Hey guys got an 04 f4i about 8 thousand miles and change on it. And i feel like the bike is not as fast as it should be like maybe the clutch is slipping, however im not sure... how can i tell if it is slipping? I have a feeling its the synthetic oil i put in that could be causing this. Any thoughts on this? mobil 1 full syn. done with filter about 1200 miles ago.

 

Shouldnt be the clutch at 8k. You would know if your clutch was slipping (if the bike revs while in gear but doesnt accelerate). Still stock clutch? You replace anything?

 

as far as I know it has the stock clutch. havent replaced anything except the oil. I know people always say how the bike comes up when they really womp on the throttle but mine doesnt do that and it just doesnt feel as sharp as it should mid RPM range (5-6) grand. On my old 250 I had similar issue with power and it turned out the clutch was burnt and slipping, threw a new one in there and it was like night and day.

 

i think you would smell it if it were slipping, and if it was slipping that bad you would feel it with out a doubt. You can try adjusting it a bit and see if it helps. When was the last tuneup?

 

I run Mobil 1 with the OEM clutch, my springs wore out at 19000 miles and burned my clutch, replaced it and other than that I have had no problems, have you made sure your cable is adjusted properly? What kind of gearing do you have?

 

I never adjusted the cable ever since I got the bike, never had any problems but then this kid said it was improperly adjusted. After his adjustment I felt the clutch wasnt grabbing until about 3/4 of the way down. the "click" when the bike goes thru the gears wasnt coming, before it was. wasnt comfortable with his adjustment so i brought it back up so its tighter. still dont get those "clicks" as it goes thru gears but I can feel the clutch grabbing at least. bike had 5800 miles when i bought it earlier this season, I have 8xxx on it now. Any thoughts?

 

get the cable properly adjusted/read up and do it yorself. If it was working before he touched it, then thats your problem.

Idk the specs at the basket, but id assume the clutch arm to be fully relaxed, and at the handle you should have the thickness of a nickle of play at the handle.

 

you need 12mm of free play to ensure the clutch is fully engaged, if you cant achieve that and proper operation of the clutch it might be time for a new cable, also you should lube up that cable and keep it clean; that will give you the best results.

 

Try loosening the cable at the clutch lever on the handlebars right off and take the slack out at the clutch lever on the clutch cover. Take out the slack until you have around 8-10mm at the clutch lever on the handlebar and see if this cures your fault. Could be weakened springs or worn clutch plates if the bike was abused before you got it, despite the low mileage. Can you confirm the mileage as correct? Another thing you could do is change the oil and see if that helps.