Not getting into gear completely

[JerbGas]

This should be a simple question to answer but I'm not exactly getting the answers I need reading other posts.

I changed my OEM L bars to clubmans, and I went to test ride it and my clutch would enter the friction zone but not fully engage into gear. At first I thought it was just slipping a bit and I had to pull it back in and release it again. After 5 tries I got nada.

Then, I tried adjusting the clutch cable where it enters the gearbox. I adjusted it out until it wouldnt go any farther down. Took it back to the street and now it was engaging into gear, but an incredible loss of power.

I didnt want to burn the clutch out so I've since given up for more research. But do you think I could have done serious damage to any of the internal components by riding it around the block when it wasnt fully engaging?

How worried should I be about damage I did and do I just need to reroute the cable? This all seems very confusing as the cable is contained within the line and i figured if anything my problem would be not being able to pull out of gear!

 

[Steve]

You have not damaged anything (yet), but you DO have some serious adjustment issues there. :-k

Check the routing of the cable, you might have to get a shorter cable.

.

 

[JerbGas]

I should also note i took the opportunity to spray a good bit of wd40 down the clutch line while i had it disconnected as it had been extremely muddy. Would this affect my problem? I figured if anything it would help it but I guess not.

As far as re-routing, what is the goal? A straight line?
If I cant get it by re-routing, what kind of cable should I get?
What are precautions I should take when testing my adjustments so I dont do damage but still see if what I did works?

 

[habsdoc]

WD 40 is a water displacement product. When you force the moisture out of the cable it still requires a lube of some sort to prevent corrosion. If there is no lube, the cable pull will seem stiff and not last as long as it should. No lube will also allow the moisture back into the cable jacket, causing further problems.

 

[JerbGas]

Suggestions on what to use as lubricant? Will oil work?

 

[zuzu]

The best thing to use is a spray can of cable lube.

 

[JerbGas]

Rerouted the clutch cable around the other side of the fork. The length is fine now, and I adjusted it so theres a dime thickness of play in the clutch lever.

Can't do a road test because I'm waiting on a front master cylinder to arrive tomorrow. Also I need to install my newly acquired stator.
Oh and its raining tomorrow much to my dismay and frustration. But the following 10 days will be clear and above 40 degrees. Warm enough to ride.

However I did check to see that it will engage so that I can shift into gear. Shifted into first rather heavy so I'll probably do some more adjusting however I imagine a transmission this old will shift a tad hard into first regardless. Hell my dads 2001 honda shadow even kicked into first with a little jolt.