BMW G310 R/GS Forum banner

Check your clutch lever play

14K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  JohnnyB 
#1 ·
As the title says, check it, as per page 73 in the GS riders manual. When in for the first service, I had a little
chat with the tech after he was done with it. Asked exactly what did he do other than change the oil and filter.
He noted the clutch lever play was out and said these machines are picky on having their lever play set up just right.
He has noted others are getting premature clutch wear because they were not adjusted as per the proper settings.
Not sure if this was the problem for me having some missed shifts and edgy starts from stop, but seems to be smoother
now after this adjustment.
 
#2 ·
Will do, thanks for the tip.
I'm used to it now but don't really like the clutch on my GS, a long way till it starts to engage and have to keep the revs 'hungry' to avoid a stall. Rode the dealer's demonstrator 310R today and the clutch was way different, very nice, engaging smoothly and early. Couldn't believe the difference given it should all be the same hardware.
 
#3 ·
+1 to checking your clutch play,

after i added more clutch play to my lever (on the 310r),
gear shifts up and down become more precise and transitions between gears were smoother.

it leads me to think the dealer set up the clutch poorly
(in my case i think the clutch was not 100% engaged when clutch lever is at full open?)
 
#4 ·
Speaking of lever adjustments, not sure about anyone else but my throttle play got way loose after about 1000 mls. It's super easy to adjust by sliding the rubber sleeve down and adjusting using the double hex nut adjuster and then sliding the sheathe back. I know this is like lever 101 but I didn't think about it until it really bothered me and now it's like a new bike.
 
#5 ·
Yes +1 on the throttle slack.
As with any new machine, everything has a break in, and requires adjustments. Brakes, clutch, throttle and chain all will stretch and wear requiring the rider to check and adjust as required.
 
#7 ·
My dealer set up my clutch to engage all the way out (almost fully releasing the lever before hitting the friction zone). I hate that....had my mechanic adjust to the middle for friction zone and when i brought the bike in for its first service the dealer mechanic set it all the way out again....grrrrr.
 
#9 ·
+1 , adjustable levers fixed the late clutch friction point problem for me.

I do see that there is also adjustment for the clutch on top of the gear box casing, anyone know how playing with that may help others?
 
#11 ·
Not much to say, 29$CAD on eBay, same as others that reported them on the forum.

They are OK, but I had to move the lever/mirror mount to the exterior to clear the switch casing, on the clutch side.

Which is good because now the mirror clears my arm and I have another rear view than my very impressive Bicep encased in my riding jacket.
 
#12 ·
Waiting for my Chinese levers from E Bay as well. For the $30, figured they were worth a try.
Shipping though is a bit slow, but you get what you pay for. Hope they don't snap on the first pull.:wink2:
 
#15 ·
I have also experienced issues with the engagement point of the clutch on my GS since new. Several times over the past 2,500 miles I had to adjust for more slack in the clutch cable/handle as the clutch was not fully-engaging creating engine rev, etc. This problem seemed progressive and this weekend came to a head. I was riding in a multi-day rally (Rally in the Gorge) in the Columbia River Gorge and this issue presented while returning to the campground on Thursday. I adjusted and it seemed OK. On Friday it presented around midday while I was in a more remote area on the Washington side of the river. I nursed it along for a few miles looking for a good place to stop and finally it would no longer keep up with traffic so I coasted to a small roadside area. However this time there was no more adjustment to be made! I allowed for max slack and at full release there was barely enough friction to nudge the bike and nothing more.

So I then had a chance to experience BMW Roadside Assistance. I will say that for being in a somewhat remote area they responded well. In about an hour and a half or less I had a tow truck driver towing an enclosed moto trailer pick me up. I dropped it off with the dealer yesterday and will report what is found. Right at 2,800 miles at this point.

This is where our rally ended due to no more clutch! :frown2:
 

Attachments

#17 ·
I did not really experience problems with the clutch.
I had problems with shifting from second gear to neutral or from first gear to neutral.
When I saw my dealer they did ‘something’ (adjusting) with the clutch.
Now changing gears is much better.
If it is the clutch or me getting used to the ‘characteristics’, I don’t know.
Main thing is that changing gears is much better 😀
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top