Motorcycle Repair: 1986 Honda Shadow VT700C - no clutch, piston cup, cup seals

Question
Suddenly today I had a very weak clutch when compressed. I have bled the clutch as read about on "All Experts", but I still have no clutch. Clutch handle feels very weak when compressed. What am I missing?  

Answer
Grady, think of the hydraulic clutch the same as the brake system. You have a master cylinder which provides hydraulic pressure and a slave cylinder which converts the hydraulic pressure into motion.

When you lose hydraulic pressure, either the piston cup seals inside the master cylinder have been damaged and/or are excessively worn OR the hydraulic slave cylinder, which bolts to the case, has failed seals.

http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-vt700c-shadow-1986-us_model790/partslist/F++05.html for the master cylinder view

http://www.cmsnl.com/honda-vt700c-shadow-1986-us_model790/partslist/E++09.html  shows the slave cylinder parts to the right.

After 24 years, all the hydraulic parts are needing replacement. Even the hose can begin to flex due to deterioration of the hose walls and lose pressure somewhat there, as well.

I would suggest that you buy repair kits for the master and slave cylinder and think about replacing the hose in between.

Bill Silver