Clutch failure... any suggestions before I take a look?

Folks,

Was making the most of a fun run today, when clutch ceased to work! Quite exciting riding 12 miles back home to the edge of a city without a clutch and without stopping... but made it, thankfully! :crazy

So... any suggestions on cause and fix/cost, gladly received.

Symptoms:

Clutch lever works as normal, but does feel a bit heavier. Clutch fluid in reservoir. Fluid and master cylinder rubber seal were replaced last year.

Pulling in the lever has zero effect and bike will pull/accelerate as normal! (Realising that at 70mph makes for an interesting discovery )

I notice when lever is pulled in/out, the outer cover on the clutch assembly flexes in/out in tandem.

Sounds like something knackered in the clutch assembly...

All suggestions before i take a look gladly recieved!

If it's a new clutch mechanism, any suggestions on a good quality aftermarket replacement?

Thanks guys!

As it's a wet clutch does the oil need draining before removing the clutch outer cover?
- Or will oil have drained fully into reservoir if engine not run for 60+ mins?

Why would clutch fluid need bleeding if pressure plate replaced?
- I'm assuming the system is separate.

Thanks for the pointers. Definitely a help knowing what to look out for & expect.

Took clutch cover off tonight. I'll disassemble the M12 nut + pressure plate tomorrow.

Looks like the bearings have worn through the inner ring of the clutch hub.
- Or is this the flange that has worn through/broken, hence new clutch disengaging shaft required?

Anyone else seen this before?
What sort of mileage do these units typically last?
Any recommended supplier, or is it best to get the Aprilia original part?

Recorded mileage is 25k. Based on research I understand this failure isn't common, but can happen as the miles clock up. Obviously, the wear occurs when the clutch is disengaged (lever depressed) - which is when the bearing spins. So, it really depends on rider style, whether clutch held in at every traffic light, or whether neutral selected and clutch released, etc...

Perchance anyone else needs to replace one going forwards...:

Part Number for a Tuono Gen 1 bearing is:
- Aprilia Part Number: AP0632130
- Actual Bearing Type Part Number (from Aprilia or any other bearing supplier): 16004

Managed to source a bearing from Aprilia Performance, at standard price (approx £22 inc VAT). But some sellers (e.g. Ultimateparts.net - who claim to be largest UK stockist of genuine Aprilia parts) sell them at £51 (incl VAT). AF1 also sell them at the lower price (plus shipping from USA), as do apriliagenuineparts.co.uk but would have to order from Italy, which can take 5 to 10 days... with a prevailing wind...

Aprilia don't manufacturer their own bearings and probably source from a number of approved vendors... but I agree it's best to buy Aprilia genuine... unless the alternative sourced part comes from an established quality bearing manufacturer.

Removal of old bearing is easy, using standard process of suitably size sockets and soft mallet (or threaded bar with suitably sized washers + nuts.

HTH's someone else...

All done/sorted.

Original bearing (almost certainly fitted by Aprilia) was marked 'FMB' 'Portugal'. Replacement was allegedly an Aprilia original part, and marked 'SKF' 'Italy, which is a well known bearing brand.

So. Point is, any 14006 bearing from a reputable supplier will be fine, and probably cheaper than buying via Aprilia.

PS: as bearing had worn apart, inner ring cames off, leaving outer ring in the clutch basket. Had it been fully pushed in it would have been virtually impossible to get a purchase on it, to press it out. But thankfully, it was already 4mm out of the housing so I could tap it out, working around the edge with a screw driver and mallet. The bearing fell apart as I removed the shaft, but also thankfully, all 11 bearings were still there and I picked them out with a magnet before they rolled down into the crank casing!