G
Gonzo
Guest
So I had been having an issue with my clutch ever since I did my 530 conversion. A week or two after getting the new sprockets and chain on, I notice my clutch is needing constant adjustment to keep play right. It was needing it within a day or two of tweaking, so my reaction was that my cable was going to hell. I ordered a new one and slapped it on. It seemed to have been the remedy. But...
Right about this time I started working on my clutchless shifting. I didn't realize that my problem was still there, since I had gone weeks without adjustment, but that was only because I wasn't using my clutch after take off or until a full stop. After a few weeks of take off/stop use caught up, I realize that the issue was still there. I stopped horsing around with the clutchless shifting and upon regular use of my clutch, the rapid adjustments returned. So much so that I ran the bar end adjustment out of slack.
When I opened up the cover to wring the remaining adjustment out of the engine end, I noticed I was missing the two bottom screws holding my clutch cover in place, and the top two were working loose! Every time I pulled the lever, the spring return anchored to the cover would pull the cover up and out, causing more travel and putting more slack in the clutch throw. The screws were still in there when I replaced the cable, but I never checked if they were tight.
When I finally noticed this, I was so relieved. A trip to Gilroy's hardware for some stainless screws to replace what I was missing, some blue Loctite to make sure it never happens again, and BAM! Good as new.
I just figured I would share that story just to reaffirm that little things can cause the biggest headaches. That, and Loctite is your friend!
Right about this time I started working on my clutchless shifting. I didn't realize that my problem was still there, since I had gone weeks without adjustment, but that was only because I wasn't using my clutch after take off or until a full stop. After a few weeks of take off/stop use caught up, I realize that the issue was still there. I stopped horsing around with the clutchless shifting and upon regular use of my clutch, the rapid adjustments returned. So much so that I ran the bar end adjustment out of slack.
When I opened up the cover to wring the remaining adjustment out of the engine end, I noticed I was missing the two bottom screws holding my clutch cover in place, and the top two were working loose! Every time I pulled the lever, the spring return anchored to the cover would pull the cover up and out, causing more travel and putting more slack in the clutch throw. The screws were still in there when I replaced the cable, but I never checked if they were tight.
When I finally noticed this, I was so relieved. A trip to Gilroy's hardware for some stainless screws to replace what I was missing, some blue Loctite to make sure it never happens again, and BAM! Good as new.
I just figured I would share that story just to reaffirm that little things can cause the biggest headaches. That, and Loctite is your friend!