What color should the clutch fluid be when new and as it ages/wears ? light amber, dark amber or something else...

should be clear when new and turn dark as it ages

should be clear when new and turn dark as it ages

And you should flush the system out every two years with new fluid, do thew clutch at the same time. Not a hard job but it's easier with two people unless you use a mityvac bleeder.

Clutch and brake fluid are the same. most use dot3 or 4. Some are clear, some look like flat beer. go to your local auto parts store and look at it, on top of resivor cover it tells what kind you need

What color should the clutch fluid be when new and as it ages/wears ? light amber, dark amber or something else...

It depends on the brand you choose as to it's color.
I keep seeing responses as the one above, however, every Honda I have ever owned have come brand new w/a light amber color to the brake/clutch fluids.
I have never seen any perfectly clear in my many Hondas!
However, clear must exist as this is the answer I got from goggle:
When brand new, its clear, and slightly golden like vegetable oil.
I have also seen it with a purple tint!

In the maintenance schedule I sent you, the brake fluid is recommended to be changed every 12,000 miles, so it should be the same for the clutch reservior/line. It should be changed about every two years anyway.

I know what is recommended but, how often do you change the brake fluid in your cage?
As to the color of "used" fluid, my brake and clutch fluids were changed after 4years and because I had my bike triked. I cannot attest to the color of the used clutch fluid but, the brake fluid was still the same "honey" color as when the bike was brand new!

There is no way to tell if the fluid, clutch or brake, is bad by looking at it. Brake fluid can hold 30% water in it and you can't tell the difference from new but you sure will know it when you are holding the clutch in and the bike starts to creep forward.

With the brakes... Braking efficiency is greatly reduced and seve brake fade can happen suddenly as soon as the moisture reaches the wet boiling point.

Brakes and clutch should be bled one year and completely flushed the next year.

DOT's 3, 4 and 5.1 are compatible. DOT 5 is a stand alone fluid and cannot be used if your brake system calls for the above fluids even if flushed.

Brake fluid is one of the most overlooked fluids on any vehicle and is the Most Important.

The Best isn't cheap
Cheap isn't The Best

Bob

test strips available to see how much moister is in your clutch/brake fluid.

From my past exploits on two wheels this thread makes me give a big :eek: when I look back. On my CB750C, I know I never changed the brake fluid. My GL1200 got changed twice in 8 years and 167,000(yeesh), my Interceptor never got changed in the two years I rode it about 12,000 on the clock, and my GL1500 got done once in the four years and 60,000 I put on it. The only reason I did do the changes was I was concerned with the colour of the fluid (coffee dark). My Vulcan had over 30,000 on it and I changed it once after the braided lines were put on, so that mad two times in total. Never really thought about it that much, because everything semed to work fine. I always checked the pad wear, just mostly ignored the fluid. Pretty stupid when you think about how valuable our braking performance is to us.:rolleyes:

From my past exploits on two wheels this thread makes me give a big :eek: when I look back. On my CB750C, I know I never changed the brake fluid. My GL1200 got changed twice in 8 years and 167,000(yeesh), my Interceptor never got changed in the two years I rode it about 12,000 on the clock, and my GL1500 got done once in the four years and 60,000 I put on it. The only reason I did do the changes was I was concerned with the colour of the fluid (coffee dark). My Vulcan had over 30,000 on it and I changed it once after the braided lines were put on, so that mad two times in total. Never really thought about it that much, because everything semed to work fine. I always checked the pad wear, just mostly ignored the fluid. Pretty stupid when you think about how valuable our braking performance is to us.:rolleyes:

I had a Certification in brakes some years ago. It truly is one of the most overlooked maintenance items in all vehicles.

You can lose 30-40% of your braking efficiency and not really notice it as it is gradual and you compensate without realizing it.

I'll try and find the pics of new brake fluid and one with I believe 30% water, you can't see the difference.

Here is another maintenance item that is overlooked. How often should should you change the power steering fluid in your vehicles ?

The Best isn't cheap
Cheap isn't The Best

Bob

That would be a good idea Bob. I'm still amazed at what I did, but it isn't going to happen anymore. I'd be embarrased to post pictures of the fluids I had changed, yuck.

I think almost all of us are guilty of that.

The Best isn't cheap
Cheap isn't The Best

Bob