Clutch Problem

Hello everyone!!

A friend and I both own Ducati's and he's experiencing a problem I've never
heard of so since I'm the computer inclined one I'm posting this in the
hopes that someone can help out. The problem is that while riding his bike
he'll notice that the clutch will gradually lose pressure (in other words
it's easier to pull in) over a period of just a couple of minutes and gets
to the point where he has to pull it in all the way and pull over or else if
he waits a few seconds longer no amount of pulling in the clutch will help
since it won't disengage and the engine will stall. He once had to struggle
back home by waiting 10 minutes, riding a couple of minutes until the clutch
stopped working again, and stopping... doing this over and over until he
finally got home. He had just finished taking it to a Ducati mechanic to fix
the problem and the mechanic said that he changed the oil and did some
preventative maintenence on the bike ($550+) so he's pretty pissed that he's
still having the exact same problem. Does anyone know what the problem might
be? Also, should he have to take the bike back and pay additional $$ to fix
it or should it be covered by warranty? He just got it back from the shop
about 3 weeks ago but hasn't ridden it around much due to the rain.

Thanks!

Anthony

 

It sounds like there's air in the hydraulic system. The Duck does have
a hydraulic clutch, doesn't it? Air will get trapped at the high point
in the system and can't easily be bled out. The high point is usually
where a banjo bolt holds a banjo fitting onto the end of the clutch
master cylinder. You can buy a special bleeder banjo bolt that allows
the master cylinder to be properly bled. They are about $15 each.
Google up "bleeder banjo +ducati" to see what I'm talking about...

Alternatively, the air can be bled out of the system by unbolting the
clutch master cylinder from the handlebar and holding the master
cylinder in a position where the banjo bolt is lower than the piston
inside the master cylinder. Then pump the lever until all the air comes
out into the master cylinder reservoir. Be careful not to spill brake
fluid on your paint while doing this operation...

If the mechanic changed the hydraulic fluid in the clutch master
cylinder, he'll have to fix it under warranty...