did i adjust the clutch correctly ??

grego · 05-08-2011, 01:18 AM

hi all

was riding the bike yesterday and wanted to go around a slow moving car in front of me. i was doing about 35 mph. i rolled on the gas. i could hear the rpms go up but i didn't go any faster. thought to myself ok its the clutch. when i got home i looked at the clutch cable. it was tight and there wasn't any play on the clutch lever. thought to myself ok always riding the clutch it needs to be adjusted. note i have put 50 miles on the bike since i got it a few weeks ago so still learning.
i looked at the service manual and figured out that there should be a little play in the lever. ok adjustment looks easy. at the lever loosened the big round lock nut and turned the cable in as much as it would go by hand. went to the other end of the cable. when i got there the lock nut was almost to the end of the cable and there was a lot of thread behind the adjusting nut.
i turned the adjusting nut until the cable went slack. tightened the lock nut and did the same at the handle bar. i have about a 1/2 inch before the cable starts pulling in the clutch. not the clutch grabs at about half the travel of the lever verses at the top of the lever. i question that when started the cable at the clutch had all that thread after the adjusting nut and now all the thread is on the other side of the lock nut. if its wrong where did i go wrong so i can fix it.

have a great biking day

grego

alantf · 05-08-2011, 04:29 AM

Forget about where the threads are. So long as there's a LITTLE free play at the outer end of the clutch lever, before the cable moves, that's fine. :2tup:

blaine · 05-08-2011, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alantf

Forget about where the threads are. So long as there's a LITTLE free play at the outer end of the clutch lever, before the cable moves, that's fine. :2tup:

:plus1: Yes,1/2" to 9/16" of free play,and your good to go.

:2tup:

5th_bike · 05-08-2011, 08:27 PM

BTW You don't have to adjust both sides of the cable. Adjusting one side is enough. So far I only adjusted at the steering (the big circular lock nut).

Yes the clutch lever should have some play over the distance specified in the manual (10-15 mm, or 0.4 - 0.6 inch - at its tip). Flopping around freely.

If the PO made the clutch cable too tight, also check the throttle cables play that you should have. 2-4mm around the circumference of the throttle handle.

geezer · 05-08-2011, 10:42 PM

when i adjusted mine i made sure there was play down at the engine first, that is the most important part, you should be able to reach down there and wiggle the link by hand. if thats tight your gonna be constantly riding the clutch even if the handle lever has correct free play

grego · 05-09-2011, 05:39 PM

hi to all

thanks guys i feel much better and my take offs are much better. it was just the extreme travel of the adjustment that i was concerned about

once again thanks

grego

05-08-2011, 01:18 AM	#1
grego Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: anaheim california Posts: 96	did i adjust the clutch correctly ?? hi all was riding the bike yesterday and wanted to go around a slow moving car in front of me. i was doing about 35 mph. i rolled on the gas. i could hear the rpms go up but i didn't go any faster. thought to myself ok its the clutch. when i got home i looked at the clutch cable. it was tight and there wasn't any play on the clutch lever. thought to myself ok always riding the clutch it needs to be adjusted. note i have put 50 miles on the bike since i got it a few weeks ago so still learning. i looked at the service manual and figured out that there should be a little play in the lever. ok adjustment looks easy. at the lever loosened the big round lock nut and turned the cable in as much as it would go by hand. went to the other end of the cable. when i got there the lock nut was almost to the end of the cable and there was a lot of thread behind the adjusting nut. i turned the adjusting nut until the cable went slack. tightened the lock nut and did the same at the handle bar. i have about a 1/2 inch before the cable starts pulling in the clutch. not the clutch grabs at about half the travel of the lever verses at the top of the lever. i question that when started the cable at the clutch had all that thread after the adjusting nut and now all the thread is on the other side of the lock nut. if its wrong where did i go wrong so i can fix it. have a great biking day grego Login or Register to Remove Ads
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05-08-2011, 04:29 AM	#2
alantf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tenerife (Spain) Posts: 3,715	Re: did i adjust the clutch correctly ?? Forget about where the threads are. So long as there's a LITTLE free play at the outer end of the clutch lever, before the cable moves, that's fine. :2tup: __________________ By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
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05-08-2011, 08:27 PM	#4
5th_bike Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: HoCo, Maryland Posts: 1,349	Re: did i adjust the clutch correctly ?? BTW You don't have to adjust both sides of the cable. Adjusting one side is enough. So far I only adjusted at the steering (the big circular lock nut). Yes the clutch lever should have some play over the distance specified in the manual (10-15 mm, or 0.4 - 0.6 inch - at its tip). Flopping around freely. If the PO made the clutch cable too tight, also check the throttle cables play that you should have. 2-4mm around the circumference of the throttle handle. __________________ 2005 "Saturn Black", stock + tach
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05-08-2011, 10:42 PM	#5
geezer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: dahlonega GA Posts: 563	Re: did i adjust the clutch correctly ?? when i adjusted mine i made sure there was play down at the engine first, that is the most important part, you should be able to reach down there and wiggle the link by hand. if thats tight your gonna be constantly riding the clutch even if the handle lever has correct free play __________________ 99 gz 250 and a currently dismantled fzr 1000 Login or Register to Remove Ads
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05-09-2011, 05:39 PM	#6
grego Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: anaheim california Posts: 96	Re: did i adjust the clutch correctly ?? hi to all thanks guys i feel much better and my take offs are much better. it was just the extreme travel of the adjustment that i was concerned about once again thanks grego
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