2012 NT, clutch slipping...

BrewMyTea

BrewMyTea

Joined
Jul 21, 2025
Messages
17
Location
Cumbria. England
Bike
2012 NT700 Black
Hello!

Finally the UK weather has let me use my NT700! I've missed this bike over the winter, it's a shame it taken me so long to find the bike for me. Anyway...

I have had an issue where I'll be in 2nd or 3rd gear and trying to accelerate hard causes the revs to fly up with little to no movement. Gentle acceleration on the other hand is fine.

I've done my best to adjust the clutch cable free play, and I've had it at factory requirements, a little less and a little too tight. Nothing seems to be remedy the issue.

During that, I noticed the cable is a little frayed at the lever, so I have ordered a new one for that to be replaced.

Is it possible that I have not noticed and ended up burning out my clutch pack out?

If so, I'm really struggling to find a UK based kit. I've looked at David Silver and Fowlers without any luck.

Best thing I found was this kit on eBay, which could do the job but often are lacking the gasket I think I need?

Though I had a read over this post here and apparently it's really unlikely to be the clutch pack

I'd really appreciate some help with this!

Thank you.
 
What engine oil do you use in your NT? It is possible that the oil you used is an "energy saving" motor oil for use in passenger cars. This oil has friction modifiers that while improving fuel economy play hell with the wet clutch your NT has. Also, some aftermarket oil additives contain moly or graphite which also play hell with wet clutches. Always make sure that you use an oil that meets JASO spec MA or MA2. If the oil is labeled energy conserving, don't use it. A cable that is binding up can also cause the slippage you describe if it is not allowing the clutch discs to engage completely. The clutch on the NT is rather robust so I would be rather surprised if the clutch discs were worn out without some external cause. I replaced the crank sensor on my NT at 140,000 miles and since I had the side cover off i figured it would be a good idea to proactively replace the clutch discs. I was amazed at how good of condition they were in. I suspect that they would have continued to provide good service up to 200,000 miles. I hope this info helps!

Mike
 
mikesim said:
What engine oil do you use in your NT?

Mike
Click to expand...
Hi Mike!

That's what I thought as well which is why I'm a touch more relaxed about having to replace all the clutch plates. Seems like a time consuming job.

My bike only has 33k miles so far, and with it being a 2012 it's been relatively well looked after which a few service stamps in the handbook.

The oil I used was Castrol POWER1 4T 10W-40 Motorcycle Oil 4L which looks like it meets the JASO specs.

It may be that the cable is getting caught somewhere I can't see and could be worse as the cable travels through into it's protective sheath. Might explain why adjustment is doing naff all.

Hopefully once i get that swapped out the issue will resolve.
 

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I'm always a bit weary about pattern parts when it comes to safety relevant components like brakes or clutches... (on a motorcycle in general...)

You might try Wemoto though:

for having the fiche/exploded view/the individual part numbers:

Honda NT700VA DEAUVILLE 2007 (7) EUROPEAN DIRECT SALES / ABS CLUTCH - buy CLUTCH spares online

✓ access the CLUTCH schematic ✓ find Honda CLUTCH spares easily ✓ CLUTCH parts quickly delivered
www.cmsnl.com www.cmsnl.com

I'd check the judder spring for wear and consider a new lock nut, as the crown likes to chip away at the punched area upon removal...

a basket holding tool will come handy:
www.ebay.at

Honda NT650V NT700V Deauville Clutch Basket Holding Tool. HWT017s | eBay

Honda NT650V NT700V Deauville Clutch Basket Holding Tool. HWT017s | Vehicle Parts & Accessories, Motorcycle & Scooter Parts & Accessories, Transmission & Drivetrain | eBay!
www.ebay.at

no gasket BTW, the cover is "sealed" with a thin film of Honda-bond (any oil/temp resistant RTV engine sealant will serve, use sparsely to avoid having drops inside the case...)

if the steel plates are already darkened/blue, replace them as well...


I had to replace the clutch kit already twice on ze GF's NT700VA... ;)
She likes to smoke them during motorcycle safety trainings... 🤔
That V-twin requiring higher RPM for torque/avoid stalling being a factor...
 
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I had the same thing happen with my NT700. It was caused by the clutch cable being corroded and not pulling correctly. If corroded inside the sheath, the sheath can compress and prevent proper adjustment. Since you already have the new cable ordered, just install the cable, adjust and see if the problem goes away.

Cliff
 
BrewMyTea said:
Hi Mike!

That's what I thought as well which is why I'm a touch more relaxed about having to replace all the clutch plates. Seems like a time consuming job.

My bike only has 33k miles so far, and with it being a 2012 it's been relatively well looked after which a few service stamps in the handbook.

The oil I used was Castrol POWER1 4T 10W-40 Motorcycle Oil 4L which looks like it meets the JASO specs.

It may be that the cable is getting caught somewhere I can't see and could be worse as the cable travels through into it's protective sheath. Might explain why adjustment is doing naff all.

Hopefully once i get that swapped out the issue will resolve.
Click to expand...
Castrol is good stuff! You can't go wrong with it!.

Mike
 
Hi everyone!

Managed to get the bike out for a test ride after fitting the new clutch cable yesterday.

Wasn't the worst job but is pretty fiddley. The locking nut was pretty seized and I really didn't want to take off all the fairing just for this job so I battled with it for 15 minutes. Probably the same about of time it would have taken to get better access.

Had to cut the old cable out as I couldn't undo the 2nd bolt at all, stabbed myself with the old wire (good job there) and managed to replace it.

Getting the adjustment right was a pain in the ass, probably faster with two people to adjust, check, adjust. I found the top adjustment difficult to turn even though there was a lack of tension at the top end. Not really sure why that is.

However! Issue resolved, it was just the cable causing my issues and not fully disengaging the clutch. I believe I managed to get away without damaging the clutch plates. I've got about 15mm-20mm of freeplay in the cable where I can push back against the lever, not sure if that is normal or not? But it seems to run well and giving it a lot of throttle doesn't seem to just rev anymore.

Thank you for all your help everyone!
 
BrewMyTea said:
Hi everyone!

Managed to get the bike out for a test ride after fitting the new clutch cable yesterday.

Wasn't the worst job but is pretty fiddley. The locking nut was pretty seized and I really didn't want to take off all the fairing just for this job so I battled with it for 15 minutes.A
Click to expand...
Great to hear that it was just the cable. Like I said above, I had the exact same problem last year and it was the cable. Honda clutches are pretty bullet proof.

Cliff
 
Hope the clutch plates werent seriously damaged. I have been pretty lucky replacing cables in the last century. Fasten one end of the bad cable to the good cable with cable ties and snake through. The adjustment mechanism on the cables I have played with was pretty straight forward. Even I could do it. I now have a cable lube device. Even in our dry climate, its good to lube them.
 
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