[Chunlitattoo]

I have a ducati scrambler motorcycle. I have a clutch problem. When the engine of this motorcycle is cold, I boot up and hold my hand clutch to use the gearbox. I started on the first number of the gearbox, still holding the clutch, but the motor still moving. At first I thought it was still clutch stick. But the phenomenon disappeared after the motorcycle was about 30 minutes. The clutch phenomenon is completely disappeared when the engine heats up. I brought my motorcycle to the dealer for inspection and they had to replace the new clutch because it was worn out. But as far as I know the clutch gets stuck when the engine heats up, not when the engine cools. Has anyone ever experienced a scrambler like that? And is there a way to explain and fix it?

 

[Max Kool]

Like clutch drag on a cold engine?

Mine is very grabby when cold, but that disappears after 5 minutes of riding..

 

[Hui]

If the dealer has already checked the clutch cable adjustment then there are another couple of possibilities.

If the oil is the wrong grade and too thick, this causes stickion between the multi clutch plates especially when cold and as the oil heats up it becomes thinner and allows the clutch to de-clutch.

Another is that the clutch was out of adjustment at some point earlier in life and caused excessive clutch slip, this can warp the steel plates by overheating them and therefore act against the friction plates causing drag.

 

[Chunlitattoo]

If the dealer has already checked the clutch cable adjustment then there are another couple of possibilities.

If the oil is the wrong grade and too thick, this causes stickion between the multi clutch plates especially when cold and as the oil heats up it becomes thinner and allows the clutch to de-clutch.

Another is that the clutch was out of adjustment at some point earlier in life and caused excessive clutch slip, this can warp the steel plates by overheating them and therefore act against the friction plates causing drag.

Cool man ! Thanks alot, i'll trying change the Oil at tomorrow, I also think this is not a worn-out clutch problem. If worn, it will cause the wheel to slip although the engine is in a hot or cold state. Thanks man alot !

 

[Hui]

Agreed, not worn but a symptom of a badly adjusted clutch earlier in life causing the steel plates to warp. Another sign of this could be oil that's dirtier than expected due to friction plate dust floating in the oil.

 

[Chunlitattoo]

Agreed, not worn but a symptom of a badly adjusted clutch earlier in life causing the steel plates to warp. Another sign of this could be oil that's dirtier than expected due to friction plate dust floating in the oil.

Yeah! But i'm leaving at Saigon VietNam. Hot weather, and i don't know what Oil is better for my motobycle.
I don't know how good the lubricant parameters are for the hot weather

 

[BamBallam]

Hi all, I've gone through this exact issue, clutch slipping under power, I also thought it was clutch related.
It is BUT its not the main culprit.
It is the Clutch Springs on the Ducati Scrambler.
This MUST be an issue that Ducati is not telling anybody about.
There must have been a Torque setting at the Ducati Factory that was not set to 10Nm.
If the Clutch springs are not Torqued Correctly the Clutch plates do not hold and wear prematurely.
My ICON's clutch was toast at 7,700kms.
I ordered a new OEM clutch and installed it, set it to the same settings as OEM went for a test ride and under power the clutch still slipped!
This Baffled me and I asked a few Ducati Mechanic Friends, they said the Plates should basically be crushed to the basket.
Back to the Drawing Board I went, so I tightened the springs to 10Nm, adjust the the cable as per Manual settings.
And the problem is no more.

It is critical that the clutch springs are torqued correctly or the power of the engine wears the clutch plates.

Here is my video.
Hope this helps for other Scramblers who have this issue as I don't think its going away.

Cheers Dan.