Tips for First-Time Riders on Classic Motorcycles, Starting a Motorcycle After Winter Storage, Learn How to Set Up 2-Stroke Ignition Timing on Your Motorcycle, Swapping Motorcycle Engines? A motorcycle clutch typically uses what is known as a wet clutch system. He later worked as a race technician for several international race teams. Modern oils have many additives which occasionally are not compatible with wet clutches. Disengagement of the clutch is typically achieved by a rod passing through the gearbox shaft applying opposite pressure to the pressure plate. The majority of multi-plate clutches operate the same way: drive from the engine’s crankshaft turns a gear to an outer drum gear; when the clutch is engaged, the drive goes through the clutch into the gearbox where ratios dictate the speed of rotation of the output shaft and final drive sprocket. Planning a motorcycle ride in advance involved avoiding any hill starts for obvious reasons. I'm not slapping the op's hands. Unlike the cable clutch, the hydraulic clutch is self-adjusting. OK? I have Barnett aluminum backed dry clutch plates and an aluminum NGR Clutch Basket from Motowheels. If a clutch lever didn't have one of those adjustment wheels, I often would have to put slack in the cable so I could get the lever a bit closer to me. Nevertheless, options for adjustment are limited. July 28, 2016 – Harley-Davidson has issued a recall on 27,232 model year 2016 motorcycles. In general, clutch maintenance is due when the rider experiences one of two problems: slipping or dragging. Consider These Essential Elements, Do-It-Yourself: Rebuild a Motorcycle Engine, Motorcycle Brakes, Fitting New Brake Shoes, How to Ride a Motorcycle in 10 Simple Steps, Motorcycle Handling Problems and Suspension Set-Up. It costs more but is defiantly worth the money to always use a good quality motorcycle oil . However, modern oils can sometimes cause this problem. Loosen the clutch cable at the handlebar endwith the adjusting nut, to ensure that the ball-and-cam gizzer has nopressure on its cable end. In such a system, plain steel and friction plates work in tandem to control the transmission shaft. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies. Another possibility is incorrect oil use. If all of the above checks out, the rider should check the push rod. However, the rider must check the adjustment of the center push-rod (where fitted), the running clearances, and the cable adjustment (where applicable). The shear stability of car oil is not good enough for the gearbox of a bike and its wet clutch system . A proper motorcycle clutch cable adjustment gives your bike's clutch a little freeplay and ensures that you're not riding the clutch even when the lever is fully out. In most cases, a slipping clutch will get progressively worse and the owner will have no other option than to inspect the plates, measure their thickness (driven plates) and flatness (drive plates) and replace as required. Before you dive into a clutch repair, check the adjustment. Here is the page that refers to the clutch adjustment from my Service Manual => injuncowboy said: Are the service manuals another item that no one can get because of supply? You want the clutch to fully disengage when you pull in the lever, fully engage when you release the lever, and not load the bearing buried deep in the clutch basket when engaged. © 2020 VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Failure to do this will result in the first gear crunching during engagement, and/or the possibility of the bike lurching forward until the clutch disengages. If your clutch has a hose leading into a container with juice in it, you can disregard this, since what you’ve got is a hydraulic clutch! Needless to say, motorcycles used in heavy stop-and-go traffic will wear their clutches out much faster than a machine predominantly used on long highway rides. Tighten the clutch cable adjusters near the crank case so that they will not loosen during normal clutch use. The same applies to your throttle cables, if your bike still has them: The fastest, smoothest rider I know, when presented with a new motorcycle, gets the slack out of them ASAP. The first adjustment you can make for your clutch is the clutch cable and the clutch lever free play and friction zone. You shouldn't have to remove the lock nut completely. Properly adjusting your clutch cable’s free play is essential to getting the maximum life out of your clutch components, clutch cable as well as providing a good “feel” at the lever. Because if your clutch is not fully engaged, it’s going to slip, and if it slips, it’s going to wear out faster and keep your bike from transferring its full power to the wheel. We codgers know the value of keeping cables lubed and adjusted, along with positioning all the bike’s controls for optimum ergonomic comfort, preferably before the first ride, but I, for one, wasn’t born with this knowledge. Loosening the nut on the left with a 12mm wrench lets you pull the cable and sheath free. Why not you? On some motorcycles, the pressure of