Anyone has had transmission problems with their 899? I haven't done that many miles on mine since I only use it on weekends. But recently I'm having a hard time finding neutral and when I place it in first gear after stoping in a light I hear a very loud clank. Not sure if its something to do with the transmission or the clutch.
not sure about 899, but all 3 multi's I've had take a good couple of thousand for the box to loosen up, and the DVT multi can be tricky with neutral till they have a few miles on??
Oh OK, thought you said you hadn't done many miles? Not sure on that one but clutch seems more likely than gearbox. Has clutch fluid level dropped much indicating plate wear and/or a leak of fluid?
Once it's in gear, how much do you have to release lever before bike moves? Less than before? Has anything changed with lever tension or movement? Any engine slip while accelerating?
The bike was purchase on feb 2013 so I was thinking 15.000 miles is not that much of its age. I have had various problems with oil leakage but they where all taken care, I don't think I have had any gearbox oil leakage. I'm thinking of taking it in to the dealer and have them take a look at it. Thing is that I have lined up a very big job on it. Last time I took in for an oil change it was leaking oil and they told me they needed to change the engine case because it has a pore. Its the engine oil the same as the gearbox oil?
Clutch over all hasn't changed much. It engages when the lever is almost all the way to the top. Haven't had any engine slip..
I was thinking clutch fluid from reservoir, not engine oil, and the engine and gearbox oil are one and the same
Thing is I had an old Ninja (1994) which just to do the loud clank when I would put it in first gear but I bought the bike used and it always did it. This one is new and it wasn't doing it before.
Sadly, I'm not qualified enough to advise on an 899, but I do recall alot of ducati's have had clutch slave cylinder issues. Also, it's very difficult to advise without seeing it unless it's a common fault, so it may be worth a visit to a dealer, unless someone comes along soon that can offer help from personal experience. If the clutch fluid level is good, and the clutch still feels normal, then I think a dealer visit could be your next move?
A poorly adjusted drive chain is also something ive found over the years gives me neutral issues. However the oil seal in the clutch slave is likely culprit.
Your problem is clutch drag. It's usually due to air in the hydraulic fluid which needs to be removed by bleeding. Bleeding is the process of pumping fresh hydraulic fluid through the system, replacing the old fluid with fresh and taking any air bubbles with it. Try looking up bleeding a motorcycle or even Ducati clutch on u tube to show you how to do it. Hydraulic systems rely on the incompressibility of fluid to transfer movement from the lever to the clutch or brake. Air will compress though, so any air bubbles in the fluid will prevent all the movement of your lever being transferred to the clutch, so the clutch is not freeing properly, therefore the drive from the engine to the gearbox is not being fully disconnected when you pull in the lever. This is why you get a noise when you engage first gear and why you have difficulty finding neutral.
As above. Bleed the clutch. Also check the lever span adjustment is as far out as is comfortable for you. More lever travel, more clutch disengagement.
