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[johnmowcop]

Any pointers to what happened here please.

CVO Ultra RoadGlide 2011. 33k miles on it.

Very hot day 100degF. Not loaded with luggage but two up.

In French Alps going up a multi hairpin pass very slowly - first and second gear riding, sometimes slipping clutch (but not too much of that) to get around the tight bends.

Engine smelled hot but still kept going ok. I have done this type of ridding many times before, just the bends were a bit tighter than normal and it was a bit hotter than normal.

Without any previous warning, came to one hairpin bend and pulled the clutch lever in - came all the way (nearly) to the bar without actuating the clutch. Managed to stop, roll back to a safe place and left to cool for half hour, clutch action returned and carried on. Ridden another 500 miles since no problems.

What happened?

JohnT

[motor1]

Sounds like you boiled the brake fluid (for clutch, of course). Once it is percolating you won't have any clutch activation. Since DOT 3 and 4 are hydroscopic ( absorb moisture out of the air) this will happen sooner if there is the tiniest bit of water in the brake fluid. It is time to flush the clutch hydraulics.

[ultrafxr]

He is correct. This happened to me taking a twisty mountain road two loaded and pulling a trailer. Lost my rear brake also. Get the fluid flushed. Moco recommends doing this every two years.


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[grc]

More than a few people have had this problem since 2009, thanks in part to the routing of the clutch hydraulic line near the exhaust and the fact the line is not insulated.  As noted in the previous posts, completely flush the hydraulic system and fill with the highest boiling point DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 (not silicone) fluid you can find.  It also wouldn't hurt to find some tubing insulation wrap for the line where it runs near the exhaust system.

Jerry

[FlaHeatWave]

Any pointers to what happened here please.

CVO Ultra RoadGlide 2011. 33k miles on it.

Very hot day 100degF. Not loaded with luggage but two up.

In French Alps going up a multi hairpin pass very slowly - first and second gear riding, sometimes slipping clutch (but not too much of that) to get around the tight bends.

Engine smelled hot but still kept going ok. I have done this type of ridding many times before, just the bends were a bit tighter than normal and it was a bit hotter than normal.

Without any previous warning, came to one hairpin bend and pulled the clutch lever in - came all the way (nearly) to the bar without actuating the clutch. Managed to stop, roll back to a safe place and left to cool for half hour, clutch action returned and carried on. Ridden another 500 miles since no problems.

What happened?

JohnT

This has happened twice on my '09 SERG, once in Glacier National Park +- 6k ft of elevation, in Aug '13 and just last month (Aug '17) in the Smokey Mtns, +-4k ft of elevation... Pretty much identical scenario as yours... First time I was caught in traffic on Going to the Sun Road, most recently, I was following one of  my Buds, with 2 more bikes behind me, on / near the Cherohala Skyway...
Due to my experience in '13, I knew what it was and that the "fix" was cooling the bike down,,, so I passed up to the front and "ran my own pace", less rowing of the gears, along with some coasting the Oil Temp dropped from 260* (which is high / uncommon for the '09) to a more common 240*,,, the Clutch immediately came back to normal

The first time, the Bike had 13-14k miles, last month, 58k miles...

The similarities seem to be the combination of; high ambient temps, elevation, and the up and down 1-2-3 gear shifting, causing the hydraulic fluid to boil and not transfer adequate pressure from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder...

I agree with others that a change to a higher boiling point fluid could help,,, the next time that I have the opportunity, I will ask the HD Engineers about any potential compatibility issues / suggestions...   

[johnmowcop]

Thanks' to you all for the responses. Question answered.

JohnT

[chaos901]

Last year riding out west and charging up mountains I had clutch issues.  Changed all the fluid this year, same roads, same style, no issues.