Clutch Bleed Valve on 1994 Honda Shadow 1100

Where is it? I need to bleed out air from the hydraulic clutch but I
don't have a tech manual handy. I can't seem to trace the clutch cable
down through the engine, so I'm hpoing someone has a good description
or maybe a photo!

Thanks,

John H.

 

Well, to begin with, if it has a cable there is no need to bleed it.

But if by "cable" you mean hydraulic line, then look down near the slave
cylinder for a bleeder valve.

 

If you want to look at diagrams, go to www.partsfish.com and register
and you can look at parts diagrams for all the Japanese machines and
Ducatis.

The air bleeder valve is probably right there on the clutch slave
cylinder.

Lat time I had to bleed the clutch on my Suzuki, there was an air
bubble trapped in the high point of the system, right where the clutch
hose attaches to the clutch master cylinder.

No amount of bleeding air from the slave cylinder end helped, I pumped
and pumped the lever and got no effect.

I took the slave cylinder off the engine and pushed the piston in and
that forced the air bubble back to the master cylinder reservoir.

That was a fairly drastic solution. Anther way to get the air bubble
out of the high point is to unbolt the clutch master cylinder from the
handlebar and reposition the master cylinder so the lever is higher
than the banjo bolt that holds the hose to the cylinder.

Or you can replace the banjo bolt with a "bleeder banjo bolt". The
bleeder valve is part of the banjo bolt.

They are available from aftermarket brake line companies for about $15
apiece. You have to know what the correct diameter and thread pitch is,
before ordering a banjo bleeder and trying to install it yourself.

A clutch master cylinder is an expen$ive piece of hardware. Trying to
install a banjo bleeder with the wrong thread can be an expen$ive
lesson.

 

Thanks for the reply. The partsfish diagrams don't show the clutch
slave cyl. Where abouts is it? This is my buddy's ride - mine ('80
kawa 750 and '02 FXDWG) both have mechanical clutches, so I really have
no idea what to look for!

I read about the air bubble problem in the upper banjo bolt - some
folks had success partially releasing the bolt while under some
pressure to remove the bubble. Sounds messy...

John H.

 

Look for a stubby clyinder about 2 inches in diameter with a rubber
hose attached to it.

Motorcycles with hydraulic clutches will have the slave cylinder low on
the left hand side of the engine on the cover over the end of the
transmission countershaft.

A motorcycle slave cylinder will usually push a rod through the hollow
countershaft to release the clutch.