Clutch slipping
  • Eph
    Posts: 2
    Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:52 pm

    Clutch slipping

    by Eph » Mon Jul 30, 2018 5:08 pm

    I have a 2017 CRF250l with under 500 miles on it. It's never been dumped other than a light fall in the trailer which broke the taillight. At under 200 miles the clutch started slipping after an hour of trail riding. We were not doing crazy riding or abusing it. I barely got it out of 2nd gear. I have rode bikes for nearly two decades. I want riding the clutch. I brought it to the dealer and they loosened the cable all the way until there were no threads showing. Now its slipping again. I really dont want to have to fight with Honda warranty since it's a clutch. Why would this happen at under 500 miles and what can I expect from Honda?!
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    JimDirt
    Posts: 4406
    Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:31 pm

    Re: Clutch slipping

    by JimDirt » Mon Jul 30, 2018 9:58 pm

    Welcome to the site !! \:D/

    It sounds to me that the clutch might have been over adjusted (too tight) , if there was no slack , then the clutch could have been slightly slipping because if the clutch has no play , then its closer to being disengaged because there is constant tension on it , as if you were slightly pulling on the lever the entire time you were riding , so it will slip easier if adjusted this way , that is why they always say to have a specific amount of slack in the lever for proper adjustment , just for that reason , under normal use this slippage would not really be noticeable , but when trail riding , you tend to use the clutch more frequently than when street or fire road riding , especially if there is any technicality to the trail , so what happens is , as the clutch gets hot it tends to slip more and more , which in turn makes it hotter , which makes it slip more , there is no way around it if there was not enough play , now as to who is the responsible party , that is open to interpretation , IF the Honda dealership was doing ALL the scheduled maintenance , then the adjustment or lack of , lies on them ..... if however , the bike was serviced by you , then Honda can claim that you did not properly maintain the adjustments , and the fault lies with you , if the bike is still under warranty , you could argue with them that considering the mileage , it should not have happened , but they could also argue that its not the mileage , it was improper maintenance , and in their eyes , abuse led to the slippage

    Basically , its a crapshoot in dealing with the service department of the dealer , as they all have their own protocols that they abide by , and how 1 dealer handles it , another might just take care of the situation to keep the customer happy (what i personally think they should all do) but , only when it is "proven" that the failure was because of defective parts , would Honda itself step in and claim responsibility , otherwise , your pretty much at the dealerships mercy as to whether they are willing to fix the issue (or locate the cause of the issue) , and possibly either replace or repair the parts , or at the very least , work with you on labor and/or parts discounts to keep you as a happy returning customer , or they could tell you , that you are on your own , and your only recourse would be to go to another dealer with the complaint about the original dealer and see if they will remedy the situation and possibly gain you as a customer , or you could be on your own and left to replace the parts at your expense , generally dealerships do not like bad press , so they will usually work with you in some aspect if you pressure them (nicely)

    So my suggestion is to confront them with the facts that the bike has very little time on it , and it should not have (under normal riding circumstances that the bike was designed to handle) failed so prematurely ,and that their "fix" did not fix anything and the clutch continued to get worse , and you would like some reasonable resolution to the issue , that is both fair to you and the dealer , I would think they would be willing to negotiate some kind of agreement that would make both you and them happy with the overall result .... Generally Honda itself tends to(as do most manufacturers) allow dealerships to do some "warranty" type work without too much hassle , all at the dealers discretion , and the dealer will generally get reimbursed for their labor incurred , and dealers know this , so its not like they will lose their butts if they make good with a customer .....

    Unless you weigh 300 lbs and were riding straight up a hill slipping the clutch for the 2 hours , the clutch should not have failed in such a short time , even if you were using it excessively but not abusively , it should not have failed .... , unless it was improperly , or not adjusted at all during dealer prep/setup before you bought it ..................

    Keep us posted as to what transpires with your communication with them ..... :-k 8-[
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