Time for a new clutch?

This issue presented itself when i got my license. when im on the interstate in 4th or 5th gear and i give it any more then half throttle, the motor revs up and the bike slows down even though the clutch lever is all the way out. under heavy acceleration in the lower gears the clutch seems to do fine. i think its slipping. no the cable is not tight to tight. Ive also noticed that taking off seems to be kinda of a chore for the bike. i have to let it out pretty slowly and give it some gas to get it up to speed before letting the clutch all the way out. Im guessing a clutch rebuild isnt too hard since the basket it right underneath that engine cover on the right side. what do you guys think? any perticular brand of clutch that i should go with? should i get aftermarket springs? any bolts that i should just replace while im in there?

Thanks guys,
KT

Couple of questions -

Have you tried adjusting it using the procedure in the manual? Sometimes that fixes the problem. Also, what oil are you using? If it's car oil with friction modifiers that may have coated the friction plates. If so, you may be able to just clean them good and use JASO-MA compliant oil in the future. If you do need to replace the clutch you can use stock parts. They are very tough and can easily handle the power. Be sure to use the correct torque when tightening the clutch springs. Ed

I 10/40 Castrol GTX in my bike. i havent tried adjusting it according to the manual. just take the slack out of the clutch lever until the play in the lever is within spec.

My guess is Ed is right.
I am 99 percent sure all Castrol GTX car oils 10/40 wt. do not meet JASO MA standards and WILL make a clutch slip. Back in the day as us old farts say Castrol products were the way to go, But not for a very long time due to changes in formulations

Check it out
Dave

very well could be the oil. But the clutch should be adjusted from both the cable and the sprocket cover as the manual states.

What color are clutch plates supposed to be? i just took the cover off the clutch and pulled the plates out. they are black in the middle and orange on the little tips that come out.

Back in the day before motorcycle specific oils, Castrol GTX was the the oil recommended by Kawasaki for the KZ's, don't really know if the formula has changed. I use it with no problems and some of my friends, with nitrous and turbos, also use with no issues. Of course we're using lock-ups.

don

Kitten Tooth wrote: What color are clutch plates supposed to be? i just took the cover off the clutch and pulled the plates out. they are black in the middle and orange on the little tips that come out.

Sounds like the friction plates are toast. Do the steel plates have heat marks, scoring or warpage ??

Should i go APE for the plates and springs? i found a good pack on the interwebs.

gpz1170 wrote: Back in the day before motorcycle specific oils, Castrol GTX was the the oil recommended by Kawasaki for the KZ's, don't really know if the formula has changed. I use it with no problems and some of my friends, with nitrous and turbos, also use with no issues. Of course we're using lock-ups.

don

The Castrol GTX formula did change. It now has friction modifiers rather than ZDDP (as do most car oils). This change was done because ZDDP is not good for catalytic converters, so the formula changed for cars. Ed

I would run oem clutches. I like the ape ones, but they are really hard on the clutch basket.

Where would you guys recommend getting an OEM clutch pack? im not rich so take that into account.