I really love my XDS. I'm almost IN love with it. I'm not, however, too blinded by love to forget how smooth, easy, tender and sensual the clutch pull was on my 2018 Vulcan S. I also didn't forget the peppy, eager starter that went "Yalalala!" instead of the old man's "Ahem", "Ahem", "Oh well, I'll start" of the XDS. But that's another story. Let's focus on that heavy-weight lifter clutch pull for now.
So. After reading stuff on the interwebs, I concluded the solution to my problems would be one of 'em Oberon clutch slaves. I have been assured over and over that it will turn the pull from wrenching a joint out of an addict's hand into smoothing the curls on a virgin's forehead.
So. I went ahead and procured said item. It arrived together with 3 new screws, two copper seals and an extension I was made to understand I wouldn't need. I watched youtube videos on the replacement process and learned that it was very easy. Take the old one off, put the new one on, bleed, and relish the new softness.
So. Armed with the necessary tools and 500ml of brake fluid, I went ahead and did all the wrong things. Instead of taking the stock slave off, bolting the new one and only then transferring the banjo screw, I unscrewed the banjo, wrapped it in a towel and took my sweet time exchanging the cylinders. Needless to say, by the time I was ready to attach the banjo to the new slave, I had myself a towel soaked in brake fluid, an empty reservoir and, apparently, 8 gazillion cubic inches of air in the line.
So. In goes the fresh fluid, off goes the bleeding dust cap, on goes a tube that leads to a collection bottle. Clutch is pumped 6 times and held-in, valve is opened and closed, clutch is released, and repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat...
3 hours later (I shit you not), I give up. Yes, bubbles do come out. Yes, the clutch goes from mooshy to less mooshy. Yes, fluid flows out of the reservoir into the collection bottle, and I keep filling it. I don't let it go empty so air can't get in.
3 hours. Let me tell you, it's not fun. There's brake fluid everywhere and my arms hurt. I'm also contemplating the nightmarish logistics of towing the bike to the dealer (I use it to commute to work every day) and being without it for who knows how long (parts need to come from Italy, which probably really means China, which is closed down due to the virus). Not fun!
Eventually, I give up. I determine the Oberon is a dud, or just the wrong part for my XDS. I take it off and put the stock clutch back on. This time I'm wise, though. I exchange the cylinders and only then transfer the banjo. Only a little bit of fluid on the floor, my hands and my face this time. Well, except for the part where you push the slave in and get a nice volcano of brake fluid all over your shiny fuel tank.
So. The stock slave is on, the reservoir is full, and I'm bleeding again. I'm bleeding the bloody thing for another 2 hours. The owls on the trees outside are looking at me funny. So does my wife. "You broke that beautiful thing?" she asks? "Why can't you leave things be?". Needless to say, that's very helpful. To her, that is. Not to me.
So. Funny things are happening. Sometimes there are bubbles, sometimes there are not. Sometimes the fluid moves, and sometimes it doesn't. I become desperate. I decide to "bleed the master cylinder". I'm not even sure if that's a thing on the XDS, but I do it anyway. Let me tell you. Big mistake. Fluid pours down (there is no bleeder nozzle on the master), and then nothing comes out even though the reservoir is full. "Aha!" I think to myself. "There is air trapped in the master, which I need to bleed out. This is why the darn thing didn't work for me. No one ever experienced that problem, which is why no one mentions anywhere on the interwebs... by I, the newcomer, have cleverly stumbled upon an issue that no one admitted before - or at least - solved before!". Well, let me tell you. You don't need to bleed the master. You certainly don't need to break the copper seal (especially if you don't have a new one) and get a nice leak going. Ignoring recommended torque (yes, completely horrible but I'm desperate at this point) I tightened the thing until my eyes bulged out, and the leak stopped.
So. I keep bleeding and bleeding. At some point I remove the custom clutch lever and put the stock one back, thinking that that might have something to do with it. Let me tell you - it doesn't. I connect a vacuum pump to the bleed valve and pump. I pump for 30 minutes while refilling the reservoir. There are bubbles, but the clutch is mooshier than ever.
So. I rewatch youtube videos, trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Nothing. There's one helpful fella who tells me "Bleeding the clutch isn't rocket science.". Well, let me tell you. If you get enough air into that system, it becomes fracking rocket science. I keep at it for another two hours, and the clutch starts to feel firm. I hold it in and try to move the bike, and it moves! Success! It is working! Happiness! Relief! The final test, of course, is to start the bike in neutral, pull the clutch and shift into 1st. I do that, and the bike immediately shuts off. Obviously, the clutch is not disengaging all the way and stalling the engine. So I keep bleeding for another 2 hours, repeating the test every 20 minutes or so. Let me tell you, there is nothing like realizing how utterly stupid you are for shifting into 1st while the kickstand is down and mistaking the shutoff to a clutch issue.
So. I'm 8 hours into it, and the engine now stays on when shifting into 1st (with the kickstand up, clever me). I fixed it! Yay! Let me tell you. It's quite a conundrum at this point, since I'm tired, covered with brake fluid and I have the bike exactly as it was 8 hours ago, with the stock cylinder on. So... do I, uh, install the Oberon and go through it all again? Hell yes! My mom didn't raise no wusses. I invite the wife into the garage, hand her the bottle of fluid and ask her to watch the reservoir like a hawk - never letting the level fall.
So. Like a practiced wizard, I switch the cylinders yet again. I'm so fast and nimble that only a few drops of fluid escape as I transfer the banjo over. The fluid doesn't even need to be topped off. And I bleed! Bubbles! Receding mooshiness! Success!
So. The Oberon is installed and the clutch works as prescribed. Neutral, engine on, pull in, shift into 1st (kickstand up, hardy har har). Works!
