Is the bike still under warranty?
When you last changed the oil, did you use the proper weight / viscosity?
Check your clutch reservoir for proper fluid levels. Do you ride the clutch a lot? Maybe causing premature wear.


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There may have also been a time when someone used the right weight of oi,l but used oil with anti-wear additives that got into the plates. Kind of like getting grease on your brakes. So the plates may measure up just fine, but that slipping might not ever go away.


That's just one possibility.

 

Yeah I've heard of that, many car oils have additives that will do that.


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Thanks for the response. Lets take things one by one:

1. Oil - The garage changed the oil. These guys are Ducati specialist so I would be amazed if they did not picked up the right one.
2. Fluid levels. I will check and let you know.
3. Additives - this is hard to tell.

My bike is second hand with 9K Miles. Every how many miles in average do you change clutch plates in a 696?

When bike is cold there is no slipping !

Something else I notice is that it also slips when riding over a pothole or small road bump.

I will prob have to change the plates but it is expensive and I want to eliminate any other possibilities.

Thanks

 

Can you describe the slipping more? Does it only happen when you really pin the throttle? I can't see how potholes and bumps would help it slip, maybe your just losing traction in those situations.


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If for example I have 3rd gear 6K RPM release throttle and pin the throttle again you can feel the engine slipping.

Same for the bumps, if you are accelerating and pass over a small bump the clutch slips again ..

Finally you don't really need to go super fast to notice the slipping.

Definitely I don't lose traction, it just slips.

 

Hi, have you managed to solve your problem? I recently bought 696 with 11k kilometers (bike bought from first owner with full service history) and today also experienced identical issues. But I can see brake fluid leaking from reservoir cap and I'm thinking to start with it.

 

Maybe you didn't understand what I was saying about the oil.

You bought the bike second hand, is that correct?

The statement about you just buying it would lead me to think you did not put the 9,000 miles on the bike.

If it was second hand and the clutches started slipping soon after you bought the bike, then you may not know what oil was in it when you bought the bike. So even though you just had it changed, I wasn't saying they got it wrong. It could have been before the oil change. However I don't really know the history of the bike. I'm just trying to open your mind back up before you close it, as of now you seem closed to the idea because you don't think your current mechanic would have made the mistake. And I'm not saying they did since the problem occurred before they did the oil change.

If the bike is second hand, it is possible the previous owner did not know how to correctly let off the clutch, many Ducati owners prematurely wear the plates out by trying to drag out the clutch rather than dumping it. Hopefully not as a good set of plates is almost $300 out the door. You can easily change them yourself without much wrenching experience to save on the labor.

 

Got the bike to the my garage (ducati) and they changed the clutch.

Took the bike, after a few days the same !

Got my bike in and changed as he said EVERYTHING !

Now the bike is better but if I rev hard and the bike is fairly warm the clutch is slipping again ... crazy!

I went through the forums but I did not find any solid solution. I am thinking of selling the bike.

Has anyone experienced the same issue? Did they fixed it?

 

I just put 7k Km on my 696 and my clutch is perfect. IMO you don't have a problem, this is the nature of the air cooled Monster. When the temps get up and depending on the humidity, the bike feels "soggy" I've found. I can see how some can mistake it for a burnt out clutch pack but its not. I have it on some days and others, the bike bites hard.

I really think you wasted your money changing it. It's hard to tell for sure without riding it but I really think the problems you have aren't problems but just something the bike does.

 

Byrlord just curious as I need to do the same to my 2009 696 and don't have the time to deal with it myself.
How much we're you charged for the clutch if you don't mind me asking?


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It was approx £300 plus the vat.

 

I fixed clutch slip on my M696 by adjusting the master cylinder actuation screw. Did you install a new clutch lever perchance?


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I'd be worried about a shop that got into your clutch and if it was in good shape, did not notify you. An oil slicked clutch would be difficult to tell just by looking at it, however clutch slip tends to "blue" the steel plates and should be noticeable.


Any chance your chain is loose and it's slipping? A long shot I know. I've actually heard people complain about their clutch but then look at the rear sprocket and it was bare, as in no teeth left on it, just nubs. Probably not your case on a 7,000 mile bike.

 

Yeah, I'm also experiencing the same problem with my 2010 696. How much will it at the shop. If I do it my self what am I looking at cost wise and time wise.

 

Has anyone checked the adjustment screw in the clutch lever? By the sound of it the return circuit may be closed so when the clutch & engine get warm the clutch fluid will expand and release the clutch slightly causing slip as it has no where to expand into.

Follow this link http://www.ducatisuite.com/leverchange.html

At the bottom of the page is how to set the adjustment screw properly. Do this with the engine stone cold!

This could solve your problem.

 

At the bottom of the page is how to set the adjustment screw properly. Do this with the engine stone cold!

This could solve your problem.

I am having a similar issue, there used to be about 1.5 cm of play before squeezing the clutch did anything. I hadn't ridden the bike for about 2 weeks and today i noticed the lever was engaging at the very end of the throw. Looking at my lever I fail to see any type of screw that I can use to adjust. I have a 2009 696. Was this only on the older bikes? any chance someone has a picture?

thanks.

 

What Paul said


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It has hot glue over the screw head to stop people messing with it, so may not look like a screw. A heat gun or potent hair dryer will resolve that problem.


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Air in the clutch fluid at the slave cylinder can cause this,especially if the diaphragm in the master cylinder is not doing it's job.
As the air bubbles heat up,the air can expand more than brake fluid would,and cause the clutch to partly dis-engage. But like I said,this is only if the master cylinder diaphragm isn't working correctly (eg. non vented cover plate or fluid overfilled).
it could even have water in the fluid which would have the same effect.
I'd give it a good bleed with some fresh new brake fluid and set the fluid level right.I'd also check to make sure the breather groove in the cover plate is clear and not obstructed.(Or not some cheap Chinese aftermarket anodized cover without a breather groove at all).
You can see if this is your problem by loosening the 3 bolts that hold the slave cylinder in place about 2 turns each when the engine is hot, then seeing if it still does it. Just make sure you do them back up after your diagnosis .

 

I just finished reinstalling my old clutch plates after having them inspected. Turns out they have lots of life left in them. So they're not the cause of the slippage. It took some some time for me to figure out that the hydraulic pressure on the push rod needed to be released to sink the plates into the hub properly.

After bleeding the line at the slave cylinder everything came together and began to work properly again, no slippage and the clutch is engaging properly.

I believe what the previous commenter stated is what was going on. The heat was expanding the air or fluid inside the line engaging the clutch causing it to slip.

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Thanks everyone for your very usufull comments !

I got my bike now third time to the mechanics and finally they fixxed it.

He did not explain exaclty what was the problem but now he wants another 300+VAT.

This would make a total including the original charge £700 !!

Can anyone tell me if this is possible? Should I chalenge this?

 

How can they give you an invoice, if they haven't explained the work that they performed ? I think they owe you a better explanation.

 

Thanks, I have not paid yet but I will be getting there this week to sort it out.

I just can't think of what components you could change that cost so much !

 

I hope you paid up tightass