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Question Clutch slips when accelerating quickly and shifting gears

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jung

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Jul 7, 2024
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south korea
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r18 first edition
hello everyone
I'm having a problem

It feels like the clutch is slipping when accelerating quickly and shifting up gear.

Acceleration is sufficient, but there is a slipping sound and the shifting actually feels sluggish.

There is no problem when shifting below 43 mph (70 km).

I have been riding motorcycles for over 10 years and I don't think there are any operating mistakes.

Even if I try to manipulate the gears very carefully, the results are the same.

I think it feels like the throttle is less closed than shifting.

If you watch the r18 acceleration video on YouTube, it seems definitely different from mine.

Has anyone experienced this issue?

I am speaking through a translator. Please understand even if the sentences are poor.
 
I think you should take it to the dealership for inspection as anything else here will be just guessing.
Are you the first owner of the bike?
Has this problem recently started or has it been there all along?
I am asking in case a previous owner abused the bike and something has now got damaged or simply the clutch has lost a bit of adjustment.
You mentioned “accelerating quickly” which can cause clutch slipping specially if you are also up shifting quickly, reviving hard, your riding style is aggressive, etc. If this is the case then I reckon this is what may be causing the problem. The R18 is not a drag bike, it was built for relaxing cruising. I have seen people in YouTube also accelerating for quite some time and doing stupidly long shifting which puts unnecessary wear and tear on the engine as well as putting unnecessary stresses/load to it.
 
Anibal said:
여기 있는 모든 것은 단지 추측일 뿐이므로 검사를 위해 딜러십에 가져가는 것이 좋을 것 같습니다.
당신이 자전거의 첫 번째 소유자이신가요?
이 문제는 최근에 시작된 건가요, 아니면 항상 있었던 건가요?
이전 주인이 자전거를 함부로 다루어 지금 무언가가 손상되었거나 클러치가 약간 조정이 불가능해진 경우가 있는지 궁금합니다.
"빠르게 가속"하면 클러치 미끄러짐이 발생할 수 있다고 언급하셨는데, 특히 빠르게 기어를 올리고, 강하게 되살리고, 라이딩 스타일이 공격적일 때 그렇습니다. 만약 그렇다면 이것이 문제의 원인일 수 있습니다. R18은 드래그 바이크가 아니라, 편안한 크루징을 위해 제작되었습니다. YouTube에서 사람들이 꽤 오랫동안 가속하고 어리석게 긴 변속을 하는 것을 봤는데, 이는 엔진에 불필요한 마모와 손상을 입히고 불필요한 스트레스/부하를 가합니다.
Click to expand...
저는 2번째 주인입니다

현재 주행거리는 5000km 정도입니다.

여유롭게 타고 있었는데 최근에 힘을 주어 밟으려고 하니까 미끄러지는 느낌이 들었습니다.

곧 딜러십에 방문할 예약이 있습니다.

그 전에 클러치 레버 위치를 조정해 보겠습니다.

이게 정상이라고 생각하지 않습니다.

아니, 정상이기를 바랍니다.



I am the second owner

The current mileage is about 5000km.

I was riding it leisurely, but recently when I tried to step on it with force, it felt like it was slipping.

I have an appointment to visit the dealership soon.

Before that, let's adjust the clutch lever position.

I don't think this is normal.

No, I hope it's normal.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Like Anibal says, dealer is your best option. The R18 runs a dry clutch plate, don’t think I’ve seen a thread on clutch slip so it does appear unusual. Let us know how you get on 👍
 
This is not normal. If nothing else the R18 models have a very stout drivetrain so only a couple causes come to mind.

Number 1, there are no other reports I recall reading of low mileage clutch problems that would indicate a poor design or poor quality of the clutch parts, although it is always possible yours could be faulty and is seeing premature failure.

Number 2, and most likely in my experience is the original owner had poor skills and routinely was slipping the clutch and this caused damage to the mating surfaces of the clutch and possibly the flywheel.

Number 3, would be a mechanical interference that is preventing the clutch to fully engage that would cause the same problem as Number 2. Is there an aftermarket clutch lever installed or any modification to the related clutch parts?

Anyway, good advice from @Anibal and @Rufus on having the shop check it sooner than later. Good luck and please let us know what you find out.
 
The clutch plate on the R18 is quite large. Would be hard to ever wear it out unless a rogue rider slipped the clutch constantly.
 
General question to the internet gods..... would lots and lots of slow work in a congested asian city cause real wear over a few years and 5,000km to the clutch?

Whilst my world is mostly open roads, when I find myself in slow moving conjested traffic (rarely in my case... and where no lane splitting possible).... 1st gear with clutch lever fully released (ie no clutch feathering/slipping) is too fast.... ie 1st gear is too highly geared for this type of urban crawl... so slipping the clutch for extended periods of 10km/h travel could happen.
 
