1100s Clutch life ?

[markw]

Hi

I bought my 1100s 3 years ago with 24K on the clock, now up to 102K.
My question is, whats the life expectancy on the clutch.

(cant see anything in the paper work to say it was changed in first 24K before I got the bike)

My daily ride to work (125miles) is mainly fast A roads and motorway so the clutch doesn't get abused. No signs of it giving up yet, but as its a big job to change I would rather plan in when to do it, rather than have to do it when it fails.

Thanks

mark

[cornishflat]

Don,t know what life is expected, but with your mileage i,d say you have ridden with mechanical sympathy which has to be applauded.
I looked at the Morini,s in your garage and gave a little sigh, nearly bought one back in the 70,s..... but went for a Ducati 900 for the extra room, me and the girlfriend (now wife) touring / looning.....great bikes though.

[cornishflat]

Wow i did,nt realise the prices.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Moto-Morini-3 ... 1c27d8ddf5

[markw]

Hi

had one morini since 1982 (sei-v) and the got the other one about 15 years ago as a box of bits.

not that fast but fun, which is what a bike should be.

have stuck to italian bikes (laverda1200, Guzzi lemans 3, ducati907ie,laverda 750s) with a couple of BMW's now and then, once I got bored with jap fours/six's etc in my twenties

have really clicked with the R1100s, use nearly every day for work & touring.. would buy another when this one wears out.

mark

[R-man]

Well mine had been abused by previous owner and began messing about in mid-30,000 miles band, so I bought an entire kit and knuckled down.
When I got in there, I discovered that the problem all along was a failed (leaky) hydraulic actuator, which (memory) is around £70 instead of £280 for a clutch; so I felt a prat when I estimated the remaining wear thickness = life in clutch would have gone on to 80 or 90,000.

PS that new clutch has since done 45,000 more miles and never a murmur...except for a bit of slip when hill-starting after a pause to pick up friend's bike part way over the Hardknott Pass in the Lake District.

So my tip is look at the hydraulic side, not the clutch. If the fluid is coming out discoloured, it needs work!

[nab 301]

Hi

I bought my 1100s 3 years ago with 24K on the clock, now up to 102K.
My question is, whats the life expectancy on the clutch.

. No signs of it giving up yet, but as its a big job to change I would rather plan in when to do it, rather than have to do it when it fails.

Thanks

mark

In general I'd agree with that idea , ( although clutch life can vary considerably , I've slightly less on mine over a longer time frame). But with the S I'm inclined to run it as long as possible. A little clutch slip is unlikely to stop you instantly , more likely gearbox failure , (bearings etc) so where do you stop? When you have the gearbox out to do the clutch , do you rebuild the gearbox also? Then , what about the bevel box? The list goes on. As you seem to be mechanically sympathetic , you'll probably hear/feel signs of impending doom well in advance.
Your best bet if possible would be a cheap back up bike of any make , all the better if it's an S of the same year.

[tanneman]

Just watch out for the symptoms of clutch failure and keep on riding. It is a dry clutch and it doesn't like drag strip 1/4 standing start runs. That's all.

[Steve1200S]

It seems the worst part of it is the time it takes to strip it out, so make time on a quiet weekend and do it, then you'll have at least another 100k to do without worrying about it.

Otherwise I'm guessing it just starts to slip slightly rather than all out fails, so continue until you notice slipping.

Don't think there's is a mileage, just a min plate thickness, so give that a check and you'll know where you stand.