Triumphrat

jimbo2807

My 04 plate 955i has the same clutch and cable from new. I have a feeling that either the clutch has just started to go downhill rapidly or the cable is doing the same because there is suddenly a longer reach on the clutch lever.

I'll certainly be getting a new cable straight away, but what sort of life should I expect from the clutch. The bike is on 32000 miles and I fully expect to have to replace the cable and clutch with this mileage. Wot's the best way to tell if I need a new clutch. I guess also that if I'm replacing the plates, I should replace the springs as well.

I've read that 1050 clutch cables might fit and they are smoother because they don't have the bend at the bottom end. Any views/experiance on this?

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kevin_stevens

Clutch life varies enormously. Actually it doesn't, a clutch will quite consistently provide X number of rotations of slip - but getting to that number varies enormously depending on your bike's individual use. It slips a little bit every time you upshift or downshift. It slips more when you take off from a stop. It slips even more when you take off hard from a stop, etc.

The canonical test is to have the bike in top gear at its torque peak, slam the throttle full open, and see if the engine revs go up faster than road speed, indicating clutch slip. That is the most difficult scenario for the clutch to experience. Reality dictates that most of us perform the test at less than the torque peak in less than top gear, but whenever the engine speed does not correlate directly with the road speed, the clutch (or rear tire) is slipping.

All that said, I suspect you have a clutch cable problem. At 30K if you haven't been lubing it religiously, it's probably due for replacement anyway.

KeS

miker

It could be that your cable has started to fray. It happened to me at the 60,000km mark on my Speed Triple. It took about a week to discover the problem, then on the way to get a new cable it snapped, in heavy bumper to bumper traffic.

Lot's of fun trying to get it moving without a clutch to finish the ride to the dealer, but it is possible to take off on the starter.... just very hairy....

Mick

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biketraveller

I tend to check on clutches by applying both brakes while standing still. Then rev up the engine and let go of the clutch while applying medium throttle. A sound clutch will stall the engine without a problem.

Even the slightest hesitation of the clutch to do this has me replacing the lot - friction plates, steel plates and springs.

On my 955 the original clutch lasted 160000 km, and I abused it a lot. I'd be quite surprised if yours is already worn after just 32000 miles. I suggest to check it thoroughly prior to replacing this expensive item.

The 1050 cable indeed lacks the "bend" at the bottom end, but the cable on my 955 frayed at the top end. If that is any indication, then replacing yours with the 1050 wouldn't make a difference.