Clutch slippage in higher gears when I'm getting on it.

[Dan1todd]

My 1975 seams to slip during extreme acceleration. usually at 5,500 to 7,000 rpms (hard acceleration). Another symptom is the bike is not great off the line and the clutch will slip if I push the bike very hard. I am not very clutch cable adjustment savoy. Bakersfield, CA is very limited on older Honda mechanics.

Recommendations?

[ekvh]

Sorry to say if you already know this, but many don’t know that wet clutches need proper oil with no friction modifiers. A 77 I had did exactly as yours until I changed the oil from regular automotive oil to Rotella 15/40.

They make motorcycle specific oil as well.

I currently run Rotella T6 I think. It doesn’t seem to shift as smoothly.

The gearing is poor for quick takeoffs, but up at 5500 they come to life pretty well. There are aftermarket rear rims that are an inch smaller in diameter that help a little.

[Fred Camper]

Oil is a big deal for wet clutch use. If you are using a motorcycle specific oil or a Rotella or similar oil known to work well in motorcycle clutch use, then perhaps it is getting worn out.

The 1975 did not have a strong clutch, it was said it could last for less than two days at the dragstrip. The 1200 clutch is said to be stronger but requires engine removal to drop into place.

[Dan1todd]

Can the 1200 clutch work with the 1000?

[Fred Camper]

A kit is available to move to the Hydraulic lever version but pretty sure the 1200 also had a cable clutch on early versions but I do not know that for sure. I plan to install the Hydraulic version sometime soon in my 1977.

[Dan1todd]

Thank you. Good info

[ekvh]

Good tutorial by Oldfogey here: https://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22244

It may be somewhere here too. Probably easier to drop the 1200 clutch in with the 1200 motor still attached.

[Shadowjack]

I did the 1200 hydraulic clutch conversion on my '77, it's good. That won't cure your slippage problem, though. You need the cover plate from an '84-only 1200; there were no cable clutches on 1200s. There were several Hondas of the era that had hydraulic clutches; the master cylinders are all about the same, except for the angle of the reservoir to fit the bars they were made for. You can JUST get the cover and slave cylinder in without taking the engine out.

[Dan1todd]

Guys, this is all very good information. My close friend is an airplane mechanic and we are going to change out the oil this week and well as make a minor adjustment to see if it improves.

A quick note, my 1979 does not have this problem so maybe the clutch is just near its end.

[sfruechte]

My 77 still has the original clutch at 223,000 miles and the only time it has ever slipped is when the clutch cable was starting to stick.