So. Let me tell you. It doesn't feel any different. The pull is the same, I can't feel jack sh*t of a change. Bottom line, don't replace your slave cylinder with an Oberon. And if you do, you'll be sad.
So. After reading stuff on the interwebs, I concluded the solution to my problems would be one of 'em Oberon clutch slaves. I have been assured over and over that it will turn the pull from wrenching a joint out of an addict's hand into smoothing the curls on a virgin's forehead.
So. I went ahead and procured said item. It arrived together with 3 new screws, two copper seals and an extension I was made to understand I wouldn't need. I watched youtube videos on the replacement process and learned that it was very easy. Take the old one off, put the new one on, bleed, and relish the new softness.
So. Armed with the necessary tools and 500ml of brake fluid, I went ahead and did all the wrong things. Instead of taking the stock slave off, bolting the new one and only then transferring the banjo screw, I unscrewed the banjo, wrapped it in a towel and took my sweet time exchanging the cylinders. Needless to say, by the time I was ready to attach the banjo to the new slave, I had myself a towel soaked in brake fluid, an empty reservoir and, apparently, 8 gazillion cubic inches of air in the line.
So. In goes the fresh fluid, off goes the bleeding dust cap, on goes a tube that leads to a collection bottle. Clutch is pumped 6 times and held-in, valve is opened and closed, clutch is released, and repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat...
3 hours later (I shit you not), I give up. Yes, bubbles do come out. Yes, the clutch goes from mooshy to less mooshy. Yes, fluid flows out of the reservoir into the collection bottle, and I keep filling it. I don't let it go empty so air can't get in.
3 hours. Let me tell you, it's not fun. There's brake fluid everywhere and my arms hurt. I'm also contemplating the nightmarish logistics of towing the bike to the dealer (I use it to commute to work every day) and being without it for who knows how long (parts need to come from Italy, which probably really means China, which is closed down due to the virus). Not fun!
Eventually, I give up. I determine the Oberon is a dud, or just the wrong part for my XDS. I take it off and put the stock clutch back on. This time I'm wise, though. I exchange the cylinders and only then transfer the banjo. Only a little bit of fluid on the floor, my hands and my face this time. Well, except for the part where you push the slave in and get a nice volcano of brake fluid all over your shiny fuel tank.
So. The stock slave is on, the reservoir is full, and I'm bleeding again. I'm bleeding the bloody thing for another 2 hours. The owls on the trees outside are looking at me funny. So does my wife. "You broke that beautiful thing?" she asks? "Why can't you leave things be?". Needless to say, that's very helpful. To her, that is. Not to me.
So. Funny things are happening. Sometimes there are bubbles, sometimes there are not. Sometimes the fluid moves, and sometimes it doesn't. I become desperate. I decide to "bleed the master cylinder". I'm not even sure if that's a thing on the XDS, but I do it anyway. Let me tell you. Big mistake. Fluid pours down (there is no bleeder nozzle on the master), and then nothing comes out even though the reservoir is full. "Aha!" I think to myself. "There is air trapped in the master, which I need to bleed out. This is why the darn thing didn't work for me. No one ever experienced that problem, which is why no one mentions anywhere on the interwebs... by I, the newcomer, have cleverly stumbled upon an issue that no one admitted before - or at least - solved before!". Well, let me tell you. You don't need to bleed the master. You certainly don't need to break the copper seal (especially if you don't have a new one) and get a nice leak going. Ignoring recommended torque (yes, completely horrible but I'm desperate at this point) I tightened the thing until my eyes bulged out, and the leak stopped.
So. I keep bleeding and bleeding. At some point I remove the custom clutch lever and put the stock one back, thinking that that might have something to do with it. Let me tell you - it doesn't. I connect a vacuum pump to the bleed valve and pump. I pump for 30 minutes while refilling the reservoir. There are bubbles, but the clutch is mooshier than ever.
So. I rewatch youtube videos, trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Nothing. There's one helpful fella who tells me "Bleeding the clutch isn't rocket science.". Well, let me tell you. If you get enough air into that system, it becomes fracking rocket science. I keep at it for another two hours, and the clutch starts to feel firm. I hold it in and try to move the bike, and it moves! Success! It is working! Happiness! Relief! The final test, of course, is to start the bike in neutral, pull the clutch and shift into 1st. I do that, and the bike immediately shuts off. Obviously, the clutch is not disengaging all the way and stalling the engine. So I keep bleeding for another 2 hours, repeating the test every 20 minutes or so. Let me tell you, there is nothing like realizing how utterly stupid you are for shifting into 1st while the kickstand is down and mistaking the shutoff to a clutch issue.
So. I'm 8 hours into it, and the engine now stays on when shifting into 1st (with the kickstand up, clever me). I fixed it! Yay! Let me tell you. It's quite a conundrum at this point, since I'm tired, covered with brake fluid and I have the bike exactly as it was 8 hours ago, with the stock cylinder on. So... do I, uh, install the Oberon and go through it all again? Hell yes! My mom didn't raise no wusses. I invite the wife into the garage, hand her the bottle of fluid and ask her to watch the reservoir like a hawk - never letting the level fall.
So. Like a practiced wizard, I switch the cylinders yet again. I'm so fast and nimble that only a few drops of fluid escape as I transfer the banjo over. The fluid doesn't even need to be topped off. And I bleed! Bubbles! Receding mooshiness! Success!
So. The Oberon is installed and the clutch works as prescribed. Neutral, engine on, pull in, shift into 1st (kickstand up, hardy har har). Works!
So. Let me tell you. It doesn't feel any different. The pull is the same, I can't feel jack sh*t of a change. Bottom line, don't replace your slave cylinder with an Oberon. And if you do, you'll be sad.
