2020 v4s clutch is slipping when hot

I have a 2020 V4S and I'm the second owner, bike has around 2k miles. I've only had it for a few month and this is my first Ducati and first bike with a hydraulic clutch, so no idea what to expect. This issue is that when bike gets hotter clutch engagement point moves higher and eventually clutch starts slipping: RPM grow higher but bike doesn't accelerate. I've also recently installed aftermarket levers, but I doubt this has anything to do with the issue, clutch was acting the same with standard levers also. Any ideas or\and suggestions are welcome.

the Brembo PR Masters (and also PS) have adjustable Free play.
check if the Pin/Hinge adjustment is right, so that the bore in the cylinder is not closed even when hot.
on the brake side this can be very dangerous btw.

maybe someone can translate this to better english.

chris16 said:

check if the Pin/Hinge adjustment is right, so that the bore in the cylinder is not closed even when hot.

Click to expand...

I have an OEM (63040602C) clutch pump and have no idea how to adjust anything there except the lever position, searching interwebs didn't help either.

i mean that

Lever Free Play


Check that you have adequate lever free play.


Properly adjusted, there should be a 5 – 10% dead-band of the full clutch lever movement before there is pull resistance felt at the lever. This free play is necessary to prevent blocking the master cylinder vent port with the piston. Open the top of the reservoir and remove the bladder. When you initially pull the lever (in the dead band) you should see a little squirt of fluid entering the reservoir. If you have no squirt of fluid, the MC vent port is plugged with debris or the master cylinder piston position has been incorrectly adjusted.

If the vent port in the master cylinder is plugged or covered, as the clutch fluid heats up from engine heat the fluid expands and instead of returning to the reservoir, it pushes on the slave to separate the plates and cause slippage. After it cools the clutch will function normally until it heats up again.

Shazaam! said:

Properly adjusted, there should be a 5 – 10% dead-band of the full clutch lever movement before there is pull resistance felt at the lever.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, it looks like you're correct, there is no clutch lever free play, I was assuming this is by design, since, like I said, no prior experience with hydraulic clutch. Assuming MC vent port is plugged or covered, does this mean MC has to be replaced now? Is there anything else that I can do to fix this?

You adjust lever free play by adjusting the distance between the lever and the master cylinder piston. Different MC's have different adjustment methods — chris16 posted the picture of one mechanism type above. Make the adjustment and look for the fluid squirt to verify. Take it to your mechanic if you're unsure.

Found this - also seems interesting.
"4 Most-Common Problems With The Ducati V4"
1) Clutch Fade Problems
One of the most widespread complaints in the Ducati V4 community is in regards to a clutch fade.
A clutch fade is a fancy term that refers to the build-up of heat in your clutch plates, resulting in a loss of power."

"...If a clutch fade starts happening, it’s suggested to bleed the clutch. Eventually, though, once glazing occurs, the clutch plates are going to need to be replaced."


My V4S clutch just started grabbing when it's cold. Makes a hard sound and grabs as I'm letting out lever in 1st. Warms up, goes away.
I just called Ducati mechanics - they said maybe bleed it or change oil. I'm going to cruise by tomorrow and let them look at it.

~threadjack~
I can't find any friggin SHELL Oil - story has it, the ...... the blocked the Suez Canal has every shipment from anywhere backed up months. I'm going to guess by the cost of container shipments that just went up by a factor of 3X, every dickdong with a container ship is now holding every shipment ransom now that there's a story. Especially because Shell oil does not pass through the friggin Suez Canal to go to Europe unless it's bottled in China. Would that even be surprising?
What's next, parts & Oil hording will take over toilet paper hording. You'll see ;P
~ end-threadjack~

Vbreeze said:

One of the most widespread complaints in the Ducati V4 community is in regards to a clutch fade.
A clutch fade is a fancy term that refers to the build-up of heat in your clutch plates, resulting in a loss of power."

Click to expand...

Thanks, I think what I have is an exact opposite to clutch fade, my clutch works decently when bike is cold, then it starts grabbing higher once bike warms up and then eventually begins slipping. The ideas thrown above in the thread sound plausible, but I still have no clue how to adjust the clutch, for now I've decided to let dealer to take a look at it. I hope my clutch not fried because of all the slipping, because fixing that is going to be a bit on the expensive side.

I see stock wet clutch replacement parts are around $260. plus oil and gasket & I hear an hour of labor. What's that cost?

How often do you guys replace your clutch plates with the V4 Panigale? I've seen this discussed, but can't find it now.

duca_monkey said:

Thanks, I think what I have is an exact opposite to clutch fade, my clutch works decently when bike is cold, then it starts grabbing higher once bike warms up and then eventually begins slipping. The ideas thrown above in the thread sound plausible, but I still have no clue how to adjust the clutch, for now I've decided to let dealer to take a look at it. I hope my clutch not fried because of all the slipping, because fixing that is going to be a bit on the expensive side.

