Technical advice: Suzuki Hayabusa clutch slipping

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Q. I have a very clean ‘99 Hayabusa with 14,000 miles on the clock and a full service history.

I bought it two months ago and it’s still under dealer warranty. My problem is that if the bike is not used for about four days the clutch slips for a while – it’s like trying to ride it with the clutch half pulled in.

The bike has been checked by the dealer who says the clutch plates and springs are fine. The problem does eventually clear its self and the bike then pulls as you would expect a Busa to do so.

The bike only has a sidestand, so I wondered if this may be causing the problem.

I am also concerned that if the problem is not sorted under warranty it could cost me some big money later on.

Geoff Wood, Notts

A. The slave cylinder for the Busa’s hydraulic clutch lives low on the left side of the engine and the pushrod doesn’t have a protective rubber boot on it.

What sometimes happens is water gets in there and makes the rod ‘sticky’.

When you pull in the clutch lever the rod moves past the oil seal ok, but then the clutch springs aren’t strong enough to return it all the way to its original position, so you get some slip until the surface corrosion is rubbed off.