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09 Clutch problem

102K views 427 replies 108 participants last post by  RSA ghost rider 
#1 · (Edited)
I've just had the first service done on my 09 R1. The clutch is now slipping with pull away in 1st gear. It's especially bad when the bike is cold and gradually gets better when the bike warms up but it doesn't completely go away. Yamalube 20W40 oil was used. The dealer will be checking it out on tuesday. Anyone else experience this problem?
 
#117 ·
Hey guys my 09 R1 is also having clucth slipping problems from day one. The dealer first took out the clutch plates and soaked them in oil, then gave it back to me saying it was good now. I pulled out of the dealer and it started again. I took it straight back and they got Yamaha head office involved who looked at the bike and instructed them to over size the oil supply holes to the clutch housing, mmmm, yes, seems like there is a design problem. I will pick it up next week after they have done some further testing, seems to be a common problem with them???
 
#120 ·
I also wanted to let everyone know that I work and travel with the race team. So if I'm on the road I cant send parts so you'll have to call into the shop. I know its not the most ideal situation but I'm needed in both places. My cell number is also on our website if you ever have any tech questions. Thanks
 
G
#122 ·
Hi all - first post - just thought I would share my experience with this (grabby) clutch & other issues. Sorry I have a bit to say.

I don't doubt that Graves have a good permanent solution for this problem particularly for those who are really hard on the clutch but this is what i have found so far having only done 1,500 km (about 1,000 Mi) on my 09 R1.

During the break in period I experienced the CCT clatter twice, alarmed at the time, but new motors and everything, thought it would improve over time after it got a bit of stick. Also during that break in period clutch was fine with maybe a little slip here and there but nothing to be concerned about and definitely no grabbing, so again thought no problem just ride it and bed in everything. Yamaha tick was present and I even remarked on the test ride, damn thats a lot of valve noise - this is my first yamaha since I bought an XJ900 new in 1984 - so that shows my age (or experience) - but that old 900 was the same and memories came flooding back (both good & bad). Last point, this is the first Jap bike I have had that did not like starting from cold - always needing a second jab of the starter and then it would fire up straight away.

So took the R1 in for its first service (to maintain the warranty), and I have to say I have never had any trust in any workshop mechanic especially with my bikes, since their mistakes can be a bit more critical than with a tin box, and I know that I have had parts swapped before and even witnessed a shop doing a parts swap on a harley after they broke a drive pulley changing a tyre (tire).

This one didn't start out good either, in response to the difficulty starting, the service guy said - "are you holding the starter button on" & "are you waiting for the diag to run before pressing the starter".

Anyway, so got the bike back with them reporting that they replaced the oil with Motul 15W-50 fully syn. That surprised me as I have never seen a workshop use top grade oil for servicing and being a yamaha workshop expected they would stick with yamalube 10-40.

I tend not to get too hung up on oil. So rode away and all seemed good except the yamaha tick was so loud it was embarassing. The next day - cold start improved, started straight up. Noticed a bit of clutch grab in the driveway, then I have two hill starts leaving home - holy crap what a nightmare and trying to slip the clutch gave worse results.

So I lived with this cold start grabby clutch for 3 weeks (500Km) stalling twice in front of pissed off car drivers and read a heap of your posts and came to the logical conclusion that it had to be an oil related issue - either wrong oil or not enough oil getting to the clutch. I also read an oil review which showed that Motul 300V (if that is what was put in the R1), is one of the few bike oils which uses molybdenum as a friction modifier.

http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0310_oil/index.html

So I drained the bike (noticed it was overfilled by about 500ml) oil looked like new so reserved it to use in the Busa (my other bike). Added Castrol R4 5W-40 (called Power 1 Racing here in Oz). Filled to mid point since I have experienced bad tarnish deposits on a car after it was overfilled. Also checked clutch lever free play and it was right on minimum, so I adjusted it to maximum (1.5cm).

First test ride and clutch felt better but still grabbed twice. On the third cold morning ride it was amazing - hill start with no clutch grab/slip. The bonus in this is that the yamaha tick is also almost non existent - its still there but not too bad. And a side note is that since the first service I have never experienced the CCT noise - but it is early days.

So the bottom line is that IMO the oil lines/valving whatever result in this bike being very sensitive to oil viscosity (and maybe friction modifiers), so if you are having this problem the first and cheapest test is to swap out your oil with something a bit lighter (within factory spec) and see if the problem is resolved. Also make sure your clutch lever has the correct free play (1.0-1.5cm measured at the lever end).
 
