1984 yamaha venture royal

Question

how do i know if its the clutch or just out of adjustment. ?

today i went for a long ride on the bike over 200 miles bike was running great shifting nice. when i go into a small town i down shifted to drive the d**n 20mph speed limit for about a mile through this town. i had to stop like 9 times more stop signs then streets in this hick town LOL anyways at the last stop sign i pulled in the clutch lever and it felt verry bad then in first gear the bike just kept creeping forward. i went oh c**p. got out of that town headed home bike shifted up in gears ok. got home pulled into drive way and shifted down into 2nd coulndt make first gear? hit emergency stop. rocked the bike back and forth got it in to neutral restarted it pullled in clutch lever verry spongey? shifted into first to drive this heavy sucker in to the garage the bike just kept moving forward with clutch lever pulled all the way in. do i need new clutch plates or did the master cyclnder go south on me.? have to drill out the little screws on the cap some jack *** stripped them out. to check the fluid also for some darn reason they put something that looks like jb weld over the darn glass sight or i would have noticed low fluid. any ways all answers would be greatly welcomed.

Answer 1

Sounds like the hydraulic portion of your clutch system has gone south. Could be the slave cylinder on the engine (evidence of leaking brake/ clutch fluid is normally wrinkly paint) has been leaking and the master cyliner up on your handlebars has run low or dry. If you plan on going on long rides I would suggest rebuilding both items providing the aluminum bores are not pitted or if you can afford it and they are still available just get a new master and slave assy.  

Answer 2

didnt realize that version had the hyd clutch.  If it did it after heating up it could have moisture in fluid. Anycase, see how it is when cold again. Its obvious that it was dis engageing clutch thats why shifting was hard. Because of the age, Id just go ahead and rework the whole thing, new seals, hyd oil ect. you can do yourself, dealer can tell you what you need.

Answer 3

Clutch is not the problem. First, attempt to bleed the clutch hydraulics. Look for leaks on the master and slave cylinders. Replace or rebuild either cylinder if leaks are found, then bleed system again. Should cure your problem.