Motorcycle Repair: Soft clutch on Goldwing, clutch slave cylinder, clutch master cylinder

Question
I have an 87 Goldwing.I rode my bike one day with no shifting problems.The next day at start up, the clutch handle pressure was gone.I have fluid coming out of the bleed valve when I open it up and squeeze the handle.
What can I do to isolate the problem?  

Answer
JP, probably you have dirt, debris in the master cylinder that worked its way down to the pressure cups and has lifted an edge, causing pressure loss.

It is a closed hydraulic system, just like the brakes. You have a master cylinder, fluid lines and a slave cylinder.
I would pull the clutch slave cylinder and see if there are signs of leakage around the piston seal. Clean out the master cylinder reservoir completely and try to rebleed the system again. IF no good, you may have to have a kit installed in the clutch master cylinder and/or pump out the slave cylinder, clean out the piston seal groove, replace the seal and then try it again. Because of the kinks and bends in the clutch lines, it is often very hard to get the air back out of the system again. A vacuum type of bleeding system may be your only choice to get a good result.

Go to some of the many Gold Wing Websites for more technical advice..

Bill Silver