#129 ·
well, i just got my 09, and yes when cold theres a bit of chatter.. so on w/ the clutch..

cct was already taken care of before delivery...

i am about to break in the bike, so i guess its okay to break it in as is.!??? i will break her in over a weekend..!! 400 KMs each way.!

i will have to feel for it, and prolly order the kit once i'm back in town, not gonna wait till this comes in just to break it in....

do y'all see any error in my thinking? or should i be okay...
 
#132 ·
thanks Weston, i was discussing this with my personal mechanic!! my father!! hahaha...

he would like to know if we're replacing any discs, parts, or are we just adding them..

will be ordering on monday i believe!! have to have this done, aint no way i'm gonna live w/ the clutch the way it is.. and i do like to launch hard sometimes...
 
#137 ·
I got my clutch out and WOW! The friction plates were really dry. I threw them in oil and bubbles came out of the pads as oil started soaking in. I'm going to let them and the new friction plate soak over night and put the clutch in with the new parts tomorrow. Luckily I didn't spot any other damage in the clutch, barely any signs of wear after 4300 miles.
 
#138 ·
Wow! Does Yamaha not soak them before they assemble and if they do why is oil not getting in them while its running?

I'm waiting for my local Yamaha shop to call me on the cct issue, so I will have them check my clutch while the bike is there getting the cct replaced.
 
#139 · (Edited)
I just installed the kit and ohhh man, this is like a totally different bike!!!! No grinding/grabbing whatsoever. The clutch engagement is butter smooth! It seems to engage a little earlier but that doesn't bother me. The clutch drag was reduced very slightly, the improvement is more noticeable when hot. This thing is waaaaaay easier to launch too. I even got some tire spin which I never did with the stock clutch. Now I need a new rear tire :crash

I let the friction plates soak in Amsoil for about 16 hours. I installed 3 Barnett springs and 3 stock springs. The clutch pull is barely stiffer than stock, so I think I'm going to install the other 3 Barnett springs.

If you haven't installed this kit yet, then call Graves now!
 
#141 · (Edited)
THANK YOU THANK YOU, you boys at Graves rule!! we just did the mod w/ the old man, first service on the bike is done as well!!!

unreal, how much better it is!!! still feels like it needs to see some mileage.. but so far so good!!

cant wait to turn her loose next week!!

thank you!!!:boobies:fork
 
#142 ·
i wish i read this first b4 spending lots and lots of money trying to fix my clutch slipping..... i am racing mine, so no warranty cover for me. it started slipping while racing and finally let go just about completely. i managed to finish my race with bugger all power (3rd). i replaced the fibres and discs with oem ones, cracked the basket trying to undo the boss nut to put in the race shim slipper kit.... had to replace that too! baskets are VERY expensive! did 5km test ride, all ok, during qualifying of next race it slipped again. i came in straight away to no stuff new discs etc. i put in an extra clutch plate (2mm) and the slipping was GONE! the cable had no free play though which made it awefully hard to launch. (couldn't do anything bout free play). after all this i thought it was just the springs, replaced them with 2010 springs as they have a different part number (yamaha know there is a problem obviously). - extra plate. It slipped straight away! DAM it!!!! there is obviously something wrong with the stack height and by putting in the graves kit it changes this and the problem is fixed!
 
#143 ·
yup, to tell you the absolute truth, this is the biggest reason i held off on purchasing an 09 in the first place, i didnt do a heck of a lot of research time on it either... but i had my heart set on a left over 07-08... cause i figured there would be issues on such a redesign... i guess they buggered things up not accounting too well for the extra grunt of the new engine... i'm not an engineer but mistakes are made once in a while..

as soon as i saw an opportunity to get a great deal on an 09...i researched it mad... saw GRAVES MOTORSPORTS had the cure... pulled the trigger!!

all i had to wait for was shipping which was damn quick.. so i got break in out of the way, and now have my new clutch.. smooth as butter....

we really didnt notice any real damage to the old friction disk.. still looks brand new!! actually... but i was def. getting chatter and grabbyness the odd time all through break in weekend though... glad i got the cure...
 
#146 ·
the above post is nonsense!
Some of them are properly screwed, some a little and many perfect. A guy i know has 09 r1, two months older with similar miles and his cct is not rattling and his clutch is smooth and perfect taking off
mine has noisey cct and completely horrific junk clutch that makes it near impossible to get away from lights
so its very much an issue!
 
