I asked the SC guys the same thing because I am usually careful with using the clutch while the bike is running and as you also must have realised, our gladi can crawl in gear without any clutch.
what they said is that this is some rubber damping, which gets worn off/damaged and now I think it is because a lot of times, I shift down while the vehicle is slowing down even if the RPM is high...some kind of engine braking..just habitual that is all,and also when a inviting corner comes in, you shift down even when you are at high RPM/gear just for the fun of it and take the corner.
I hope you understand.
maybe that is why, thats what I understood, maybe.
this is not anything to do with the clutch as such. clutch is fine.
I am currently in Chennai, the bike too is here and I am actually from Cochin.
Work does take me back to Kerala often.

and guys someone please tell me how a pic uploaded as signature appears.
My tag line appears, but not the pic I uploaded.
Help!!

insert the link between IMG tags

ie.

[IMG]link of the image or url here[/IMG]

Update on the pillion pulling problem in my Gladiator:The issue seems to have sorted out itself. I did 70kmph with the same pillion today.It was nice to see the speedometer needle go up for a change. Never came to know what exactly was the problem.Seems like my bike has 'moods'.

Another thing I did was getting the air-fuel mixture set to lean just to check.(I was running in economy tune all this while )
Anyway,out on the road I stopped at a red traffic light. A girl on a scooty pep stopped right behind me. I was looking in the mirror to adjust my helmet when I noticed that she was quite fidgety and despite a 'no breeze' weather here in Lucknow,her hair seemed to be made to flow by an unseen force. At first I couldn't figure it out,but then it hit me. It was the exhaust. Holey-moley.
It was spewing out massive amount of gas and those of you have seen the way the Gladiator's exhaust is positioned will know why her hair was being targeted.
I modestly turned off my bike to save her hair.
Later on,just to see,I stood behind the exhaust and the bike was pumping air right upto my face.(I am about six feet)
Got back to the mechanic and immediately reverted to a 'safer' setting.

Edit: I am loving this bike.

here's what most mechs do. first they may remove the wheel and clean the disc and pads. this does not usually reduce the hard feeling. may improve braking a bit though. next they take the 'BIG' step of bleeding the line which involves draining the old brake fluid and adding new fluid.

what really needs to be done is a complete cleaning of the caliper assembly in addition to the bleeding/fresh fluid. he must remove the wheel, then pump the brake lever and completely remove the piston's from the caliper. this will lead to all the fluid leaking out so be prepared accordingly. then a light cleaning of the exposed caliper insides and the (completely) removed pistons will suffice. after pumping the pistons out of the caliper assembly, remove the caliper from the fork leg. make sure that he does not sand the pistons, just clean them with petrol and dry thoroughly, then rinse with fresh brake fluid. same with the caliper. now, depending on the condition, the o-ring seals inside the caliper may need to be changed. i say, do it anyway, not that expensive.

all this assumes that you have first checked that your brake pads and discs are within spec, i.e. there is enough material on both to bite properly. also, if your pistons are too messed up, change em too. not usually required, maybe in extreme cases.

did the above on a friend's 10 year old cbz which showed no improvement after the usual bleeding nakhra and now it's like a brand new bike. wrt brakes of course! changed the pads 3-4 times in its lifetime, changed the disc for the first time now.

p.s. there used to be a pretty detailed thread on a disc brake overhaul. not sure if it's still here after the server crash. also don't remember who wrote it. :-/ anyone ?

p.p.s. rode the cbz yesterday and the brakes are just phenomenal. the new pads and discs seem to have bedded in nicely and braking is very progressive with awesome feel at the lever. btw, pads are orignal nissin (rs. 1770/-) and disc is a tata yukita or something like that (rs. 1200). original nissin disc was 7k !

Self Start Trouble

Guys,Happy new year to all.
One issue now, Electric start not working.
Batterey seems ok. Horn, neutral light all working very well.
Think something else is wrong.
No response for electric start button at all.
Taking her to service centre today.
Will report on the progrees.

Electric starter Issue solved


Just returned from SC.
No issues at all.
I told them, they seemed to know what the issue was instantly.
Just then and there, a mechanic came, opened the side cover of battery, pulled out some relay stuff stored behind the batterey casing, unplugged the relay, replugged it and thats it!!!!
Electric start working.
Tested it a couple of time, put back everthing, locked the cover,gave my the key and off he went.
I just stood there wondering why all this trouble with a hot blazing afternoon sun and traffic, just for this unplugging and replugging?????

Anyways next time ES does not work, I know to do something.

Check the fuses as well.

LOL !!

seriously, this is why all owners should learn a little bit about their bikes and how to fix small issues themselves. abroad, where the labour (labor?) isn't that cheap and it costs a bomb to take ur bike to a service center, most people do a lot of maintenance work themselves.

Thats so true.We all must learn a little bit of self maintenance of our bikes.
You know, talking about self maintanance, all owners would have noticed, the tool kit supplied by Yamaha is really pathetic.
It is just really cheap, useless and items like the screw driver are really disappointing. Really manufacturers should provide better tools as part of OE, dont you all think so???

That's why I carry a multi screw driver (or whatever it's called.) whenever I go touring. It has 15 different head attachments including the one for opening the idiotic fairing screw which is one of a kind.
Then there's a spare spark plug kept in my bag in case my Gladiator suddenly decides she needs a switch.(Trust me this happened to me two times).
Also a spare key that I picked up at a duplicate keymaker.In case the Gladiator wants to return only half of my key back.
Then there's a torch in case the Gladiator decides that it wants to see how it's like running in the dark.
Then there's a Colt lying around,in case I feel suicidal when the next time the Gladi breaks down.

Hmmm....
long list of problems,you really got a problem child there.
Anyways thanks for the tips on the screw driver. Will buy one before too long.
The bikes riding good now, after the service.
ES problem solved.
Anyways hope no more issues come up and until then just want to enjoy the ride.
Anybody with non SS/RS Gladi's changed tyres????

My Glady has run >15K kms. Didn't find need of changing tyres.

BTW, carry spark plug for your long rides. I had one bad experience...

The tyres are fine.Done 14.5k and I am guilty of lots of 0-60 under 8 secs.Yet the treads are fine.
The clutch is completely gone though.Lots of jerking. In traffic I feel like I am riding a horse.

Gladiator Airfilter.

If some one has a gladiator Type SS (or) RS plz post some Airfilter pics plzzzzzzzz.

??????

Wut Guyz no one own a gladiatorSS?