<snip>At times, it seemed that the clutch was not working at all;
while pulling into a gas station I was trying to shift out of 4th and
managed to stall the engine with the clutch pedal fully depressed.
Eventually I learned that double, triple, quadruple clutching improved
my shifting success rate, and constant clutch pumping at a standstill
would allow me to get into 1st when necessary. <snip>

Eric,

A few things to check based on my experience, and I am sure others will add:

1.  Brake fluid level - is it too low?  Air may have gotten into the system.
2.  Have friend press clutch and check hydraulic clutch action at the
transmission.  Are things moving like they should?
3.  You may have air in the system - bleed.
4.  Your slave cylinder maybe bad or going bad - check and replace.  Fairly
easy except for that ONE bolt...

I'll leave the rest to the list.

Chris,

'85 Westy