#147 ·
yeh if you got lucky w/ yer clutch good on yah...

mine was built in apr. 09... dunno if its a vin range thing.. but apr. is pretty late in the chain of things..

mine was def. grabby, shitty clutch... my old man {life long mechanic} thought it unreal it was so bad... once it warmed up sure it went away but even in the freeway some times coming out of a corner or after a shift... the damn thing would just rattle like crazy n' you knew you wernt going nowhere quick... fecking clutch..


i dropped the new clutch in at 750 miles... now at 1250 miles and i could not be happier... smooth as butter... launching like a total champ... no probs in any gear...

such a simple little fix by GRAVES.. the YCE springs really are a nice touch too.. as far as the orig. clutch cover gasket... we just used silicone... not a single problem..

again, THANKS GRAVES MOTORSPORTS!!!
 
#148 ·
just an update on how mine is going. i replaced 3 standard (2mm) plates with 3 yec 2.3mm plates. also peplaced springs with 2010 ones. they are different to 09! thet make the clutch less grabby i have found. i do need more time to see. Wat do ya know???? it goes! lots of grip on clutch now! the lever does grab early though, but with the different springs its still smooth. i'll update again once i've been back to the track. :crash
 
#149 ·
Clutch

Well the dealer had authority to replace my clutch to no evaile. Still slipping then grabbing to the point that it amlmost caused an accident. The dealer has been great and helpfull and agrees that there is an issues as their demo bike is perfect. Strangely, Yamaha head office says this is the first they have heard about it even after many techs at Yamaha dealers are all discussing the issue.
I have info that people are replacing the springs to a flat spring after the last clutch and that seems to be fixing the issues.
As we speak Yamaha have requested I leave the bike with them for a week for the rep to test and advise.
Maybe Yamaha dealers have been told to keep their mouth shut as a fix has not been found and they have no idea what to do and it may cost them a heap of money to fix all complaints.
 
#150 ·
Well the dealer had authority to replace my clutch to no evaile. Still slipping then grabbing to the point that it amlmost caused an accident. The dealer has been great and helpfull and agrees that there is an issues as their demo bike is perfect. Strangely, Yamaha head office says this is the first they have heard about it even after many techs at Yamaha dealers are all discussing the issue.
I have info that people are replacing the springs to a flat spring after the last clutch and that seems to be fixing the issues.
As we speak Yamaha have requested I leave the bike with them for a week for the rep to test and advise.
Maybe Yamaha dealers have been told to keep their mouth shut as a fix has not been found and they have no idea what to do and it may cost them a heap of money to fix all complaints.
You guys for the tenth time we have a fix for this. It's simple it takes all of 30 min to install the kit and the bikes right as rain. Quite wasting your time with dealerships. They look at your clutch as a wearable item which is never cover under warranty. I know this cause I use to be a service righter at the biggest yamaha shop in Utah. But our kit fixes the problem. It was developed by the AMA super bike team and it works great on the street. You can read all of our customers thoughts on the product in this post.

So I guys the balls in your court now
 
#156 ·
i'm personally glad i got the kit for my 09..

btw, thanks to Weston in regards to my request for info... i will be using this kit on my 2010 even before i break it in.. same clutch... same damn chatter.... Graves KIT fixes ALL!!

couldnt be simpler... i for one dont care of yamaha comes up with their own cure.. graves got access to the great price... nothing to worry about!!
 
#158 · (Edited)
Just ordered the kit, I had been checking out the video from pages back in here and it seems fairly easy. I just want to triple check I understand 100% so when I do it, it's a snap.
In the video, it already has the clutch pack out, the very last piece (fiber plate) closest to the motor gets eliminated, then installing the kit, you put in the silver ring where the fiber plate was, then the beveled ring with the dish (cone shape) facing the motor? It says up but in the vid it looked as if it went coned end first towards the motor and flat side facing up? then the new fiber plate, then the remainder of the stock plates.

Is that the right way? coned end faces the motor?
The only piece being eliminated is the last fiber plate?
We are eliminating 1 piece and adding 2 extra?

Thanks, just have to be clear on it

Video >
 
#166 ·
Perfect! Thanks for the answer! It was difficult to see in the vid which way the bowl was going. Looked like the "V" or beveled side was facing down which would be towards the motor.

That's cool, I'm going to the dealer in a bit to pick it up, damn inserts are back ordered where the burning happened from the headlights. I guess Yamaha is replacing everyones, which is a good sign
 
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