My '04 GS has ~12,000 miles on it. I've used the procedure from posts on this forum and my own Clymer manual to adjust these clutch adjustment points. I've probably done it 25+ times since I've owned the bike. That is WAY too frequent. I'm practically a freaking expert at it at this point and if I have to turn that screw one more time I'm going to lose it. 

I'll adjust the 3 points step-by-step properly according to procedure. Once I go out on the road and test the feel of the clutch it grabs quick and feels nice and crisp for about 5 minutes. I'll make it maybe a mile and by the time I hit the main road and get on it a bit to check slippage at top gears it's already back to slipping! It's quite noticeable in first at take off as well; laggy and sluggish.

It won't stay tight at all for very long and I've fiddled and fiddled with the thing. I've tried every method and combination that I could think of and my ingenuity is found lacking, apparently. So now, I turn to this forum.

Anyone here have any ideas?

How old is your clutch cable? Any fraying at the bar end? Last time I had to adjust the clutch multiple times, the cable snapped 5 miles from home.

As far as I am aware the cable has never been replaced. I am the third owner and have put 6500 miles on the bike. Clutch cable at the clutch lever looks pristine when I pull it in fully. This has been an ongoing problem for some months now and I ride minimum 200-250miles per week. It hasn't broken yet, if that were the issue. Though it could be.

Are you saying that the freeplay at the lever keeps disappearing after a few miles or that the clutch is slipping despite having some clearance/freeplay at the lever?
These are two totally different situations and from your description it sounds like clutch slip as the clutch warms up, not a clearance problem.

Macka

Apologies if I was unclear before;

The lever (and I'm assuming the cable) appear to operate flawlessly. The problem is the clutch itself failing to grab. It doesn't seem to grab tightly and slips. So take off in 1st is sluggish because it takes longer than it should for it to engage fully, and in 5th and 6th gear if I really crack open the throttle quickly it slips, revving up high but providing little to no acceleration. Even if I roll on at a moderate pace it slips some times in higher gears.

The amount of times I've adjusted the clutch cable adjustment to fix that is many, in a short span of time. The cable adjustment does work, temporarily, though it never fixes the slippage issue for long. After a short time the clutch slips again.

OK. You have a slipping clutch. It is not the fault of adjustment.
Perhaps it has had the wrong (friction modified) oil in the engine. That would damage the clutch plates and stop them from gripping. If that is the case you will need to replace the friction discs and clean the metal plates.
At your present mileage the clutch should not be worn out unless it has been abused.
It sounds like you need a "clutch overhaul".

Macka

I wouldnt rule out improper adjustment or failure in the clutch cable and lever itself so quickly...especially since the clutch itself is a relatively simple mechanical piece.  Also if the OP has adjusted 25 X since this began then the adjustment mechanism (if we are to assume it is done correct and holds) would have likely run out of adjustment by now meaning nothing the OP did to adjust the clutch (without opening up the clutch itself) would result in any improvement.

Perhaps the clutch cable lock/adjustment nuts are backing off? I can't see it happening at the bars but at the clutch cover it is conceivable. 

Barring anything else...open up the clutch.  Check the bolts, check the springs, check the discs, change your oil to motorcycle specific oil. 

If you are unsure about the oil in the bike, I would change it with a know quantity as a start.

I'm confident it isn't the oil. I'm using fairly standard stuff. 15w40 Rotella T Triple Protection. It isn't energy conserving, friction modified, and so forth; At least not indicated by the seal on the back or anywhere on the container.

Stated previously, there were only two owners before me (supposedly) and they both only accrued about 5,500 odometer miles in total (supposedly) before it sat up a while in both their care. I can't imagine they could really have done anything to it in that span of time to ruin a wet clutch. I think the most abusive thing I do to my clutch is hold it in at lights, but it should be able to handle that, to my knowledge. I'm no expert, though.

Quote from: mwe on January 21, 2016, 09:19:10 AM
I wouldnt rule out improper adjustment or failure in the clutch cable and lever itself so quickly...especially since the clutch itself is a relatively simple mechanical piece.  Also if the OP has adjusted 25 X since this began then the adjustment mechanism (if we are to assume it is done correct and holds) would have likely run out of adjustment by now meaning nothing the OP did to adjust the clutch (without opening up the clutch itself) would result in any improvement.

