| Author | Message | ||
     Ronaldo |
So here's my story : A little background. 2008 XB12X - 24,000 miles approx and ready for our yearly vacation.In the last few months before the trip, new tires, plugs and wires, brake pads, and finally oil and filter. Bike ran great. Went trough some hard rain a few days, and was close to 2500 miles when I noticed shift problems ( not smooth) then i could hear the transmission. Clutch lever was same, but the bike still wanted to move even when clutch handle was fully engaged. Took off primary inspection cover and it was all white foam. Drained it and it was like chocolate milk. Went 60 miles same thing, and it finally lurched to a stop, would not go into 1st. Trailered to HD/Buell dealer. They called in two days and said simple clutch adjustment and new oil. Rode the bike 150 miles, started feeling it again. Same foam on back of cover, oil not quite as milky. Prevailing opinion says it's moisture. Vent hose is clear and undamaged. Never any issues with foam on cover or dirty oil in 20,000 miles. So, is this another quirk of the bike, have i been lucky so far?, Or can i fix it ? Losing some confidence in the dealer, since i have taken it back several times for other problems in the past until fixed | ||
| Meggadeath |
Water has a tendency to penetrate the primary via the clutch cable (especially if the adjustment boot is damaged). I might be tempted to remove the primary cover and clean as much as I could see by hand. Short of that, I might drain and refill the primary, run the bike until up to operating temperature, and then repeat until the oil in the primary looks as normal. If you run in a lot of rain, this should be checked often. Water in the primary will eventually do bad things to the clutch and bearings should the oil continue to be compromised. | ||
| Froggy |
Water can get in by running down the clutch cable, though splashing up the vent hose, or natural condensation from too many short trips. A zip tie on the bottom of the clutch cable adjuster boot can prevent the first, there is no easy fix for the second, but the last one is cured by not taking short trips. Use the bike for at least half an hour so it can burn off any naturally occurring moisture. | ||
| Sifo |
A zip tie on the bottom of the clutch cable adjuster can actually cause water to collect in the adjuster and have nowhere to go but to seep into the adjuster and down the cable, also turning the adjuster into a large clump of rust. Better to zip tie the top leaving the bottom open to drain as designed. I've not heard of water in the oil being able to cause the clutch to not disengage. This sounds more like it's not holding it's adjustment for some reason. That would be the first place I would look, paying attention to where it's adjusted now compared to when readjusted correctly. If it has changed in just a few miles of riding, there has to be a mechanical reason. You could test the reverse also, just drain and refill with oil and if the problem is cured, then it really is the water in the oil, and not a mechanical adjustment. If I understand your post correctly, this was already done initially, and the problem continued to get worse though. Sounds like it's not holding it's adjustment if that's true. It could be the lip is failing on the primary cover as others have experienced. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/384 2/282980.html?1341400136 Beyond that, it seems water got in somewhere. The clutch cable is a common source from rain riding if the boot is damaged. You just have to find what is not up to the job of keeping water out and renew it. |
