Clutch slip.

[BeardedShooterUK]

Afternoon guys and girls, hope everyone's well.
So, my bikes been off the road for quite some time, had a couple of runs out on it but only done about 500-600 miles from memory in 18 months.
Yesterday I decided to dust it off and went for a 100 or so mile ride and maybe 3 or 4 times, when under moderately hard acceleration, the clutch slipped, I've noticed a smell every now and again as well and it definitely feels a tiny bit down on power, which after looking are all symptoms of clutch slip so I'm guessing it's time to change the plates.
Bikes on 54k miles, clutch has never been done that I am aware of.
Now, I might sound stupid here, but is it best to change both sets of plates at the same time, or just the friction plates?
I'm looking at the EBC plates, but are cheaper ones going to be much of a muchness or is it worth paying out for EBC?
I'm going to do the cable at the same time as well, just for peace of mind and similarly is their a particular brand other than OEM worth looking at?
Don't want to scrimp, but also trying to save what I can where I can.
And if I'm not mistaken it's best practice to leave all the plates soaking in engine oil overnight before fitting?
And lastly, do the bolts/springs/basket need doing as well or are they generally fine to re-use?
Be my first time tackling a job like this, so want to gather as much information as possible first... I appreciate any help/advice/tips!
It felt absolutely bloody great being back out on the old girl!

[Gnasher]

Before you go diving in there, check it is correctly adjusted, both at the push rod end and the level.  Then check the clutch is operating as it should, i.e. releasing.  They can stick/jam after periods of non use especially in could and damp conditions.  Get the bike up to operating temp then starting pumping the the clutch level, the operation should be smooth, light but positive if not, it's sticking.  Either the cable, and/or the release mechanism and or the plates/springs.

If the clutch is correctly adjusted and operating and it still slipping.   You're going to have to remove the side casing and check the operation of the plates.  Chances are they are sticking and not engaging properly giving you slip.  Before you start buying anythings, strip the clutch and check the palates for damage/wear/warping and then measure them.    If you find any are damaged/worn/warped or out of spec replace them.

Yes soaking the plates is a good idea, no the bolts and basket should be fine but you'll have to check, that includes the basket bearings, the springs you need to measure them, any out of spec replace them.  The cable should, unless it's been allowed to run dry be fine, just check for a smooth operation.

[BeardedShooterUK]

Before you go diving in there, check it is correctly adjusted, both at the push rod end and the level.  Then check the clutch is operating as it should, i.e. releasing.  They can stick/jam after periods of non use especially in could and damp conditions.  Get the bike up to operating temp then starting pumping the the clutch level, the operation should be smooth, light but positive if not, it's sticking.  Either the cable, and/or the release mechanism and or the plates/springs.

If the clutch is correctly adjusted and operating and it still slipping.   You're going to have to remove the side casing and check the operation of the plates.  Chances are they are sticking and not engaging properly giving you slip.  Before you start buying anythings, strip the clutch and check the palates for damage/wear/warping and then measure them.    If you find any are damaged/worn/warped or out of spec replace them.

Yes soaking the plates is a good idea, no the bolts and basket should be fine but you'll have to check, that includes the basket bearings, the springs you need to measure them, any out of spec replace them.  The cable should, unless it's been allowed to run dry be fine, just check for a smooth operation.

Thanks very much for this, might end up saving me some money, I just always assume worst case because that's my usual luck.
As far as cable adjustment goes, it's almost all the way out at the bars (the threaded adjuster bit) and the biting point is when the lever is pretty far out, so I assumed cable worn at the very least.
From researching, it's fine to remove the side casing with the bike on the side stand, without draining the oil?
I'll order a gasket for the casing to replace that after checking the basket and plates as well.
Do you happen to know of an online manual so I can check what plate/spring measurements should be?
I did have a Haynes manual, can't seem to find it after a house move.
Can't seem to find a correct model manual either, maybe I'm just not seeing it though.

[limax2]

There's a manual in the download section on this site.
Full description of  the clutch and all its parts starts at page 143 on the download. It's section 4-31 in the manual. definitely worth you time looking at it.
The Yamaha manual I have for the FZS600 1998 shows:-
Clutch friction plate thickness 2.94 - 3.06 mm Limit 2.8 mm
Clutch spring free length 34.9 mm  Limit 34.3 mm

[BeardedShooterUK]

There's a manual in the download section on this site.
Full description of  the clutch and all its parts starts at page 143 on the download. It's section 4-31 in the manual. definitely worth you time looking at it.
The Yamaha manual I have for the FZS600 1998 shows:-
Clutch friction plate thickness 2.94 - 3.06 mm Limit 2.8 mm
Clutch spring free length 34.9 mm  Limit 34.3 mm

Thank you very much, I completely missed that.
I'm having a good read through it now

[darrsi]

From your description i would start with properly adjusting the clutch cable, by screwing in the top end first so that the lever becomes loose, adjust the lower end, then re-adjust the top end again until it's correct, as you never mentioned any adjustment lower down.
Expect the possibility you might just need a new cable though if there's no improvement, but i suspect there might be if it's done correctly.

