clutch lever sloppy

[USNRider]

Over the past few days I've noticed my clutch lever will activate the switch and disengage the cruise whenever the bike goes over a bump. It took some figuring out, but if I hold the clutch lever out the cruise works great. If I slowly let the lever back to its static position the cruise will work for a little while then if I hit a bump, the cruise will turn disengage. I figured it was a sticking switch, but when I looked closer after getting home today I can see the switch is working fine but the lever is sloppy. It seems to have a slight amount of wiggle in it and I can tell the piston isn't pushing the clutch out all the way. I replaced my clutch fluid about 2 months ago and my wife reminded me that the problem has been there hit or miss for a while but if I reset the levers I could get the cruise working while riding and it would be a while before the problem returned. Now I can reset the lever (push it forward manually then release it)but the fix only lasts a few seconds before the lever moves back enough to activate the switch. Has anyone else experienced this and if so, was there an easy fix? Part of me is thinking the master cylinder for the clutch will need rebuilt but I'm homing there is an adjustment or something that can be cleaned to fix the problem. The bike is an 07 with about 60,000 miles on it.

I also use my clutch a lot with the type of riding I do when in parking lots so a worn spring was my first thought, until I noticed that I don't see a spring to push the lever out.

[kniterider]

Can you get your bike close to another Wing and see if there is a noticeable wear on the part of the lever that makes contact with the piston,,, or if the piston itself has warn down,,, WOULD not take much my 2004 started that crud at 85,000 , had to replace the lever and all was hunky dory again

[kniterider]

If the contact point between the lever and the piston has worn enough to NOT keep the lever out all the way it will allow the lever to drift in just far enough to activate the switch that disengages the cruise control

[USNRider]

After taking the lever off I can easily see that the brass bushing that connects to the piston is definitely worn and needs replaced. I also noticed the pivot bushing is starting to wear down but isn't too bad. I found a source for that though so I may as well just replace both parts and get the lever operating like new again. Looks like total cost will be about $30.00

[kniterider]

Great.. probably would have been 3 times that to have dealer find the problem

[Yellowbird]

Great stuff thanks for posting helps us all down the road.

[USNRider]

When I get the parts I'll post pictures with more details.

[Sempai]

By design, the clutch lever has a pushrod that floats between the clutch master cylinder's plunger and the lever. The lever side of this pushrod resides inside a replaceable bushing which resides within the lever itself. The pushrod is known to wear its way through the bushing, and into the lever...and if left long enough, THROUGH the lever. As this otherwise unnoticed wearing occurs, symptoms develop, getting progressively worse.
Extra play in the lever, feels sloppy.
Start button fails to crank engine while the lever is pulled in (side stand up.)
Cruise control arbitrarily cancels or occasionally fails to set.
Seems like it's getting more and more difficult to find neutral with the engine running.
Clunks into gear when shifting out of neutral while stopped.
Lurches forward while stopped, engine running, in gear, clutch pulled in...
Clutch activity only noticed in the last 25%(number pulled from thin air) lever pull...
Clutch fails to disengage completely when you pull the lever...
Clutch lever has no noticeable affect on clutch engagement.

You can see a really worn lever in the pic I posted to Goldwingdocs, Goldwingfacts, and other forums here and there..

[USNRider]

I think I saw your post yesterday and I might give you a run for a worse condition bushing. Not that that is something to be proud of. Kinda looks like a horseshoe right now. I cleaned it, greased it, and spun it before reinstalling and still have a slight clunk when shifting but it holds cruise and the bike seems to ride fine. A new bushing is already in the mail so hopefully it gets here soon.

[CaseyK]

After reading this topic, I recall my cruise disconnecting on occasion. (08 with 25000 miles purchased a little over a year ago) So out to the shop I go and noticed the bushing missing, not there, gone. Thanks for your post. I have a bushing on order. I assume it was lost when the former owner replaced the handle with chrome.

[USNRider]

Just replaced both bushings and the clutch feels brand new. A little stiff now, but it works. Now I get to re-learn the friction zone as its moved further out obviously with the new bushings installed.

[Firedog53]

Can't one adjust the little number wheel on the clutch handle to increase/decrease pull effort and effect?

[USNRider]

Yes, adjusting the wheel moves the lever closer or farther away depending on which way you rotate the knob. However, in my case, my old bushings were worn excessively. Of course, I didn't realize how worn they were as it happens gradually at a very slow rate so my hand and brain processed the changes without noticing it. It was only after I replaced the bushings that I realized just how bad they were. I can still adjust my setting on the clutch lever but even in its closest setting it is nowhere near where I was utilizing my clutch while it was worn. I'm happy to say though, that after a week of commuting to work I feel as though I have relearned the clutch's new friction zone fairly well and I will be back in a parking lot tomorrow practicing the tight circles and limited spaced maneuvers I enjoy riding so much.

[Missouri Charley]

Some of the aftermarket chrome levers can also cause this condition.