hello all, when i accelerate and decelerate the clutch lever as im resting my fingers on it gives a slight pulse. Ive never experienced this on another bike. Its a 2013 zx14r with 600kms on the clock and im worried as , also the 5th and 6th gear seams to have two notch feels as they engage. plenty of warranty and maybee there is end foat on the shaft that the clutch hub is on , please any opinions welcome.

I need to ask myself a few things:

1. When I do accelerate, does my clutch slip? No. = No problem.
2. When I come to a stop, can find N with the greatest of ease? Yes. = No problem.
3. When I pull the clutch lever in and then let it out, do I feel a pulse there on slow acceleration? No. = Normal.
4. When I rest my hand on the lever, am I pulling the lever in as I ride? [well?] Yes. = Not normal. Why are you letting the clutch basket float with the slipper clutch messing with your head? I was just asking? OK = Normal.

Since we have the same bike; I took a ride; rested my fingers on the lever; accelerated away; began to remove the liquid in the lever; felt the pressure plate now; kept pulling more in as I accelerated; wanting to feel a pulse.

If it's that bad, better you try again as to what I did. This is slow street traffic; nothing behind me; not even wanting to move fast so as not to override this pulse. I have zero pulse at rest; removing liquid; feeling the pressure plate; now slipping clutch till it breaks loose.

So see how I do now want to burn the clutch out riding this slow? Say in 2nd gear might do it. 3rd is too fast. Yes, just one more ratio banging gears from 4th on. So yes, missed 5th gear today. Pulled the clutch, closed the throttle, and just waited for it to bang back into gear again.

It's so bulletproof, I don't know how many times I missed 4th in the older 14. I wouldn't worry about how sloppy this trans is. It's old 1920's farm truck worthy. Ever hear where maybe, "Grind me a pound" came from?

* Last updated by: Hub on 7/11/2013 @ 3:39 PM *

Thanks for your reply, i am not pulling the clutch in as i ride, im just resting my two inner fingers on the lever as i do with the brake, ive never owned a bike with a slipper clutch and to be honest didnt even know it had one. oops. lol. There is no slipping and getting neutral easy as. So im getting from your reply that slippers have end float and as the drive train is loaded and unloaded the lever gives a small twitch inwards and thats what im noticing?? When i say load and unload i mean accelerate and decelerate, being in the same gear any of them .So gas on gas off. fingers on the lever and even not i see the lever move in 5mm. so this is normal. If this is the case i can sleep again , i so rate this bike its just awsome. So once again tell me im just messing with my mind .

* Last updated by: stumac on 7/12/2013 @ 10:57 AM *

Slipper clutch. Don't worry about it.

fingers on the lever and even not i see the lever move in 5mm. so this is normal.

I understood what you did by the finger resting. What I did was hunt for the pulse. And to hunt for it, grab it by the back of the neck like a baby cub, pull the lever slowly in so as to feel for plates warping, or the warp continuing once the plates are broken away from each other.

If pulse goes away with a lever pull = Clutch pack.
If pulse remains with lever in = Basket to shaft problems.

"also the 5th and 6th gear have two notch feels"....you're not shifting firm enough....missing(almost)the full shift change.Push up more positively when you do those upper shifts(for now).Your trans is still tight.Click it up there fast and strong.It will go away.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/12/2013 @ 1:09 PM *

If you could find a flat piece of glass, not plastic, started the bike cold so you don't burn yourself with the hotter oil, you are simply going to remove the filler cap, cover the hole with the glass plate, start the bike and watch the basket if you can?

The basket has to wobble that severe, but you have a smooth running bike, right? Being that is sort of a mess and might break the glass pushing down at the hole. Try the trick I was after. I'm riding with the pulse at a sustained speed. I then slowly pull the clutch lever in so it still is engaged, but about to disengage. At that range after you find the lever's liquid gap, then the pressure begins, there is where you begin the load and pull the lever slow.

So if it still pulses at the whole range or throw = Warranty! Something is not right. I have zip for a pulse and my fingers always for the most part, rest on the levers. So for me not to notice a blip at the knuckles, my guess is it is not normal.

* Last updated by: Hub on 7/12/2013 @ 1:34 PM *

One final word, if i take my left hand off the grip gas on gas off i see the lever move in 5mm toward the bar , so they all do this , im going crazy!!!!!

You've got nothing to lose. Bungee or zip-tie the clutch lever to the grip and let it sit overnight. Take it for a ride and see tomorrow? Most likely it will do nothing, but this primes you to remove the liquid freeplay before you are under pressure at the throwout bearing.

That says to remove the liquid and your hand move is so slow, you have to sneak up on it. Pulling in fast won't find it. So:

1. I want to remove the liquid gap and then stay pressured = Do I feel the pulse?
2. I want to push even more so the clutch begins to slip = Do I still feel the pulse?
3. I want to feel zero pulse = Or something is wrong.

http://www.zx-10r.net/forum/showthread.php?t=158778

LOL, Kruz... This is liquid in pulse. You wish yours pulsed it back to normal perch gap. ABTW, you never mentioned if that shaft in the old needle bearing cage was as solid as a pole in the ground, or wobbles like a straw in a soda pop bottle?

As a side note, have you swapped out that first oil? The only reason I even ask is viscosity breakdown can cause some odd gremlins. Not usually what you describe. When I first rode my r, the clutch was doing some sort of weird double engagement thing no matter how smoothly I applied the lever. So, I swapped out at like 150 miles and again at about 650.never had any issues with my clutch other than that little odd feel right at the start.

* Last updated by: Cblast on 7/14/2013 @ 8:29 AM *

LOL, Kruz... This is liquid in pulse. You wish yours pulsed it back to normal perch gap. ABTW, you never mentioned if that shaft in the old needle bearing cage was as solid as a pole in the ground, or wobbles like a straw in a soda pop bottle?

Nah Hub, I decided to quit messing around with it and just ride, was beginning to get aggravating. Clutch seems to work fine now and I zip tye the lever back as it cools and no pop.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 7/14/2013 @ 12:17 PM *

Tried Hub's method of checking the clutch...I get no pulse at all...seems to be smooth as can be.I did notice minimal vibration(s)at clutch and brake lever with my hands resting on em.Normal feeling...to me anyway.Couldn't get a pulse from the clutch lever...none.This was while moving at normal speeds.

I remembered you saying 5mm 'movement'..play?....mine has about a half inch of take up before it begins to actuate.But the whole distance from fully out to fully in is firm.The lever isn't loose at all.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 7/15/2013 @ 10:54 AM *

Thanks for all your help guys , im going to take it to the dealer to get the first service and see if new oil changes things , if not they can fix it. At least i hope so. Let you know what happens.

is just the slipper as one of you guys said , thank you all for your help.

Stu, you've gotta do the work. Match what Grn did and see if you come back matching his moves. "I get no pulse at all" is still a slipper: still does not answer 5mm in the static. If it's pushing liquid like that, then it will push when pulled...Sounds like? And did the mechanic try that move? Did he ride it at all, or just rev it up and play with the lever in the drive?

Hub, every slipper I've owned from the Teapot acted differently, there seems to be assembly variations and each has it's own unique quirks. That 's my take anyway, my 10R and 6R have the same design slipper and they have a completely different feel... but both seem to work fine.

My recommendation to the StuMeister after my expereience is to just ride it and not worry. If it breaks, it's Teapot's problem...02.

At least you don't have to worry whether it's adjusted or not...(to the Stuman).I was very happy about that on the 14's.