the pressure plate is reduced by a mechanism lifting the plate. The clutch should be adjusted so that the application of the clutch lever will completely disengage the transmission of power. Yeah, strange. With a cable, clutch lever force is transferred via a Bowden cable which has strands of steel running inside of a flexible sheath. Sometimes a lot of what feels like jerky throttle response is just too much slack. So, the cable sheath is the outside black vinyl part that the cable runs through. A: Adjusting the clutch on a Trident is one of those things that can take all day: Finding the sweet spot for three things at once can be difficult. Under normal circumstances, the cable can be tightened with the adjuster placed near the clutch lever's perch, while the remaining adjuster on the motorcycle's clutch cover can eliminate excess cable slack. Now, you're ready … The most likely scenario for a dragging clutch occurs when a machine has not been used for some time (winter storage, for example). (Do not drink the juice.) First, inspect the cable itself for and damage. Park the motorcycle on a flat, level surface and allow the vehicle to cool completely. A forum community dedicated to Indian Motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Sometimes, even after riding the bike for a while, you still never feel quite at home. Should the owner find this to be the case, he should inspect the springs which may not have the correct free length and therefore apply the required pressures. Join the Motorcycle.com Weekly Newsletter to keep up to date on all things motorcycling. There should also be another adjustment barrel down at the other end of the cable, where it reaches the transmission case. How To Adjust Your Bike’s Clutch Cable. Often cable adjustments are made to vary the amount of friction zone or get more pull when shifting begins to slip. Just about every new motorcycle has more than it should. Somebody’s got to take it up. How To Adjust Hydraulic Brake Levers Most motorcycles have cable actuated clutches but some bikes have hydraulic clutches, what’s the difference? As far as motorcycle projects go, adjusting your bike’s cable clutch is comparatively easy and straightforward. Or a fuse between two electrical circuits. It doesn’t have to be big to be an Adventure. Your clutch is a wear item; as it clutches and declutches from the engine, gently and not-so-gently over the years, the 10 or so clutch plates stacked up in there get thinner as they snuggle and unsnuggle up against one another. This is because as the clutch discs wear out over time, the hydraulic clutch automatically adjusts to compensate for the loss. How To Adjust A Motorcycle Clutch Lever | MC Garage - YouTube The multiple plates in the clutch are held together by a series of springs which apply pressure onto a pressure plate. The most common cause of this problem is a badly adjusted clutch. Take the motorcycle for a test ride. However, purposely slipping the clutch (to increase the revs.) Refer to your service manual for the clutch lever gap width. will wear the plates quickly. We use data about you for a number of purposes explained in the links below. Initially prepare your tools … It is very rare for the plates to meet the manufacturer’s specifications for thickness and flatness yet still slip. Inspect the entire length of the clutch cable for any damage to the external casing. The first indication that the clutch is in need of maintenance is when it slips under heavy acceleration. It’s not rocket science, is it people? This means frequent adjustments are not necessary to maintain the correct point of your motorcycle clutch. Suddenly, we have renewed slack! Over time the inevitable differences in the surface hardness’ will cause the rod (typically) to mushroom which can cause stiction inside the gear shaft. For most street applications the clutches are classified as wet, simply because they operate in an oil bath in the primary drive case in early machines or by sharing the engine/gearbox oil in later machines. The idea is to adjust at each of the possible spots for max throwwith just a teensy bit of play. Your clutch is a wear item; as it clutches and declutches from the engine, gently and not-so-gently over the years, the 10 or so clutch plates stacked up in there get thinner as they snuggle and unsnuggle up against one another. To properly make this adjustment should be in every rider ’ s clutch cable at the other side of pressure. And determine if it is very rare for the plates to meet manufacturer... Is pulled in suitable replacement at a junkyard that you should do periodically,! Enough for the plates to meet the manufacturer ’ s the difference causing only partial disengagement rider should the... Other side of the cable, where it reaches the transmission shaft entire length of the clutch spring plate your! Cable-Type clutch lever is something that you can stick the whole thing back it... Not loosen during normal clutch use oils can sometimes cause this problem is a common on! 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