As the bike's been inactive for a long time you might want to consider an oil change as well, unless you know the proper history of it?
My bike had just been off the road for 18 months due to a personal injury, but my oil had been changed 4 weeks before then so i knew it was all good.

This may sound daft although it's really not, make sure you buy proper motorcycle oil, do not use car oil as some have additives in them that can make the clutch slip on a bike.

[BeardedShooterUK]

From your description i would start with properly adjusting the clutch cable, by screwing in the top end first so that the lever becomes loose, adjust the lower end, then re-adjust the top end again until it's correct, as you never mentioned any adjustment lower down.
Expect the possibility you might just need a new cable though if there's no improvement, but i suspect there might be if it's done correctly.

As the bike's been inactive for a long time you might want to consider an oil change as well, unless you know the proper history of it?
My bike had just been off the road for 18 months due to a personal injury, but my oil had been changed 4 weeks before then so i knew it was all good.

This may sound daft although it's really not, make sure you buy proper motorcycle oil, do not use car oil as some have additives in them that can make the clutch slip on a bike.

Doesn't sound daft at all, I appreciate and value any and all input.
I haven't made any adjustments yet to the bottom end of the cable, but I do have a fresh one to go on anyway.
However, I did remove the clutch cover and plates to check the thickness remaining and they are at 2.76mm, which is a hair under the manuals 'limit'
I wouldn't have thought it was cause slip so close to the limit, but it is indeed out of spec.
The steel plates aren't blue or burned in anyway though and still within spec.
Oil and filter was done not too long ago by myself using Castrol Power1 4T motorcycle oil... Appreciate that as a suggestion though as I'm sure plenty have just grabbed a bottle of oil off Halfords shelf and put it in... I also did a coolant change as well.
Going to buy some EBC friction plates on payday.
I don't know if this is at all relevant to a clutch slipping but 6th gear has a bit of a whine as well, then again it has done for a long time and was told it was normal.

[darrsi]

From your description i would start with properly adjusting the clutch cable, by screwing in the top end first so that the lever becomes loose, adjust the lower end, then re-adjust the top end again until it's correct, as you never mentioned any adjustment lower down.
Expect the possibility you might just need a new cable though if there's no improvement, but i suspect there might be if it's done correctly.

As the bike's been inactive for a long time you might want to consider an oil change as well, unless you know the proper history of it?
My bike had just been off the road for 18 months due to a personal injury, but my oil had been changed 4 weeks before then so i knew it was all good.

This may sound daft although it's really not, make sure you buy proper motorcycle oil, do not use car oil as some have additives in them that can make the clutch slip on a bike.

Doesn't sound daft at all, I appreciate and value any and all input.
I haven't made any adjustments yet to the bottom end of the cable, but I do have a fresh one to go on anyway.
However, I did remove the clutch cover and plates to check the thickness remaining and they are at 2.76mm, which is a hair under the manuals 'limit'
I wouldn't have thought it was cause slip so close to the limit, but it is indeed out of spec.
The steel plates aren't blue or burned in anyway though and still within spec.
Oil and filter was done not too long ago by myself using Castrol Power1 4T motorcycle oil... Appreciate that as a suggestion though as I'm sure plenty have just grabbed a bottle of oil off Halfords shelf and put it in... I also did a coolant change as well.
Going to buy some EBC friction plates on payday.
I don't know if this is at all relevant to a clutch slipping but 6th gear has a bit of a whine as well, then again it has done for a long time and was told it was normal.

If you've not done it before then definitely do a proper adjustment of the cable to begin with, as it may be your problem.
It is worth buying a 12mm deep set ring spanner to adjust the lower end properly, it's not 100% necessary but certainly makes things easier to do. Just pull off the rubber cap, and behind it is a 12mm nut which also has a screw in the middle of it.
Before touching the lower end make sure you undo the locking nut on the lever then screw the adjuster inwards as far as you can, making the lever become floppy.
Undo the large nut (preferably with a 6 sided socket if you have one) then when the screw in the middle becomes loose enough to rotate you need to gently turn it clockwise until it stops, then turn it anti clockwise one quarter of a turn and while holding the screw in position nip up the outer big screw with the ring spanner until it feels firm.
There's no need to massively overtighten that outer nut, because it will just make it difficult to undo next time.
I just nip it up firmly, or you can use a torque wrench if you have one.
Then go back to the top and readjust leaving a tiny bit of play in the lever before using the locking wheel to finish up.

If you do ever need to change the clutch cable, make sure you use strong tape or a cable tie to join the new one to the bottom of the old one, then pull the cables upwards so that the new one uses exactly the same path as the old one. Don't try and route the new one yourself because not only is that a more difficult way of doing things but chances are you'll get it wrong anyway, and that is simply not worth the risk.