QuestionHi Bill. I just bought a '84 700 Honda Shadow. It runs and goes great but when it warms up the bike won't move. It's like I'm holding the clutch in. What would make this happen? There's plenty of fluid. Could it be a bad slave?
AnswerTroy, either there is trapped air or moisture in the system or the clutch master cylinder is in need of a rebuild.
The slave cylinder is just like a wheel cylinder in a car. All that really goes wrong with them is that the seals fail and they start leaking/losing pressure. Remove the slave and check for leaks or corrosion. If it is clean and dry, then the problem is a lack of pressure either due to air/moisture or worn out master cylinder bore/rubber cups inside.
http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-vt700c-shadow-1984-usa_model789/partslist/E++09.html# #5
The master cylinder can be repaired with a kit
http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-vt700c-shadow-1984-usa_model789/partslist/F++05.html# #4
assuming that there is no damage to the cylinder bore inside.
The only other issue might be if the bike sat for a really long time, the clutch plates could be stuck together. In that case you would need to pull the clutch cover and pry the plates apart, cleaning everything thoroughly and reassemble with new gasket/seals, as necessary.
Bill Silver
