'80 Clutch takeup "play" almost gone? Adjustments avail or replace?

[fjrfanca]

Hi all.  I have an 08 with 80k+ miles on it.  It seems like the lever needs to be pulled in almost to the bar to get no engagement/free spin.  I have flushed the clutch fluid and bled the system (i think effectively), and have checked the lever adjustment to find "space".  Is there anywhere else that this my be adjusted?  

Is my only choice to replace the clutch?  Not sure where to go with this...

 

[Fred W]

The most likely scenario for that symptom, assuming that it really has changed, is air bubbles in the fluid.  Bleeding the clutch line can be difficult due to the nearly vertical fluid path, the bubbles don’t want to move down and out the bleed nipple.  
 

You can try ty-wrapping the clutch lever to the bar overnight with hopes that the air will migrate up to the top of the hose, then get sucked into the reservoir when you finally release the lever.  You can try tapping the fluid line with the lever compressed to try and coax the air bubbles into drifting upwards.

Alternatively, you can do a reverse bleed, but that requires specialized equipment.

 

[lonerider]

  My four bikes all have hydraulic clutches and to get all the air out when bleeding, I've had to bleed at the banjo fitting at the master cylinder as well as at the slave cylinder fitting.

 

[fjrfanca]

Thanks guys.  I THOUGHT I did the bleeding right with a vacuum bleeder, but I will give it a go again, and maybe try these tricks.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Have you regularly lubed the clutch pivot and brass pushrod bushing? With your mileage, it's not unheard of to wear these out and cause similar issues. 

~G

 

[RossKean]

Have you regularly lubed the clutch pivot and brass pushrod bushing? With your mileage, it's not unheard of to wear these out and cause similar issues. 

~G

Good point.  I found out about that one on a previous Yamaha (Venture) when it had fewer than 50,000 miles.  I have heard of these worn right through although mine wasn't that bad.  Managed to last the entire time I owned my '07 (185,000 miles) due to annual clean and re-grease.

Still sounds to me like bubbles in the system but the maintenance of the pivot and brass bushing is important.