Clutch won't work

I have a fireblade rr6 2006 and just started it up before and thought I would make sure everything was ok as i'm taking to the bike shop later on next month and I realised the clutch was really light
So I put the clutch in and put it in to gear and held the front brake just in case.
Glad i did, it just span the back wheel.
Any one have any suggestions

 

give us a bit of background, has the bike been laid up? was there initial resistance then nothing? have you tried pumping the lever? is there fluid in it?

 

The bike has been parked up for the last 5 months i have just started it up from time to time, but it was ok before hand there was quite a bit of free play before I parked it up but the clutch seemed ok but now there is nothing

 

have you changed the levers or are they standard? is there fluid in the system?

 

There's fluid in the system the levers are ASV ones but they were there when I got the bike.
The fluid is quite dark.

 

I had this last year.
Solved the problem by cracking open the top banjo whilst bleeding the clutch.

To this day I'll never know how it got air in the system, but it's been fine since.

 

sounds like you have a hydraulic problem, either with the master or slave, any leaks?

 

No leaks at all, the resivour is full to the top marker

 

I bet the lever feels light, in which case get bleeding

 

if you pump the clutch does it feel heavier? do you have a standard lever to try? could it be the hydraulics are working fine and the clutch plates are stuck?

 

The lever feels very light

 

No it dosent get heavier the more you pump it

 

If it does need bleeding. How do you go about it as I have never bleed a hydraulic clutch before

 

It's not too difficult once you get the hang of it.
Start off like you would with your brakes by using the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder at the bottom of the hydraulic hose. Once you get some feeling in the clutch lever then hold the lever in and crack open the top banjo to release the remaining air and tighten it back up before releasing the clutch lever. Once all the air has gone you should then get the normal feeling back in the clutch lever.
This worked both for me when my RR6 had been stood and for my mate when he rebuilt his RR4 after a crash.

 

If this doesn't work what else could it be

 

I don't think there is anything else it could be as you proved the clutch works when it lurched, unless they can be stuck on.

 

I had a similar problem in the past on another bike with hydraulic clutch. It felt like the clutch was slipping after gear changes and the clutch lever didn’t feel like it was engaging properly.

Turned out to be the slave cylinder seal. Swapped it out for a new seal, red rubber greased it up, bled it through and all was good. The dirty fluid was being caused through crap getting past the seal, causing it to stick and prevent engagement/disengagement.

 

If the clutch plates are stuck what's the best thing to do ?

 

When you pump the clutch lever, does it feel like it’s getting lighter or vague - ie. like there’s not the normal amount of pressure being felt on it to push it back? If so, that would suggest something sticking and preventing the clutch push rod operating as it should. Check the slave cylinder and the push rod for dirt.

 

Ok no problem, the only thing is I have never owned a bike with a hydraulic clutch so not too sure what to do or what to expect.
The lever is really light either way