Clutch slip when cold?

Hi guys and gals, I was wondering if anyone else's clutch slips when the clutch itself is cold. The clutch is nice and smooth and only slips if I'm in high gear and go full throttle, it will slip for 2-5 seconds then grip and hold for the rest of ride. It's almost like I need to build up some heat before it fully grabs. The oil is brand new from the local cycle shop so it's not that and the clutch seems to be adjusted properly. Maybe it's time for a new clutch?

 

Make sure cable is completely free and not binding. After that pull the clutch apart and check springs and plates are in GC and in spec. Easy job.

 

WHAT oil did you use?

And yes, thirty year old clutches do need rebuilding; they will eventually start to slip even if everything else is 100%.

 

Using Kawasaki 20w-40 Dino for wet clutches so the oil should be fine. I'm thinking that the steel or pads have some rust or glaze on them for a 32 year old bike with 7k miles. I'm going to rip it apart tomorrow, if this is the case how do I go about cleaning them up? Mild cleaner and Scott bright?

 

Clean up the plain plates with Scotchbrite; and replace the friction plates and springs.

The little friction pads dry out from sitting; those that were oil-soaked become little squares of linoleum. No amount of cleaning will make them perform like new again. You will probably find them beginning to crumble at the edges.

 

Well I took the clutch apart to see what was all going on in there and the steels were glazed badly. I cleaned them up and inspected the fiber, everything checked out and was within spec for thickness. Edges looks good, looks like the fibers been replaced at some point, and the springs were within spec for length. After cleaning the clutch I took her out for a spin and man does she lock up now, it's amazing that a little cleaning will make these machines like new again. Thanks for the help!