Dextron 2 or 3, it's used in some of the most complicated auto boxes(BMW, Audi) in he world which all stress and heat the oil much more than in a bike, and these boxes also contain clutch plates for smooth transfer etc. my mate tried allsorts of bought stuff putoline clutch tuner and alike and still got drag, hard to kick start. 1 flush of ATF then a refill problem solved

I agree that ATF seems to work very good in our wet clutches, but it was designed for wet clutches. Dextron 2 & 3 specs are no longer supported by Allison, and I also believe GM, so finding them can be difficult. Most of the auto trannies have switched to synthetic ATF because it provides longer tranny life and a longer change interval. My BMW ZF tranny uses synthetic ATF and is sealed for life, although some recommend changes. The Allison tranny in my motorhome uses synthetic ATF for a 250,000 mile change interval.

As a side note not all BMWs use Dextron ATF; ZF trannies, depending on model, will use either Dextron or "F" type ATF. BMW also uses GM automatics in some models and those use Dextron.

Well I did a thorough test of the GRO Gear Extreme 75W and I must say, it doesn't get any better than this:

Smooth clutch action and very easy to get the bike in to neutral, what more can you ask for

http://www.trialsuk.co.uk/products/gro-gear-extrem-75w

I recently picked up a 2001 315r. I am riding a 12 year old bike because I am cheap. For this reason I did not pick up a new clutch and sure as heck won't pay for Elf oil. At the same time I will not tolerate any clutch drag.

Here is my trick that I am rather proud of: Dimple the stock steel plates on a drill press. I used a 5/64 bit and it took about an hour. The clutch also happens to have all cork friction plates. I run Honda oil or the comparable Maxima that I run in all my other Hondas. This worked 100% with no drag even when cold. Still grabs perfect too.

That'll work or you can buy Honda CR250R plates.

Walz... I admire your ingenuity, that will work as well as the aftermarket dimpled steel plates.

Hi guys

New to this forum, recently purchased a 1997 315r and the clutch drag problem has appeared! So after reading certain posts I decided to change the oil, I obtained some good quality ATF and yes you guessed it, no change, if anything slightly worse! I liked the quick fix mentioned by "waltz" so tried that next, you guessed it again, even worse no clutch! What did I do wrong, I did get slightly carried away with the dimpling and did both sides, should both sides be dimpled? After dimpling I rubbed up the plates with some wet n dry to remove any burrs. Is it time I stopped being tight and purchased an apico replacement clutch? Thanks in advance if I get a reply. Loving tinkering and reading the forum:-)

Hi guys

New to this forum, recently purchased a 1997 315r and the clutch drag problem has appeared! So after reading certain posts I decided to change the oil, I obtained some good quality ATF and yes you guessed it, no change, if anything slightly worse! I liked the quick fix mentioned by "waltz" so tried that next, you guessed it again, even worse no clutch! What did I do wrong, I did get slightly carried away with the dimpling and did both sides, should both sides be dimpled? After dimpling I rubbed up the plates with some wet n dry to remove any burrs. Is it time I stopped being tight and purchased an apico replacement clutch? Thanks in advance if I get a reply. Loving tinkering and reading the forum:-)

Hi Natorme, you may need to replace your clutch plates, after all they may be the originals, 16 years old and have been subjected to who knows what kind of abuse and oil changes.

Hi Martin

You're probably right, it will be my next purchase. Just curious to why I had a clutch with slight drag and then after tampering with the oil and plates a clutch with lots of drag? Thanks for the reply.

IM on my second oil change now putoline atf first change i could put the bike in gear without it runing away with me, second change i can get neutral most times but there is still abit of drag for the first 15 mins or so. So my next thing to do was the apico plates as they are only

Hi Tomy4x

Martin was spot on, I changed the lot, Apico steel plates and friction plates, the difference is incredible, zero drag, easy selection of gears and neutral, can even kick start it in gear! Purchased mine from eBay they are advertised as replacement parts for the Honda CR 250. The plates came with new springs, I fitted them but the clutch lever became very stiff, so I replaced them with the originals and everything worked perfectly.