runaway 04 CRF150

[QikZ06]

Friend of mine got this bike for free. It had been submerged under water for a few hours at a local riding hole ( 4 feet deep ) Well the bike was dragged out and it set for 9 months with no TLC till he got it the other day. Well after draining the fluids and cleaning the carb the bike fired up on the third kick. We let the bike run for about 15 minutes and my buddy jumped on eager for a ride. Next thing a know he's in the Holly bushes across my yard MIA :yell: :yikes: . He put the bike in gear and it took off with no help from the clutch. The clutch will not disengage; I would assume it's stuck. Any suggestions as to what I can do to fix this problem besides putting the bike back in the 4ft hole. Just kidding :laugh: Oh My friend was OK!

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I am not sure why a stuck clutch would put you in the bushes. I would expect it to stall the engine when you shifted into gear!

I suspect that the clutch is so gunked up after sitting with water in it for so long that it will need a lot of TLC. It is possible that you could clean it out by draining the oil, flushing with some mild solvent (kerosene maybe? transmission fluid? A lot of WD-40?), then rinsing with oil (to purge the solvent) then new oil.

It would probably be better to tear it apart, disassemble the clutch and clean it properly. All the parts might still be useable you just need to get all the gunk off.

Rod

 

[QikZ06]

Thanks Rod, I gave the drain, flush, wd-40, new oil a try, but no luck. Put the bike on a stand and it runs fine when you put it in gear, but it will not stop when the clutch lever is pulled. I quess I will pull the basket off, clean it, and give it another try. Next question; what's the tool ( socket like ) you need to take the basket off? I quess a metric nut from the factory would have been to much to ask for!

 

[mideastrider]

Does the clutch lever have tension and feel like its working but its just not releasing? If so ride it while holding the clutch in and get up in as high a gear as it will pull its self it will break free.

 

[QikZ06]

Yes Mideast the clutch has tension and looking through the oil fill it seems to be working correctly. I'll give your suggestion a try before I take the basket off. Thanks, Brian

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I am still confused at how you got the bike rolling without the clutch.....

I broke my clutch lever a while back and had to nurse the bike back to camp. In order to get going I had my buddies give me a push, then I could shift into gear and go. Are you saying the from a normal situation, dead stop, engine idling, you drop it into first gear and can just take off?

Or are you reving the engine way up, drop it into first and let the rear wheel spin?

While on a stand, with the rear wheel off the ground, I am not surprised that the wheel will turn when the bike is in gear and the clutch pulled in. It is normal for there to be a significant amount of fluid drag in the clutch, enough so that it can be hard to start in gear and a bitch to push the bike with the engine dead and in gear.

Like mideastrider said, try getting the bike going, shift into a higher gear (3rd or up), pull the clutch in, give it some gas and stomp the rear brake. If you stall the engine then you definately need to pull it apart. If the clutch breaks loose, let it rev for a few seconds, then start rolling again to cool things off (if there was friction involved things can overheat rapdily) then do it again.

Rod