Clutch Cable Seems To Be Getting Shorter

[justinmann]

My mechanic and myself have to tried to figure this out without any luck. Periodically, my clutch does not fully engage, so when I accelerate from 4 to 6k, the engine quickly ramps up but the bike does not move. Previously, I fixed this by loosening my clutch cable. It is getting worse now and my clutch cable cannot be loosened any further. The clutch seems fine, the spring to push in the clutch feels strong.

Has anyone heard of this problem? What am I missing?

 

[DoorPosition]

How old is the bike/cable?

 

[justinmann]

I am the 3rd owner, so I am not 100% sure. I believe it is the original cable, the bike is from 2016 and has 19k miles.

 

[Qship]

That does sound like clutch slip. Bad adjustment or maybe someone used car oil with the additives that are bad for wet clutches. Shouldn't be worn with that low mileage, but who knows how the previous owners rode it.
Can you check the oil for clutch material?

 

[shanered6]

Sounds like the clutch has been maladjusted for so long its worn the clutch friction plates .

 

[Rolandrat]

Fit a new clutch, sounds like that one is toast if all adjustment has gone

 

[ManInTheJar]

Have you used both adjusters? The best way to adjust the cable is to back off the adjuster at the lever then take out most of the slack using the bottom adjuster. The lever adjuster can then be used to fine tune the slack (1-2mm).

Another potential cause is the used of auto oil which is not JASO MA compatible. JASO MA oils contain friction modifiers allowing them to be used with wet clutches, failure to use a compatible oil will cause clutch slip. The solution is to change the oil and clean the friction plates using detergent or if they are really bad change them.

Another possible candidate is loose bolts retaining the clutch springs in the clutch basket.