Clutch Adjustment Problem

[Bob_Roller]

I got the transmission on today, and I went to adjust the clutch before I went any further, and I have run into a problem. With the screw adjuster at the trans all the way in, and the cable adjuster at the handle bar adjusted all the way out, I still have about 3/8 inch free play at the clutch lever. I think normal is about 1/8 inch. Any ideas about this. The whole story is I had the clutch relined and the pressure plates trued up. The company that did the work, adjusts the clutch thickness to make up for the metal that is lost during the machining process. I havn't ridden the bike , because I still have the carbs apart for seal changes, and still awaiting parts.

[airhead]

Thinking logically, that can only happen if;
The cable has stretched
The rod has shortened
The lever has bent
The throwout bearing has collapsed
The rod bearing point on the pressure plate has moved further forward than stock

Had exactly the same thing on a mates bike when he changed his clutch recently, turned out to be the throwout bearing collapsed (later box, 1988 GS), probably because of the extra strain of a new clutch causing greater spring pressure on the already strained bearing (which incidentally I would change with the clutch change). I wouldn't rule out the clutch work you had done though.
Is the lever at right angles to the rod as it is just starting to pull?

Bill........................;-)

[Bob_Roller]

The lever looks to be at a 90 degree angle just as the freeplay is taken up, I have 10 mm freeplay on the lever at the trans, and about 14 mm travel until the handlebar lever stops at full travel. The ' piston' that the lever at the trans pushes on, 'appears' to be farther in than I remember, it looks like about 10-12 mm below the surface where the rubber boot goes on. I removed the trans and clutch to see if I had installed anything incorrectly, and I could not find anything out of the ordinary, the pushrod was straight, and the throwout bearing is of the open ballbearing type, and saw no problems with it or the two races. I guess I need to get the bike running to see what I've really got here. Also the 'effort' to move the lever when the freeplay is taken up, is quite low, I wonder if clean splines ( both the clutch splines and trans input splines were plastic media blasted to clean metal) and Honda Moly- lube can account for that.

[Justin B.]

It will likely be at a different spot now that you have a new clutch disc because the thickness is different.  Did you measure the disc thickness before installing?

[Bob_Roller]

I never thought of measuring he relined disc before installing it. I installed a longer adjustment bolt ( about 5 threads longer) and I have the proper adjustment for free play now. I'll have to wait until my carb parts show up next week to see if I have a rideable bike or not. I'm going to contact the owner of the shop that did the work, and ask if he has heard of this problem before.

[Semper Gumby]

Seems like I have been here before...

http://suraklyn.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1171572634/7#7

I found it again searching "Clutch adjustment"

Good luck.

[MrRiden]

Bob,
  Looks like someone over on the AirHeads List is having a similar problem only their clutch lever failed on the road. If you don't get the airhead digest I can cut and paste the ongoing discussion for you.
rich

[Bob_Roller]

Rich, I don't think that will be necessary, I talked to a co-worker that runs a BMW motorcycle repair business out of his garage, and he said he has heard of this scenario happening before, and said don't worry about it, as long as you can get the proper free-play there shouldn't be a problem. He just recommends that I re-check the free-play after 20 miles or so, to make sure things are still in adjustment. When I pull the clutch lever in, I can hear mechanical movement if I put my ear up to the timing port with the plug removed , so I'm quite confident that the clutch is releasing. I can't get the transmission in gear by moving the shift lever, so I guess I need to get the engine running to get the transmission into synchronization after it's overhaul.