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I think the R18 has a larger than needed 1st gear. But then I was one of the unlucky chaps whose bike has a “slip-grab” clutch.
Was told by the dealer that while rare, some R18s have a jack hammer in the clutch lever.
The rapid slip-grab action manifests itself as a jackhammer sound and feel when clutch lever is pulled.
They said it would wear itself out over time. It is less now but still there with each clutch pull.
 
@Noelpolar , @R18 100 , good points. If one found difficulty in controlling the clutch lever and/or was using poor technique the multiples of constant "abuse" in never ending stop and go traffic would accelerate clutch wear and damage.

Shame if that's the case ($$) as when done properly the R18 doesn't require much to move forward and certainly not with what comes to my mind of what is happening with a "true" damaging, slipping of a clutch.

I'm very interested in what the shop finds.
 
So let me get this straight ... The R18 models were equipped with 2 different types of clutches? That sounds somewhat unlikely IMO because I can't see alternate part numbers for clutch parts. Mine had some odd kick back/feed back through the lever when I first got the bike, that went away after the Mile count grew ... A local BMW tech explained that with the clutch design, that is different from the R9s or GS bikes. But that's just me 😉
 
Ulrich said:
So let me get this straight ... The R18 models were equipped with 2 different types of clutches? That sounds somewhat unlikely IMO because I can't see alternate part numbers for clutch parts. Mine had some odd kick back/feed back through the lever when I first got the bike, that went away after the Mile count grew ... A local BMW tech explained that with the clutch design, that is different from the R9s or GS bikes. But that's just me 😉
Click to expand...
Only one type.... I think the refference above is more about that particular bike's clutch characteristic....
 
Mine use to slip but that was when I only had about 1000 miles on it. It happened when I had been in traffic and it got hot, once I nursed it up to speed say 65mph when i was out of traffic the clutch worked normal, the mechanic told me to run it and if it breaks they will fix it, so thats what I did, I have 11,900 miles on it now and have not had the slipping problem for a long time.
 
update
I don't think it's a clutch problem.
I was mistaken
But there is still a problem
The problem appeared when the throttle and gear were operated almost simultaneously.
If you release the throttle and quickly shift gears, the rpm will rise to about 300~500 and then drop.

If you fully release the throttle, rest at one tempo, and then shift up the gear, the rpm will rise between 0 and 200 and then fall.

Rock, roll and rain all have the same problem.

Anyway, something is slipping, but I don't know.

I think there might be a problem with the throttle sensor.

I decided to get a checkup on the coming 24th.

We will update again after inspection.

I'm using a translator, so please understand even if the sentences are awkward.
 
I thought your issue sounded similar to gearshift speed control but that’s not active in rock mode.

Gearshift speed control
If the clutch is operated while riding and the throttle grip is turned back, the RPM does not drop to idle speed immediately. The gearshift speed control maintains the RPM above idle speed for several seconds and thus reduces the RPM differ- ence between the engine and transmission when engaging the clutch. The breakdown torque during a gear change is reduced, and the shifting com- fort for the rider is increased. The gearshift speed control is active in the RAIN and ROLL riding modes.
 
Update

After taking the bike to the dealer, the engineer did a test drive and said there was no problem with the shifting

Still, I felt the problem

After that, the dealer reset the system
(including learning driving habits and resetting the ECU, etc.)

After that, I did a test drive and I definitely felt the difference

In terms of feeling, the engine and exhaust noises were louder in roll mode and the gear drop phenomenon that occurred frequently when putting the bike in neutral

was gone

(I felt the noise got quieter when I noticed the problem and the gear drop phenomenon when putting the bike in neutral was very severe)

The feeling when shifting gears became more natural

So the fear that there would be a problem with the clutch when changing gears

But still, when I release the throttle quickly while driving, the rpm jumps up by about 100 for a very short time and then drops

(Is this happening to other people too?)

The dealer said this could just be a huge dry single plate clutch characteristic

It's improved in every way, but I think I need to wait and see
Other I wish I could test r18, but I can't right now.
 
Mine raises the RPM as well (By give or take 100 RPM) when I pull in the clutch or shift in gear, it is most noticeable when I have to go real slow and use the clutch to slow down below idle ... I think it has something to do with the stall control that is built into the ECU ... it has never bothered me much. Just ignore it and enjoy the ride IMO
 
Ulrich said:
Mine raises the RPM as well (By give or take 100 RPM) when I pull in the clutch or shift in gear, it is most noticeable when I have to go real slow and use the clutch to slow down below idle ... I think it has something to do with the stall control that is built into the ECU ... it has never bothered me much. Just ignore it and enjoy the ride IMO
Click to expand...
This wasn't just happening to me. I can finally enjoy this bike to the fullest.
thank you for your reply
I really like this bike
 
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