JerrryR wrote:Hi All,
My wet clutch on my 68CH feels like it is slipping a bit when I crank it. A friend commented to me that synthetic oils can cause this because of their cleaning additives? Is there some truth to this or is it just legend?
Thanks,
JerryR
It primarily depends on which synthetic oil you use. Most motorcycle-specific synthetic, mineral oils, of blends thereof contain no friction modifiers and are therefore suitable for wet clutch applications. Oils suitable for wet clutch operation will have JASO-MA, JASO-MA1, or JASO-MA2 designations indicating they are free of friction modifiers. For example, all the Amsoil full synthetic oils contain no friction modifiers, have the requisite JASO designation(s) and are suitable for motorcycle wet clutch use.
On the opposite side of the coin, there are many synthetic automotive oils that do contain friction modifiers (these won't meet the JASO requirements) and will cause clutch slippage. Such oils are obviously not suitable for motorcycle wet clutch use.
The excerpt below is from Barnett's website and regards appropriate oils for use with their wet clutch plates. Especially interesting are the comments about ATF and how the clutch function differs depending on whether you use Ford's type F (higher friction) or GM's Dexron (lower friction) ATF.
- Barnett RCMD Clutch Oil.jpg (76.39 KiB) Viewed 11158 times