Hey guys hope you don't mind me posting this here.

So this week I lubed the clutch cable. Made notes on where the upper and lower adjusters were and also the lock nuts (counted threads carefully).

Then I lubed the cable. It was resisting the penetrating oil so I taped some clear hose round the top end then sprayed wd40 into it and worked the cable up and down slowly until it came out the bottom. I had detatched the bottom of the cable from its retainer that actuates the clutch to do this.

Then I put the cable, adjusters and locknuts back to how I'd found them.

Started the bike to check all was well. Straight away when I put her into 1st gear there was some drive even with the clutch pulled in.

hhmmm...so I put a turn more tension on bottom adjuster. Which made it worse. Then went the other way to reverse it. Got it where there was no drive with clutch lever pulled in.

Since then I've been out on her a little way to test. The adjusters are back where they started but the gearbox sounds like its catching and has slow scraping at low speed especially when turning and feathering the clutch. The gearbox can be heard when throttling/ goes away when easing off. All gears select and she pulls well. Gear selection isn't as precise.

It's the noise I'm worried about. I feel like I've hurt the clutch/gearbox

Any ideas on what I've done wrong and how to solve the prob will be really appreciated. I feel a real idiot. Why didn't I leave well alone?!

Thanks guys

 

Hi guys

Dumb question: to slacken the clutch cable at the lower adjuster should the nut be moved towards the rear of the bike or to the front (moved left or right)? I don't know which way helps the clutch fully engage or disengage.

The haynes manual says turn the adjuster nut "inwards"!!??

The HSM doesn't says which way to turn the adjuster nut either.

Thanks my friends

Rog

 

Doesn't matter where you do the adjustment, top or bottom.
What's important...you should have about 3/8" of slack/take-up, at the lever when you're done.
That assures that the clutch is fully engaged when you release it.
Any more than 3/8", won't allow full dis-engagement of the clutch when you shift.

As for direction to turn the nut...
turning the nut towards the end of the cable will tighten the slack (at either end),
turning it into cable, loosens it.
Try adjusting one or the other end, while observing the clutch lever at the handlebar.
You'll see it move in or out, as you spin the nut.

As far as initial setup, I generally spin the handlebar nut to midway on the threads.
Then go down to the case-end and draw the cable snug (no slack).
Finally, I return to the bars and adjust for the needed slack, since I can actually see,
as I refine the last bit of adjustment.

Hope this helps, Ern

 

Hi Ern

Just wanted to say, thank you so much for your advice. You helped me realise how important that slack at the clutch lever is. 3/8" is a pretty small distance but is hugely important for the clutch to operate correctly.

Today I did some testing of the bike. I'd gotten the tension on the cable roughly in the ball park at the bottom adjuster but the lever didn't have enough play. So I let it have precisely 3/8" - even measured it.

so now the clutch operating and shifting are just about back to where they were. And it feels and sound right again.

The nasty catching sound at low speed has turned out to be the rear brake!! It's gotten dry and dust in it and when half pressed it makes a low pitch groan. When more pressure is applied it goes away. I sprayed some brake cleaner in there and it helped a lot. The brake had fooled me into thinking the gearbox had gone bad.

Enough waffle.

Thanks again for your great information. I've learned a lot from it.

Rog

 

Think we`ve all been in your shoes mate. The "what have I done ones".....and as usual its always simple in the end. And a sigh of relief follows (followed by me shouting at the missus for nagging me for how long I`ve been in the garage)