When riding my 08F in traffic, I've noticed that the freeplay on the clutch lever steadily increases. 

It starts off nice & tight at around 10mm freeplay, but the more I use the clutch the looser it gets. 

If I don't use the clutch much/don't get stuck in traffic it operates normally.

After parking up for a while, the freeplay returns to normal specs.

The clutch lever is adjusted properly, so does this mean my clutch is done for and needs replacing?

Thanks in advance for the help

My 08F has done that since new.
It has never been a problem.

Macka

Are you sure it's not a problem?  It definitely feels like one, and doesn't sound normal either

It has got to the point before (when stuck in traffic going through town) that 75% of the clutch travel was freeplay.  If I had been stuck in traffic much longer I would have had no clutch left!

Check the clutch cable, especially the ball end where it sits in the lever.  Binding there will cause the cable to fray and eventually break.  Any hard bends and the clutch release end should be checked as well for broken cable strands.

If everything checks out, the issue might be mitigated somewhat by wrapping foil tape around the cable housing.  There's only so many ways to route the cable but if possible, keeping it from running above the engine would help too.

I've never had this happen, even with my ridiculously worn clutch cable. I'd suggest you lube the cable and verify it doesn't have loose strands hanging up in the housing.

I have replaced the clutch cable already, there's no tight spots and I'm happy it's not the problem.

I did previously run the bike low on oil which could have overheated the clutch I suppose?

I don't mind replacing the clutch but just want to be sure it's necessary first

When I said mine does that too, I mean that the freeplay at the lever will increase from 10mm to 15mm., a 50% increase.
It is enough to notice but not to have any effect on use or performance.
The original post did not specify how much it increased.

Macka

Quote from: prmas on March 05, 2019, 02:13:14 PM
When I said mine does that too, I mean that the freeplay at the lever will increase from 10mm to 15mm., a 50% increase.
It is enough to notice but not to have any effect on use or performance.
The original post did not specify how much it increased.

Macka

Thanks Macka - I hadn't thought to mention the level of change.

During small amounts of stop & go traffic it only increases by the 50% you mention - however if I get stuck in traffic for any longer it will go completely limp!

Does anyone have any idea what this means?

Thanks.

Coincidentally, I rode my Honda today and noticed that the clutch free play does a similar but more extensive thing.
On that one the free play will double but has no effect on performance.
I can only assume that your clutch plates have been damaged by overheating, worsened by the low oil level.
Perhaps the "corks" have been softened by heat and shrink, contract or compress as they get hotter but rebound when they cool down again.   
You will probably need a complete new clutch pack as the metal plates will most likely be "blued" by the heat too.

Macka