I just made an appointment to get my ABS brakes serviced , clutch fluid changed and mentioned that I thought my clutch needed adjusting as it feels like is lets out a little later than it is supposed to. I have a 2002 LT with 26,500 miles on it. I've never notice the clutch slipping.

I was told there is no clutch adjustment, that I might need a new clutch and labor would be $800.00 plus parts.

I hardly ever ride in town and usually do long trip 700-1100 mile days for 7-9 days in a row, when I get time, usually twice yearly. I ride it hard in the mountains otherwise just cruise along.

Does the clutch have an adjustment and should it be worn out this fast? Is that an accurate price for clutch replacement?

no adjustment for the clutch, though you do have adjustment in your clutch lever on your handle bar. Have you ever had a weep hole drilled under your slave cylinder? I would check to see if your slave cylinder was still good first though. If not then your clutch is on the way out and needs to be replaced. Any warranty on the bike?

No weep holed drilled that I know about. I have an extended warranty through Bob's BMW. How do you check the slave cylinder?

You don't need a new clutch just cause you have to let the lever out a little farther before it bites, as long as it ain't slipping. My clutch is new & I have to let it out almost all the way before it bites.

What are you doing with a new clutch Dude?
Wheres Harry?
Yall come see me sometime.

There is only the handle position adjustment for the clutch, but that has no affect on it slipping, only on your finger reach.

There is a screw inside the handle assembly, but that is factory set and should never have to be touched.

If you are experiencing clutch slipping, you probably have a failing slave cylinder, or a transmission oil seal leaking. If so, that does require the clutch plate to be replaced and everything else in the clutch assembly solvent cleaned. If there is any scoring or heat checking of the clutch drive plate or cover plate, then those will need replacing too.

That cost is about right. It is a LOT of work to replace the clutch, and when in there the engine oil seal and O-ring, and all transmission seals and slave cylinder should be replaced too. Of course drilling the drain hole is pretty much a given, but some dealers won't do it.

Hi David and thanks for the reply. I've not notice any slipping, oil leak or anything other than the clutch seems to release later than it used to and that is only subjective in nature. I just thought it needed adjusting to release sooner.

I'm going to ride this afternoon and try full acceleration at 40 mph while in 5th gear and see if the RPMs increase rapidly. It's really hard for me to believe the clutch has that much wear at 26,500 miles (most of which were long distance 700-1000 mile days). It seems to me that a clutch should last much longer than that, unless one is abusing it, drag racing, etc.

If the clutch is worn, and the shocks are going (not sure about that, but they are getting soft), it might make more sense to buy a new bike and start all over, as the cost would be around $3,000.00 for the repairs on a bike I might could sell for $10,000.00, even though it has been properly maintain and looks new. Also, I'm thinking about a new GPS (Nav I currently) and with the expense of upgrading and rewiring (if possible), that would be another reason to start over. Not to mention the rear drive failure risk.

I love this bike and it rides and handles like a dream, but it has been very expensive to own. I'm starting to wonder if the Kawasaki Concours 14 might be a better option, as Japanese equipment seems bullet proof.

Oh well, just ignore me, as I'm thinking out loud, again.

If you bought the bike new, and you dont know whether the slave has been drilled or not, then it probably hasn't. If you want to keep the bike , I would suggest riding up this way sometime, we could knock out the slave cylinder/ weep hole drilling in a couple hours, unless you can get your dealer to do it for a decent price, Parts for new slave and gaskets are around $100 from chicago.

.....and cccpastorjack now has the slave cylinder parts in stock just waiting for a new customer....

Thanks, Mike. I did buy it new. I'm not sure I understand the slave being drilled or what it's supposed to do. What is it supposed to do?

I think my clutch is OK. Yesterday, I went for a ride and gave full throttle from 2000 rpm in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears. The bike just pull hard with the rpms matching the speed until rpms rose above 3500. Then it just took off like a bat out of hell. No sign of slipping.

I just don't understand why there is no adjustment for the clutch let out point. I have an appointment to get my annual break service in about 3 weeks. I'll ask them about drilling the slave cylinder.

Thanks again,
Dick

Dick, Who are you going to take the bike to for service, BMW of Atlanta? I don't think they will drill the weep hole for the slave cylinder. Just my opinion.

BMW of Atlanta. I doubt they will either. With only 26,500 miles, I don't know if it's worth the effort right now. I did a search on the weep hole and it seems to be recommended after 36,000 or at 48,000 when changing the slave cylinder. I have an extended warranty for 1.5 more years and up to 75,000 miles, so don't know if that would void it or not. Right now, I think I'm just going to watch it, unless BMW ATL agrees to do it.

That's not a BMW recommended mode anyway. JM2CW

Who cares?
BMW would just rather sell $12-1500 clutch jobs everytime a $100 slave cylinder fails. We have a better approach, whether BMW likes it or not. If BMW were as good as we all hoped they were, this glaring problem would have been addressed years ago. They didn't though, so we did.

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!!!!! As the proud recipient of a failed clutch slave, I say, David couldn't be more correct. Most BMW "techs" I speak with aren't even aware of the procedure. They act like you mentioned the anti-christ when you ask them about it. "Oh no....I would NEVER do that!" Yea...neither would I if I could make $1,600.00 a pop and didn't have a conscience!


Now...this procedure really is not hard to do at all. It can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

And maybe the toughest thing for me was to trust my bike to the care of folks who many times don't even understand the most common mechanical problems. Just gave me the willies thinking about it.

David, David, David, Slow down big boy!!! I was just stating to Doc that I didn't think BMW of Atlanta would do the weep hole to his bike. It's just the way they are, didn't mean it wasn't a GOOD mod or shouldn't be done.