement parts.

I respectfully disagree. I've had hydraulic clutches on five two wheeled Harleys (all CVOs) and now on my TG. Personally I love the hydraulic clutch. It does take a bit of getting used to since the engagement point is a bit further out from the handgrip than most of us prefer . . . but I have accommodated and do not even think about it. I like not having to make adjustments as with a cable clutch . . . and no cable to break at the most inopportune time.

I don't think the hydraulic clutch has anything at all to do with the transfer of transmission fluid into the primary that some M8s have experienced. And the problem the OP had with his hydraulic clutch was due to contaminated brake fluid. . . nothing at all to do with the clutch system. Can (and will) happen on your hydraulic brakes also - especially the rear where the lines are near the exhaust header.

Any modern bike I know of has a hydraulic clutch and going back to a cable system is a giant step backward and just is not going to happen imo.

 

[TheXCepsion]

Experienced the same issue

Last week my wife and I left eastern NC for Maggie Valley NC, roughly 350 miles. The closer we got to Maggie I noticed the clutch began to feel spongy. We were in the turn lane to our cabin and I could not shift, no clutch whatsoever. Thank you Jesus we were not in the flow of traffic. Anyway it's 4:45 on Saturday afternoon and called the nearest MC dealer (not Harley). They were closing at 5 but gave me a number to an independent mechanic. Was not able to contact this person so I called HD of Asheville. They were closing also but was told if I could get it there Sunday they would look at it. Whats weird is that after cooling some the clutch starts working again. So HD of Asheville drains fluid and it's nasty. Mechanic said there was moisture mixed in with fluid, probably condensation. Anyway a fluid flush and change fixed the problem. Mechanic recommended changing every 2 years or ten thousand miles. The folks at HD of Asheville were absolutely great! Put us ahead of everybody else and took care of the problem so we could enjoy our vacation.

Moral of the story check your fluids and change as required. Live and learn, Rev. J.

I was on a ride too Colorado from Houston and as I neared Amarillo, Tx. the clutch started feeling spongy and then went out all together as well. Luckily the Harley Dealership was open still but about too close. They pulled it in and like You, reported that the fluid was bad. They Flushed the system, put a new cap on the reservoir, filled and $50 bucks later, I was on the way again. I agree with Your Moral of the Story...Ride Safe