Been a while since I posted here, but it's nice to come back and see some familiar "faces" and know that this amazing resource is still available. So much has changed in the world, it's nice to find some things are still the same.
Anyway...
Yesterday, the '01 ST1100 I have on indefinite loan left me stranded. I rode about 10 minutes to Harbor Freight to get some cheap trailer parts and when I got on the bike to head home it wouldn't move. It ran fine, the transmission seemed to drop into gear, but there was no forward motion. I played around with it a bit making sure I wasn't in a false neutral. I put it on the center-stand and when I put it in gear the rear tire would start to spin but I could stop it with just moderate pressure from my foot. I assumed it was something to do with the clutch but I didn't have time for any parking lot repairs since I was on my lunch break.
Later that evening when I went back to pick it up, I checked it out and things were working just fine so I was able to ride it home. This made me wonder if it had something to do with bike temperature. Searching the forums I found a few posts where people experienced similar issues and they mostly seem to be clutch related. It's always unsettling having an intermittent problem since it's difficult to know when it is truly fixed. I plan to give the clutch system an overhaul in the coming days/weeks and see if there are any obvious issues.
This bike sat for 7 years before I took possession. I completely overhauled the brake system because of issues it had there, but I only performed a fluid change on the clutch system because it seemed to be operating fine (and has been for 3 years since). I know these bikes are finicky about getting fluids changed regularly so maybe I just let things go a little too long. Hopefully, a good thorough cleaning and inspection will reveal a likely culprit. I'll be familiarizing myself with the clutch rebuild procedure and reading over posts here to pick up any tips or ideas the ST Brain Trust has shared over the years.
At this point I'm not really looking for any additional advice apart from what's already available on the forum, but anyone that has any input they'd like to share should feel free to post. I will be documenting my progress here in the hopes that someone else with a similar issue may find it and get some ideas of their own.
Anyway...
Yesterday, the '01 ST1100 I have on indefinite loan left me stranded. I rode about 10 minutes to Harbor Freight to get some cheap trailer parts and when I got on the bike to head home it wouldn't move. It ran fine, the transmission seemed to drop into gear, but there was no forward motion. I played around with it a bit making sure I wasn't in a false neutral. I put it on the center-stand and when I put it in gear the rear tire would start to spin but I could stop it with just moderate pressure from my foot. I assumed it was something to do with the clutch but I didn't have time for any parking lot repairs since I was on my lunch break.
Later that evening when I went back to pick it up, I checked it out and things were working just fine so I was able to ride it home. This made me wonder if it had something to do with bike temperature. Searching the forums I found a few posts where people experienced similar issues and they mostly seem to be clutch related. It's always unsettling having an intermittent problem since it's difficult to know when it is truly fixed. I plan to give the clutch system an overhaul in the coming days/weeks and see if there are any obvious issues.
This bike sat for 7 years before I took possession. I completely overhauled the brake system because of issues it had there, but I only performed a fluid change on the clutch system because it seemed to be operating fine (and has been for 3 years since). I know these bikes are finicky about getting fluids changed regularly so maybe I just let things go a little too long. Hopefully, a good thorough cleaning and inspection will reveal a likely culprit. I'll be familiarizing myself with the clutch rebuild procedure and reading over posts here to pick up any tips or ideas the ST Brain Trust has shared over the years.
At this point I'm not really looking for any additional advice apart from what's already available on the forum, but anyone that has any input they'd like to share should feel free to post. I will be documenting my progress here in the hopes that someone else with a similar issue may find it and get some ideas of their own.
