Motorcycle Repair: frozen tranny, honda v45 sabre, hydraulic clutch

Question
Hi Tim, I recently bought a 1982 Honda v45 Sabre. It ran fine for the first 500 miles (accept for a high idle of 2-3k) but the last time I tried to take it out, after having to slam it into 1st, it wouldn't shirt into 2nd for the life of me, and I haven't been able to get it to shift since. I checked the clutch lever reservoir and it was empty. After filling it, there was no change, the bike still wont shift.

I am fearful that Ive damaged some sort of slave cylinder and will not be able to get the bike going again without professional help (which Im finding is hard to find these days for an older bike). Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike.

Answer
If the master cylinder was empty then its possible the fluid has drained out or you have a bubble in the system. I would look at the service manual for a procedure on rebuilding the hydraulic clutch and bleeding the fluid. You might also want to look at replacing seals and other rubber parts on the master.

One of the big problems with old bikes is that rubber seals and gaskets shrink after 25 years and fail. But, all they need is to be replaced and they are good for another 25.