The clutch in these GL1500s is tough. It’s hard to kill them.
So when I was trying to identify potential causes to the shifting issues I was having, I didn’t put the clutch itself very high on the list of things to be considered “the issue”.
Still, at this point, I’ve rebuilt all the hydraulics, bled the lines a dozen times, swapped out the clutch hydraulic line, and all to no luck, when I shift from 4th up to 5th I get some grinding or friction. You could almost call the shifting “crunchy”.
Then I felt the clutch slip. It was time pull it out.
To get the clutch basket apart it needed to be compressed in the vise, to do that I 3d printed a “puck” that would press down on the spring separate from the basket.
It worked great! Except it deformed a little bit.
It also didn’t help that I had to order a whole new (well, used) clutch assembly to replace the inner part of mine. Turns out those long aluminum studs can’t be pried against…
And before I even got it apart I could tell how fried it was:
But still, phenomenal news! Once it was all back together the clutch has worked out perfectly! Shifting has improved significantly!
I mean it still feels like slamming gears on a tractor, this is not really the best gearbox I’ve ever owned. But better than it was!
