Clutch Replacement

Lets look into this further before you start buying parts!

You say that at a light you've got the clutch in and its slipping. I'm taking this to mean that bike is stopped and in gear, clutch lever is pulled, and the bike continues to pull forward.  If so, this is a clutch disengagement issue and not caused by a worn clutch.  I would recommend you take a look at the clutch cable and lever.  If the cable has a lot of slack the clutch will not fully disengage when the lever is pulled.  If you have a lever that is adjusted too close to the bar the clutch will also not fully disengage (this is common with cheap aftermarket levers).

And lastly, a little bit of pull in neutral is normal, especially when the oil and transmission are still cold.  If you put a bike up on a stand and start it up, the rear wheel will spin even if its in neutral.

Symptoms of a worn clutch include rising engine speed without corresponding increase in speed, especially under heavy throttle in high gear, and a clutch engagement point that is noticeably further out than it was before.

Well i have had multiple experienced riders take a look at my bike and clutch, both said that the cable would need to be adjusted. I then brought the bike to my buddies shop and they adjusted the clutch, took a ride around the building and i was able to repeat the problem. rode it back around and had the shops owner take it and he was able to get it to roll on its own around the building. Also a secondary effect is that i am unable to shift into neutral while stopped, i have to be rolling slightly to pop into neutral.

The pull i am experiencing is rather considerable, its able to get up to a good speed if i keep it going.

Now that you mention it it does feel like the motor is at a higher rev for my normal speed of 65 on my commute to work.

this is my second bike and the first time ive had issues with the clutch so i do appreciate your input, and i am open to any other ideas.

The friction zone is about where you would normally want it, about a 1/2 from the handle being released. To be honest I don’t do a lot of hard accel from 5-6th, too much wind...I do a lot in 4th, I don’t feel any slipping occurring. But I am constantly having issues from 1 to 2 and back down, either missing 2nd completely or it will catch and lerch.

gsxwetodddid

When the shop adjusted the clutch, do you know if they removed the clutch cover on the motor? If you're not sure I can help you if you take a few pics. On the right side of the motor is a large round case. At the bottom of the case is a small arm that the clutch cable attaches to. If you can get under the bike and take a photo (with flash) of the arm and post that it would be helpful. There is an index mark at the bottom of the clutch cover. The center of the arm must be lined up with the index mark. If this part was not installed properly the clutch may not fully disengage, even if you have the cable adjusted correctly.

Download the service manual and take a look at the diagram on the top right of pg 5-59. You want to take that photo, under the bike, looking up at the bottom of the clutch cover.