mntdawg Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Hi all; New here as I just bought my first trials bike, it is a 2013 Explorer set up in trials form with only a few tanks ran through it, so it has sat around and been ridden very little. After buying it I took it for a ride, had some clutch drag when it started, I road it up a fire road one mile to the trail head, as I proceeded up the trail a quarter mile the clutch faded to nothing, as in the bike sitting in gear idling. Back at the van I let it cool for five minutes then I had full clutch again, rode around the parking area and the clutch faded again. Back home I found the oil was over filled, so I drained it put fresh oil to the proper level. A few days later I went back to the trail head and had the same results. Fluid in the master cylinder is fine, I have not had time to pull the side cover for inspection. A friend suggested checking the plunger in the lever. Any other Ideas? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotus54 Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Note that the oil inspection window is not really accurate. I believe more oil is recommended even for older models now. The clutch is mineral oil on my 2014- I would expect that one to be also. Make sure the lever has a little play before touching the piston. If too tight it can cause problems. If you want to sell the Explorer parts let me know. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mntdawg Posted July 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Note that the oil inspection window is not really accurate. I believe more oil is recommended even for older models now. The clutch is mineral oil on my 2014- I would expect that one to be also. Make sure the lever has a little play before touching the piston. If too tight it can cause problems. If you want to sell the Explorer parts let me know. Mark I will have time this weekend to do some inspections, I do not think the bike has had enough ride time to have a burned up clutch. The parts are the main reason I bought the bike, I am looking for an alternative to my 200EXC for a trail bike. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsiklonaut Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 Clutch pack is probably too thick? If so, grind the plates carefully (evenly) down to OSSA spec. It's the same design as GasGas Pro series, pack thickness needs to be right for the best feel and performance. I recently got Xiu-RDi kevlar clutch for my 280i, fantastic piece of kit. Much better feel over the stock clutch and costing just some 20 EUR more than stock. Xiu-RDi Pack thickness is spot on, no need to measure anything, just install it and you're good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsiklonaut Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 On a second thought quite sure it's the master cylinder plunger seal. I had the same symtoms once. Those AJP seals wear fast, I always buy multiple to keep as spares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmc408 Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Has anyone found a way to lighten the clutch pull? Different fluid? My Explorer is currently harder than these bikes I have tried: Sherco 290, GasGas 280, KTM 350... It is not problem with 2-3 fingers, but 1 finger is too tough... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotus54 Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 The clutch is mineral oil, so I doubt it would make any difference between brands. Mine was pretty light, VERY light since I installed a Clake 2 (it has a spring assist clutch) What year Explorer? I have a 2014 and I know they did change the clutch though the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcrhino Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 (edited) First obvious thing is to check free play at the lever. Second would be to use the original AJP lever. I found that Apico levers have a small but noticeable negative effect on lever pull. Third is to check master cylinder seal; AJP rebuild kits are available. Check internals of the master cylinder before installing the new parts as the internal bore can be damaged. And when the bore is damaged the master cylinder should be replaced. As for a and heavy clutch: pack thickness is critical (as stated in previous posts). Edited August 3, 2016 by tcrhino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mntdawg Posted August 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Thanks for the replies. The lever had a preload, It took almost two full turns of the screw to get any free play. I have not had a chance to get it out on the trail yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Reckon the lack of free play was the problem,it wasn't allowing the clutch to engage completely,hopefully the clutch hasn't burnt out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcrhino Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Reckon the lack of free play was the problem,it wasn't allowing the clutch to engage completely,hopefully the clutch hasn't burnt out I don't know what gear oil was used, but a bit of fresh good quality ATF (like Motul Dextron3) wouldn't hurt any clutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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