Clutch slipping in 5th gear on acceleration

jim in the north · Post by **jim in the north** » Sat May 04, 2019 6:13 pm

First ride on the season. Noticed clutch slipping in high gear for first time ever. 1983 BMW R100RT. 90,000miles. Original clutch.
Pulls well up through the gears but on hills in 5th gear, 60 mph and under acceleration, it revs and shows signs of slipping. It will do it in 4th gear too if I really boot it.
Does anybody know what the likely problem is? No oil under the machine after a 6 month layup.
Clutch lever free play is about 3/32-inch.

Jim D 5112 · Post by **Jim D 5112** » Sat May 04, 2019 6:38 pm

A worn out friction plate with little friction material or a weak pressure plate. Or the combination of the two together both just worn out.

schrader7032 · Post by **schrader7032** » Sat May 04, 2019 7:05 pm

First, be sure your clutch adjustment is correct. Tom Cutter wrote the procedure which involves measuring 201mm in a specific spot...check out this post:

http://www.vintagebmw.org/v7/node/14461#comment-44435

Also, search the forum for "201mm" and get more information.

jim in the north · Post by **jim in the north** » Sat May 04, 2019 8:05 pm

Thankyou for your comments. I will check the adjustment as suggested.
Jim

schrader7032 · Post by **schrader7032** » Sat May 04, 2019 8:18 pm

I do agree as well that at 90K miles, it could be a worn out clutch. I change the clutch on my /7 at around 100K and was surprised to see that it look OK and probably could have gone another 10-20K. It all depends on the type of riding and roads over the mileage.

MikeL46 · Post by **MikeL46** » Fri Aug 09, 2019 3:43 pm

Have the splines been properly lubricated?

If not, the clutch plate may stick on the splines and allow slippage.
If yes, could any of the lube have migrated to the clutch face?

Mike

jim in the north · Post by **jim in the north** » Fri Oct 18, 2019 7:16 pm

The spline was lubricated a few years ago. I don't think I over-greased it because clutch didn't slip for years afterward.
This problem did clear up for me this season by putting some miles on the bike. Seems OK now. I can give it full throttle in 5th on long steep hill and she does not slip. Didn't have a passenger aboard all season however. Keep my fingers crossed for next year.

jim in the north · Post by **jim in the north** » Fri Oct 18, 2019 7:21 pm

Speedometer still working but odometer was working intermittently, then quit altogether. Does anybody know what's wrong?

schrader7032 · Post by **schrader7032** » Sat Oct 19, 2019 8:19 am

If the odometer is not working, likely the dials are not locked together so they turn. This can be easily fixed...check out this pictorial:

https://www.pbase.com/dwerbil/1978_r100 ... ter_repair

Be careful with the thin mylar sheet inside the speedometer pod...it can easily be torn and the circuits damaged.

Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners