2023 XT250, clutch slipping at 2800 miles

Hello

Bought my 2023 XT250 about 3 months ago and have about 2,800 miles on it. It's been running great and then I took a passenger and went cruising the other day and discovered that at higher speeds (> 50 MPH) and high RPM and possibly going uphill, rapid acceleration caused the clutch to slip and I had to accelerate slowly.

I have been riding with clutch on 1st and 2nd gear on the trails a bit, but the majority of the 2,800 miles are with clutch fully engaged. I would say no more than 200 miles of clutching at friction zone. May be even less.

It's not bad enough issue and only happens with passenger, so I am going to let it get worse before I do anything about it. I wanted to post to see if anyone else has this issue.

I also found the relevant at clutch parts at partzilla, but was not sure why parts to change. Should I go with the clutch plate kit or with the friction plate kit? I suppose it depends on what is worn out.

I was also thinking if there is a non-OEM better quality clutch/friction plate kit available. If this is going to get worn out so quickly, I might as well get something more expensive. Has anyone also experimented with getting a tighter spring? What are my options?

Thanks

Check the adjustment, make sure it's fully engaged and there's no tension on the cable when the lever is released.

+1. You always want some slack in the clutch cable when the lever is fully released.

What they ^^^ said, cable needs 3mm of free play.

Are you using a motorcycle specific oil or a car oil? I know some say a car oil is ok on these bikes, but not for me, I tried it, felt like I had a slipper clutch. Each to their own on that. I find a good semi syn bike oil works best....for me. I change oil & filter every 1k miles, used to be every 600 miles when I was doing more dirt riding.

Thanks for the responses. Yes, it has free play as required, and was indeed one of the first things I checked. I use Yamalube Engine oil and do an oil and filter change every 1,500 miles. Anyone use the xt250 for enduro riding with constant clutch action, because that's what I am doing at times.

If you're needing constant clutch action, you might consider going with a smaller cs sprocket, a larger rear sprocket, or even both. With a lower overall gear ratio, you shouldn't need to use the clutch as much.

Also, you might check the cable isn't binding and/or the clutch actuator shaft is free. If either of these have some binding, these could the clutch to not be completely engaged.

It is possible the clutch discs are worn if the bike was ridden extremely hard. I'm assuming the clutch design on the XT250 is similar to that of the XT225?? I replaced the clutch discs on both our bikes at ~10k miles as a preventative measure. The clutches on both bikes weren't slipping. I did take micrometer measurements on the new and old discs. Surprisingly the old discs had worn thin by only .0001". The other aspect is the springs in the pressure plate which compresses the clutch disc pack.

Our bikes were geared 15:58 for trail riding so the clutch wasn't abused. If someone had been excessively fanning the clutch to achieve a torque band in low gear that would cause wear. The XT225 puts out 18HP on a good day which isn't pushing a clutch very hard under normal riding. Given proper cable operation and low mileage, something else is responsible for the slipping clutch. The rebuild isn't terrible with the worst of it cleaning the gasket surfaces. I'd consider doing this if you're planning on trail riding and using the clutch often. As mentioned, a 14 tooth front sprocket is a good idea.

The OEM clutch parts are HERE. Good luck.

I noticed it has gotten worse, without that much additional riding. I will check again on the cable and make sure the shaft is free. It may be time to open it up to see how the wear is.

Thanks everyone for answering, much appreciated. Will update once I find out.

Any clutch will continue to degrade at a much faster rate once it starts slipping. Its also quite possible that the clutch pack has been "glazed" from a lot of slipping, but in either case you should start thinking about replacing it soon.

If you're doing trials type riding and using the clutch to manage traction, then yes, you'll smoke it in no time. What those enduro guys don't tell you is how many times they replace the clutch every year. Best to gear it down substantially for the slow speeds and not abuse the clutch. The oil thats saturated with clutch material is also lubricating the valve train. And as we alluded to the in the other thread, the oil filter only gets the big chunks.

I have ridden off road a lot in deserts of AZ and riding the clutch does cause it to wear quickly. But usually the cable will normally need adjusting as a result. But only a inspection of the clutch pack will tell the whole story.And those things you want to do sooner than later.