I had a soft clutch 1000 miles after changing fluid. Bad star springs came to mind, but they turned out to be OK. I re-assembled the clutch and now have quite a rattle. I know it's in the clutch basket, because I ran the motor briefly and can hear it, with the clutch cover off. I also ran the motor after pulling all the friction and steel plates out, and there is NO rattle. I'm thinking of trailering my bike down to the dealer for more experienced help, but wanted to check here first. I successfully bled the clutch master and slave cylinders, and there are no loose clutch plates that I can see. I was religious about keeping everything in order, inserting it correctly, and putting the cover/springs on properly.
Anyone? Thank you. I'll be sure to report back with the findings.
I'm thinking the original problem may have been in the clutch hub/ramps, since the clutch play varied with throttle on/off (as though the slipper clutch was trying to pull the clutch in).