My high-mileage GL1200 Gold Wing recently started to sound more like a tractor so I decided to try an oil additive designed to silence older noisy engines (I did this once to a CB450 with STP oil treatment, with modest success). Molyslip says on it’s label not recommended for wet clutches, so after reading the label on a bottle of CD2 oil treatment and seeing no warning against wet clutches I added it to my crankcase (the CD2 went in before the oil was added to the crankcase).
About ½ hour’s ride later, I started to experience serious clutch problems. It was almost impossible to shift unless I blipped the throttle, and even then I had to stomp so hard on the shifter I bent it. The higher gears weren’t too bad but downshifting into 2nd was awful and into 1st almost impossible. With the engine shut off shifting is not possible. When shifting into first with the clutch in, the bike wants to pull forward. It’s almost like the bike is glued into gear. The odd thing is that when letting the clutch out in first gear, the clutch now slips.
I have since changed the oil but the problem persists. Servicing the clutch means having to remove the engine. The manual says the disassembled clutch may be cleaned with varsol, so I am considering filling the crankcase with varsol, undoing the spark plug wires, and spinning the engine a few revolutions via the starter to try to work the varsol through the clutch, and finally changing the oil again. A bizarre idea, but it might work. Any scratching of the metal-on-metal parts would be modest (I hope).
I know the smarty-pants-types will scold me for using an additive, but obviously I now know what I did was a big mistake.
What would be really helpful is having someone figure out just what has happened in the clutch area by using the CD2 additive. Does anyone have the knowledge to put forth a theory? Pulling the engine would be a lot of work. Will the varsol idea work?
Paul
About ½ hour’s ride later, I started to experience serious clutch problems. It was almost impossible to shift unless I blipped the throttle, and even then I had to stomp so hard on the shifter I bent it. The higher gears weren’t too bad but downshifting into 2nd was awful and into 1st almost impossible. With the engine shut off shifting is not possible. When shifting into first with the clutch in, the bike wants to pull forward. It’s almost like the bike is glued into gear. The odd thing is that when letting the clutch out in first gear, the clutch now slips.
I have since changed the oil but the problem persists. Servicing the clutch means having to remove the engine. The manual says the disassembled clutch may be cleaned with varsol, so I am considering filling the crankcase with varsol, undoing the spark plug wires, and spinning the engine a few revolutions via the starter to try to work the varsol through the clutch, and finally changing the oil again. A bizarre idea, but it might work. Any scratching of the metal-on-metal parts would be modest (I hope).
I know the smarty-pants-types will scold me for using an additive, but obviously I now know what I did was a big mistake.
What would be really helpful is having someone figure out just what has happened in the clutch area by using the CD2 additive. Does anyone have the knowledge to put forth a theory? Pulling the engine would be a lot of work. Will the varsol idea work?
Paul