Clutch Resvoir?

[Tomline]

The clutch thingy on the left side of the handlebar was Very Low and I had a VERY HARD time shifting my 2012 RT SM5. I added some of the fluid that it uses until it was shifting normally again. But I'm not sure exactly How Much Fluid to add? I couldn't see any kind of level mark on the inside of the thingy. Also the rubber part that I guess pushes the fluid into the hydralic system was kind of messed up/ like out of shape. I worked on it and got it kind of back into it's original shape but not sure if it will stay in the proper shape again. Can I buy a new one of these rubber whatever you call it? Any help will be Very Much Appreciated cause I'm down here in Clearwater,FL for a month or five weeks and hope to do some big time riding. Thanks!

[Chupaca]

The rubber gasket will start sinking down ( like and accordian ) as the fluid goes down to keep the fluid from sloshing around and allowing air into the system causing you to loose pressure. When filling turn your bars so the top is level and add fluid leaving enough rooom for the lid and gasket to fit without overflowing. The main issue here is why you lost so much fluid. Most commonly it is the o-rings leaking in the slave cylinder. If it looses fluid again within a short periond of time you will have to inspect the slave cylinder area....

20170314_122917.jpg The picture is sideways but you just need to remove the black cover to see if it is leaking...

[Peter Aawen]

If there was ANY fluid left in the reservoir, then I'd suggest that UNTIL OR UNLESS you discover it's 'used' more fluid, you can probably just safely assume that this first time the drop in level from your 2012 RT was due to wear over time because you haven't topped it up regularly or maybe as per the service schedule & not worry too much about the 'damage/wear' & extra checks etc Chupaca recommends above - at least, not yet or until you see a rapid fluid level drop as mentioned anyway!

Sooo, since the gasket thingy sounds to have done it's job & conformed to the fluid level, now you should be able to just push the expanded bit of that back up where it was originally, top the fluid up to the top - the level that'll see the re-formed gasket on the cover touch the fluid but not displace any/let it overflow, and seal the reservoir again. Then ryde as per normal & just keep an eyeout for rapid fluid loss or degradation of clutch action, & top up as necessary between the more thorough checking that should happen at every service. With any luck, that'll be it for now; altho the service schedule WILL call for fluid replacement at some milage/interval, & failing to do that can cause those things Chupaca mentioned & warrant that sort of inspection/ rectification...

Buuut, since this seems to be the first time you've come across this, chances are it's just a tad worse than it would be 'normally' & you might just get away with a top up & on-going monitoring for now/in the short term; plus adherence to the service schedule in the longer term! Good Luck!