Clutch Problems F3T SM6

[Poseidon]

Posting this in case it helps someone else out in the future.

I have been noticing that it was getting difficult to get the bike into neutral pretty much since we bought it. I figured it was just an adjustment that needed to be done, possibly needed to bleed the system. Decided I would look into it the next time I serviced the bike. Then on April 29th, we were out on a ride. My wife motions for me to pull off. She was on the Spyder and I was on my Connie. When we stop, she tells me there is something wrong with the clutch and that the bike is still trying to move forward when she has the clutch lever all the way against the grip. It wasn't bad, and you wouldn't even notice it unless you released the brake. What got her attention was the location of the friction zone had changed. At this point we were a 2 hour ride from home. I told her to follow me back and try to avoid stopping as much as possible. I picked a route that would allow us to avoid almost all stops just to get it back home.

Once home, I decided to go ahead and bleed the system. There was no air in it, and bleeding it made no change in the symptoms. One thing that did concern me was the fact that when I tapped lightly on the lever with the cap off the master cylinder (a technique I have used on every other bike I own) Fluid would shoot straight up out of the master cylinder. It was as if there was a blockage somewhere in the system. At this point I decided I would utilize the warranty.

May 5th, I trailer it to the dealership where I bought it. I let them know that I have a ride planned for Memorial day weekend and request to get it back fixed before then. 2weeks later, they call me and tell me that the steels are burnt and warped. They try to tell me that is the cause of the issue. I tell them "that is the result, not the cause" The bike has not been abused. No riding the clutch, burnouts, or anything like that. I remind them that I need the bike back for a memorial day weekend trip we had planned and ask them to just get it fixed. They gave me a quote on the repair cost, but said they will still submit it to BRP to see if they will cover it under warranty. They want receipts from the Can Am oil change kit I used for the first oil change. They sent the receipt along with pictures of the rear tire to BRP. Found out about a week later that the warranty claim was denied. I tell them "fine, just install them and get the bike back to me for our ride." I couldn't believe what I heard next. They not only hadn't installed them, they hadn't even ordered the parts yet!!! I jumped all over him and told him I was now going to have to cancel the trip we had planned. I then told him the dates of the next trip I had booked, 6/18/18. I had better have it back by then!

Next call I get about a week and a half to two weeks later. Guy tells me, "I have some good new and some bad news." The good news is BRP is now covering the replacement of the steels, because the bad news is it didn't fix the problem. They had a new master cylinder and slave cylinder on order. Should arrive in 3 days. I was told they would install the day they arrive and I could pick it up any time after that. When I didn't get a call saying it was ready, I called them. The replacement master cylinder and slave cylinder didn't fix the problem. At this point, they had no clue what could be causing it. They now had their "most experienced mechanic" pulling it apart to see if he could figure out the problem.

Long story short, this went on for a few more weeks. We missed the second trip. I threatened lemon law lawsuit, then they finally figured out that BRP didn't lock tight the nut on the back of the clutch basket and it had backed off. The manual calls for green lock tight. There was none. They ended up replacing every part in the the clutch and returned the bike to me on July 14th.

If you have the same problem with yours, save yourself the headache and check that nut early in the process. It is #42 in the exploded view in the link below.

https://www.cheapcycleparts.com/oemp...882/clutch-sm6