Perhaps the clutch cable lock/adjustment nuts are backing off? I can't see it happening at the bars but at the clutch cover it is conceivable. 

Barring anything else...open up the clutch.  Check the bolts, check the springs, check the discs, change your oil to motorcycle specific oil. 

If you are unsure about the oil in the bike, I would change it with a know quantity as a start.

This is my first bike and my first time tackling something of this nature on a motorcycle, so I'm not really following you on that first bit. If i did "run out of adjustment room" how would you suggest I go about fixing that?

Otherwise I'll give it one more adjustment, but if it still doesn't set properly it sounds like I'll have to crack it open, which isn't so bad. I'll be needing to drain the oil soon to replace the gasket on the right side, regardless. It's got a pretty severe oil leak.

If the clutch itself were wearing out, each time you adjusted the cable you are effectively then just taking up the slack created by the wear in the clutch. The cable length is limited and at some point you run out of cable. My point was there was likely never 25 x extra adjustment room to begin with which leads me to think that the fault lies in the adjustment itself.

Quote from: Iarn on January 21, 2016, 10:35:10 AM
I'll be needing to drain the oil soon to replace the gasket on the right side, regardless. It's got a pretty severe oil leak.

First clue one of the two PO's might have been in there and left out one of the disks or something stupid like that 

Quote from: mwe on January 21, 2016, 11:12:31 AM
If the clutch itself were wearing out, each time you adjusted the cable you are effectively then just taking up the slack created by the wear in the clutch. The cable length is limited and at some point you run out of cable. My point was there was likely never 25 x extra adjustment room to begin with which leads me to think that the fault lies in the adjustment itself.

I see, thanks for the explanation.

Quote from: Suzuki Stevo on January 21, 2016, 12:09:21 PM

Quote from: Iarn on January 21, 2016, 10:35:10 AM
I'll be needing to drain the oil soon to replace the gasket on the right side, regardless. It's got a pretty severe oil leak.

First clue one of the two PO's might have been in there and left out one of the disks or something stupid like that 

It's possible. I got my baby off craigslist and I've always had a dubious feeling about its past. To me it's obvious since it's been in my care that it has been abused and not well maintained in the past. I'm not even sure I trust the ODO, but I digress...

I've just adjusted the 3-pointer again just a few minutes ago. I've lost all hope at this point that it is causing the issue. The pushrod is in perfect position, no doubt about that. I set the rough adjustment and rode off. It was still slipping so I stopped a few times down the road to adjust the rough adjustment, just to see if I was missing some "sweet spot" in the adjustment. It helped a little here or there or made it a little worse here or there depending on my adjustment, but the clutch still hiccups/slips at take off and in 5th and 6th around 6.5k RPM it slips. Especially if I try to crack the throttle. The clutch simply cannot hold on, it seems.

At this point it's either the cable or the plates. I'm having doubts spending the $130+ for the plate kit and such is even worth it at this point. 

just for shits and giggles...please confirm that the clutch cable is secured to the clutch cover/engine cases.  If I recall there should be 3 nuts on the end of the cable at the adjustment (one to set height, one to secure the height agains the case and the last to lock the nuts so they dont back off under vibration.  Confirm you have all the three nuts and that the adjuster is secure. If this checks out...and before you buy plates.  Pull the Clutch pack and measure the springs and the plates to confirm they are in or out of spec.

If your clutch is slipping then it means your cable would be too tight.  Cables don't get shorter over time, they stretch and cause the opposite problem than the one you're having.

Here is an idea for you.  Disconnect the clutch cable, rev your engine and drop it in gear (with the brake applied and ready to hit the kill switch). See if the clutch slips, my bet is that it does slip.

You should still measure the clutch springs.  You never know, the PO may have left some out or used springs from another bike or ... ?

You need to look at your clutch pack.

Quote from: mwe on January 21, 2016, 01:34:14 PM
just for shits and giggles...please confirm that the clutch cable is secured to the clutch cover/engine cases.  If I recall there should be 3 nuts on the end of the cable at the adjustment (one to set height, one to secure the height agains the case and the last to lock the nuts so they dont back off under vibration.  Confirm you have all the three nuts and that the adjuster is secure. If this checks out...and before you buy plates.  Pull the Clutch pack and measure the springs and the plates to confirm they are in or out of spec.