Click to expand...

Reviving this thread. Anyone know the typical lifespan (mileage) of a V4 clutch ridden on the street? No launches just normal riding. Every time I ride my 22 with the taller 1st gear (that requires a bit more modulation), I think about how this. I'm thinking it's probably around 15k mi. I have 2k mi on my bike and it still feels good obviously but just wondering if anyone has experience in this.

@Vbreeze In regards, to your thought on clutch grabbiness while cold I've noticed the same phenomenon. It's worse when riding temps are less than 45ºF (7ºC). Clutch feel is damped. I think it has something to do with either the clutch fluid viscosity or engine oil viscosity

15K what? Dry clutches will last 25K. Or 1/4 of a race season (depends on how much you marinate the clutch). Lube the clutch and it wears out faster. Really. Typical marketing BS.

I'm around 24k miles and the clutch is still fine, ridden almost daily on the street.

Also for OP and to anyone it may concern.

My bike 2020 V4, had the issue mentioned where when the bike was warmed up, the clutch would slip.
If my memory is correct the dealer said the issue was caused by an o-ring that failed in the slave cylinder. Replaced o-ring and clutch has been great ever since.

I will look for the warranty paperwork and edit the post or reply to this to make sure my verbiage is correct and find a Part #.

Thanks @Gil_

baggerman said:

15K what? Dry clutches will last 25K. Or 1/4 of a race season (depends on how much you marinate the clutch). Lube the clutch and it wears out faster. Really. Typical marketing BS.

Click to expand...

So dry clutch plates need to be soaked overnight in latte?

I haven't heard about this.

Seriously though... elaborate more on this. Is it instructed by the clutch manufacturer to soak in motor oil or common practice?

25K sounds like a lot and what race season covers a 100K?

SuperDomestique said:

Reviving this thread. Anyone know the typical lifespan (mileage) of a V4 clutch ridden on the street? No launches just normal riding. Every time I ride my 22 with the taller 1st gear (that requires a bit more modulation), I think about how this. I'm thinking it's probably around 15k mi. I have 2k mi on my bike and it still feels good obviously but just wondering if anyone has experience in this.

@Vbreeze In regards, to your thought on clutch grabbiness while cold I've noticed the same phenomenon. It's worse when riding temps are less than 45ºF (7ºC). Clutch feel is damped. I think it has something to do with either the clutch fluid viscosity or engine oil viscosity

Click to expand...

I have discovered what this might be. I've had the clutch LEVER mechanism fixed once and replaced TWICE. Dealer says they are notorious and go out often. Mine have been on warranty so no cost. It seems it's the clutch but it's actually the mechanism that is not actuating the clutch well. Mine was doing this some days and not others. Not sure if it's temperatures or just coincidence. First time was on and off in mysterious ways, then finally stuck feeling like the clutch was cooked.
Also they are notorious for leaking air. The 22's are sort of fixed with an auto-bleeding mechanism ??? which sounds like a band-aid solution. Maybe not fixed all the way.

Alkhater said:

So dry clutch plates need to be soaked overnight in latte?

I haven't heard about this.

Seriously though... elaborate more on this. Is it instructed by the clutch manufacturer to soak in motor oil or common practice?

25K sounds like a lot and what race season covers a 100K?

Click to expand...

you scoff........there is a school of thought (I don't subscribe) for soaking the friction plates and cooking them in the oven ....I .... you not. I believe its known as the quiet clutch mod.........ffs

If the clutch is slipping, this is where you score with a dry clutch and open cover. Its so easy to measure in a few seconds where your plates are at from the known new thickness and fairly quick to get the stack height back up with swapping a 1.5mm to a 2mm steel.....prolongs the life of the pack. At Jerez last year there were two guys to my knowledge who missed out on day 3 because of their clutch fubar. I always carry a complete new plate kit with me so one was lucky....

andyb said:

If the clutch is slipping, this is where you score with a dry clutch and open cover. Its so easy to measure in a few seconds where your plates are at from the known new thickness and fairly quick to get the stack height back up with swapping a 1.5mm to a 2mm steel.....prolongs the life of the pack. At Jerez last year there were two guys to my knowledge who missed out on day 3 because of their clutch fubar. I always carry a complete new plate kit with me so one was lucky....

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Day 3... well that explains it!

"Marinating the clutch" is a description of the level of abuse the start causes. Warm it up and marinate it in it's own juices. I can't believe the cost of the dry clutch stuff. That being said as Andy says you can keep adjusting the stack height as the pack wears with the dry clutch. And shuffle the stack so the top plate gets changed. First wet clutch ducati i've had in a very long time. I've got lots of dry clutch parts and none fit.