Hi everyone,

I'd be interested to get some examples of when you have had to change clutch, knowing it depends on many factors.
I had the bike in for servicing recently, I was told to plan for a change in the near future based on a "test" they apparently did.

So far I feel no apparent slippage, though the bike has 102,000 km on the meter and I have little history on the bike prior to 85k.
Just want to get a second opinion as I don't trust the feedback from the mechanic a100%.
Your input is highly appreciated.
It's a 1988 K100RS/SE

Regards,
Einar

Changed clutch friction plate on my 84 K100RT at 78k miles.

A leaking rear seal prompted the change so I decided on a new clutch. The one that came out was the original one from  new but didn't have 5k miles left in it.

You currently have about 64k miles on yours and I wouldn't be expecting it to last forever. I take the view go in once and do everything while on there.

Given time of year I would do it as a winter project for next winter. But get another opinion on it first.

Why the question?  Is a mechanic recommending clutch work? If so, on what grounds?

I wouldn't replace a clutch unless:

1) It is slipping.

or

2) You have things apart already to do a spline lube and the current clutch plate measures at or near the BMW wear spec.

Thank you for the quick reply. 

It's not slipping yet but kind of giving me a lag at higher gears and low ish rpm. I might need to push it harder to know more. How would I go about testing the clutch integrity ? Just rev up?  

I did not get anything clarity on the presumed test they did as I couldn't speak to the mechanic doing the service, just the person processing the report sitting payment
I was asking myself if it was a sales technique.

Get it going in second gear, pin the throttle and run it up to 7000 RPM or so.  You'll know if it's slipping.

Perfect, I'll do that. Thank you @duck.

Unless abused clutches last well. I replaced mine at 140,000 k's only because I was in there replacing a seal. I ordered one on special order, so I used it. Old one still had 5.5 mm so not really worn.
Regards Martin.

It would be interesting to know what "test" they did as I don't know of any. May pay to ask for details and share it here.
I think they are lining you up for a big job that costs heaps.

Just changed mine at 92,000 miles (147,000Km). It was worn out but then I wasn't always gentle on it. Your problem sounds more like a misadjusted cable than a clutch that's wearing out.

Speaking of the cable, I would immediately check it for proper adjustment.  There are mechanics and shop owners out there who wouldn't hesitate to adjust the clutch cable to cause slippage to generate a nice payday.

I worked for one a long time ago.  It's one of the reasons I do as much of my own work as I can.

Awesome thanks to everyone chiming in . This really helps .

The test at the shop, I suspect it to be a clumsy way to sell or an incompetent person at the cashier. I think the lag" I'm feeling is just normal low end response. I grew up on a R1200C where the torque response is different .

The clutch cable is new, it has the 2mm play and a very comfortable response . Is coupled with the side stand and all working together .

What else should I check for, keeping in mind my level of mechanical knowhow is modest (change fluids, brake pads, filters)

Best regards
Einar

ERasberg wrote:I think the lag" I'm feeling is just normal low end response. I grew up on a R1200C where the torque response is different

Did you do the test recommended in post #5, Einar? Another way to test for a slipping clutch is by suddenly twisting the throttle wide open at highway cruising speed.

The difference between a slipping clutch and a lagging engine is that when the clutch is slipping, the revs will increase but the tachometer will move at an unequal rate to the speedometer; the engine will rev higher but the bike won't seem to move much faster. In a lagging engine, both the engine revs and the bike's speed won't increase as fast as expected.

In my experience, the two conditions are not easy to confuse. Maybe the shop was trying to set you up for service you don't need. It's easy enough for you to determine that for certain.

Laitch wrote:

ERasberg wrote:I think the lag" I'm feeling is just normal low end response. I grew up on a R1200C where the torque response is different

Did you do the test recommended in post #5, Einar? Another way to test for a slipping clutch is by suddenly twisting the throttle wide open at highway cruising speed.

Hi apologies for the late reply.

Yes, i did the test going back from work last friday. As the ringroad around Paris is rather crowded, I had to stay reasonable speedwise.

I tested 2-3 gear at flat out throttle from approx 2000-5000 RPM and 4-5 gear flat out from 2000-4000 RPM (it was as high as I could go on that day). I could not detect any RPM drift, not by ear/feeling, nor by looking at the speedo/odo.

So I recon for now it should be good and that what I'm experiencing is just the lower end of the torque range.

Thanks a lot to all of you for the reassuring input.
Being a fairly new owner I still need to get familiar with certain characteristics of this awesome bike;