Clutch lever doesnt release clutch as soon as motor starts
 

Over heated my 2004 450 fse so I had to replace the head gasket. Everything fine now except I notice that In the morning when the engine is off the clutch lever is fine and clutch works.

I start the the motor and clutch lever will compress completely W/O actuating clutch. Feels like air in the line.

Ride the bike for a few minutes and it begins to work fine. It will than work fine for rest of day. Clutch never slips. It works just fine.

Next morning same thing all over again.

I checked the basket and had to clean some residue from the plates but everything looked good.

Sounds like the plates are sticking together.

When you say the lever depresses do you mean pulls straight to the bars with no resistance? Or just feels the same but the basket and plates are still grabbing/dragging.

I know when cold the plates will sometimes stick and when you click gear the bike stalls. Once the bike is up to temp it will work perfectly. A quick work around is to try and rock the bike back and forwards in gear a few times before starting it up.

What I mean is with the engine off and the bike in first gear if I push the bike forward or backward with the clutch in there is some resistance to movement but with a very small amount of effort it will break loose and freely roll forward or backward.

If I start the bike the clutch lever freely depresses with no resistance and pumping the lever has no effect. It's as if it has no fluid.

With the engine running If I push the bike while it is in neutral than shift it into gear while fully depressing the clutch lever it will run as if the lever is not depressed.

If I start the bike...let it run at idle while in neutral the clutch lever will begin to feel like it is working [it has resistance pressure] and I can shift it into gear and the clutch will hold the bike stationary. If I than increase the throttle the clutch lever looses all pressure and the bike will dart forward.

Lastly, I will say that with the motor off in the morning... depressing the clutch will let the bike move when in gear. I can than put the bike into neutral hold down the clutch with the clutch having the normal resistance... Start the bike up and all clutch resistance immediately disappears from the lever. I can than shut the motor off and the clutch lever re-gains it's pressure feel and now works.

With the motor off and the clutch housing cover removed I can see the clutch lever actuating the basket so I'm pretty sure that the master and slave clutch cylinders are working just fine.

Tony

Got me stumped. Does the 450 share oil for the engine and clutch or are the separate? Ensure fluid levels are correct, and whats the procedure for bleeding air from the engine if they do share oil? The WR250/450 has a 8mm bolt near the head that you crack to ensure oil pressure which subsequently bleeds any air from the system.

I'd also try bleeding the clutch MC and lines, but you have said it seems to be working with the side cover off which you'd imagine it wouldn't if there was air in the line.

Oil is shared. But,the older motors like the DRZs they came from were of the dry sump variety so you might have given me something to look at with your comment re: evacuating air from the motor. When the bike overheated it did release a bit of oil into the air cleaner compartment.With the new head gasket It no longer does that but it is possible that the vent lines to the air cleaner or from the head back to the frame are blocked.

Tony