Motorcycle Repair: 1985 Honda Shadow Clutch Problem, clutch master cylinder, clutch fluid

Question
I have a 1985 Honda Shadow 700 and the clutch will engage into first Gear and immediately begin to creep forward with the clutch handle pulled all the way in.  Someone told me to bleed the clutch lines and replace the clutch fluid.  Sounds easy enough, but I lost my instruction repair manuel and was wondering if you could advise a few words of advice as this would be the first time I would try to replace the fluid with no instructions.

Thanks,

Ken Arendt

Answer
Ken, here are some links for you.

www.uponone.com/howtos/38.pdf

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto/122_0306_howto/

Both look the same, however. Worth a try...

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/tech/brakeserv04/ is about brakes, but the same principles apply...

I really don't think that just bleeding the system is the problem, however. It sounds like you are losing pressure at the clutch master cylinder. After 20 years, the inner pistons and seals probably need replacing. Kits are available from Honda, but you will probably need a special snap ring plier set to disassemble the master cylinder. You could remove it and take it to a shop for overhaul and reinstall it yourself, but once the lines are open to atmosphere, getting the air back out can be a challenge.
You may wind up having to buy a vacuum extraction kit, like a Mity-Vac, to help pull the air out of the lines. Also, the flexible hydraulic lines can age and begin to expand, causing a loss of pressure in the system.
As a final note, the slave cylinder itself, attached to the engine has a seal inside that may need replacing if you are losing fluid slowly.
If bleeding doesn't cure the problem, you should just dive in and change out all the seals and lines, to ensure safe and reliable operation in the future.

Bill Silver