The only fasteners I can identify there are the adjuster bolt and the lock nut. Where that third one is I do not know, I suppose the final nut is inside the case? As far as loose cables, I can pull the sheath covering the wire going into the adjuster up a bit, I don't think that's what you mean, though. Not too sure how to access the cable from the clutch cover without removing it, if there is a way. I will fiddle with it more in depth and look at it when I remove the cover.

Quote from: lucas on January 21, 2016, 02:00:44 PM
If your clutch is slipping then it means your cable would be too tight.  Cables don't get shorter over time, they stretch and cause the opposite problem than the one you're having.

Here is an idea for you.  Disconnect the clutch cable, rev your engine and drop it in gear (with the brake applied and ready to hit the kill switch). See if the clutch slips, my bet is that it does slip.

You should still measure the clutch springs.  You never know, the PO may have left some out or used springs from another bike or ... ?

You need to look at your clutch pack.

I suppose it is settled, then. I have to remove the clutch cover anyway to replace the gasket. I'll measure and count the springs and plates. I'm assuming I can find the specs in my service manual?

Once I know more I'll report back here. I appreciate the help and the brainstorming a ton, folks! 

The only way possible for an adjustment to make the clutch slip is to have the rough adjustment #6 too tight (No free play, holding clutch open) if you have it backed it out 1/4-1/2 a turn and it still slips, you're gunna have to pull the right case to see what's up with the basket.

All right. Clutch cover gasket came in today; along with it I bought some digital vernier calipers and oil change materials.

On to measuring the plates and springs. How exactly would I go about that? Should I completely disassemble the clutch plate assembly and measure each plate and each spring individually? Is there an order I'd have to keep them in when removed?

My manual says 60.8mm service limit for the coil springs, so if they're shorter than 60.8mm, replace them. Am I understanding that correctly? Also, do i compress the spring at all with the caliper when measuring, or no?

Drive plates are 2.92mm - 3.08mm standard and if they're within this thickness, they are still serviceable. Service limit is 2.62mm or shorter so if they measure that or less they'll need to be replaced? Is that right?

If I replace the springs, do I need to replace the drive plates as well, or vice versa? Is just replacing springs or drive places acceptable if say the springs are out of spec but the plates are not?

Anything else I need to know or am missing? I'm inexperienced so I want to make sure this goes smoothly. 

I know I'm asking dumb questions but I'm worried about leaving my bike in a worse state than it is now. 

Measure the springs uncompressed.  There is no order to the springs, they should be identical to each other.

Measure each clutch plate individually.  There is an order the plates alternate, you will see there are two types of plates.  One steel and one friction material and they alternate.

If any of the measurements are outside of the service limit you are supposed to replace that part.  Suzuki's engineers decided what the service limit is and the instructions are that if a part is outside the service limit it should not be used on the motorcycle.   It is not strictly necessary to replace all the springs if some are still in the correct range.  Just replace any bad springs, you can buy them individually.

When you buy new clutch plates you will get a whole set.  If the plates are outside the service range or even near the minimum or if you are missing plates then buy a new set.

Keep track of what you measured and separate them into piles.  Maybe spread out a couple pieces of paper and write "good springs" "bad springs" or something.  You can waste time remeasuring everything because you lost track.

Your clutch will have 7 friction plates and 6 steel plates.  13 in all.  The idea that you are missing plates might be stupid... The clutch might not work at all if you were missing a plate

See the diagram here:

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Suzuki/Motorcycle/1992/GS500ET/CLUTCH/parts.html

Here is a video of someone removing their clutch.  You'll go through this same procedure (after you drain your oil!)

https://youtu.be/uySgpe5OyYw

Whoops!  Accidental third post...

Anyhow, you should be able to get new clutch plates for much less than $130.  If the steel plates are in the service range then you could buy the friction plates only for like $45 maybe less.

Thanks. I'll break it open within the next couple days to a week and we'll see how it's looking in there. I'm interested to see the state of the old gasket. I'll post pics.