Clutch not engaging or disengaging

[blowerbike]

you have adjustment at the engine.
you have adjustment at the lever.
you may also have adjustment in the middle of your cable.
i have seen this before on pre 1980 GS1000's.
take a look.

[dluszcz]

Let's try this again.

With the handlebar lever relaxed.

[dluszcz]

Here is with the handlebar lever pulled in.

[dluszcz]

There is an adjustment in the middle of my cable that I can get to since the gas tank is off. However, that is already adjusted to give me as much cable as possible.

When I turn the nut on there, the cable gets shorter and the arm on the clutch at the engine moves toward the engine.

I have to move the handlebar adjuster out a little bit so that the clutch lever doesn't bounce around. The pics are with that adjustment already done. It did slightly pull the arm in towards the engine but not too much.

At the engine, I have that one all the way in to give me as much slack as possible. If I start cranking it out, it will make the lever move in and make the cable tighter.

[blowerbike]

looks good to me..
you will still have to adjust so that it doesn't move while in gear running and also that it does not slip when the throttle is twisted while moving.
when your ready to ride do the fine adjustments on the handlebars.

[dluszcz]

Here is a pic of the handlebar lever at it's current adjustment.

[dluszcz]

Here is the middle of the cable.

[dluszcz]

And finally at the engine.

While I was uploading the 1st two pics, I noticed that I got a reply. Figured I'd add the last one anyway just in case someone spots something that I did incorrectly.

[blowerbike]

it appears you will have more than enough for the total adjustments needed when the bike is ready to ride.
adjust the clutch lever with zero free play and make changes as needed when the bikes ready to ride.
always be careful when putting the bike in gear while running for the 1st time after working with the clutch because it could lunge(ride away) on its own.

[BadBillyB]

OK, at the sake of repeating myself, I am going to repeat myself....With the clutch lever pulled 1/2 way in, the clutch release arm should be at a 90 degree angle to the threaded part of the upper case where the cable threads into. This will give you maximum travel of the release arm....Next you put the adjuster at the clutch lever at a midway point. Now adjust the cable at the upper case to where when you pull the lever in with your pinky finger you have a gap at the front of the lever that is about the thickness of a nickel......Simple as that. Now you can fine tune it at the lever after test riding the bike.....I also noticed that you have a bolt at the end of the cable where it attaches to the release lever. This is not the right part. There should be a short pin with a small washer and a cotter pin there. The bolt you have can work in a pinch, but must NOT be tight. In one of the pics it looks as if the cable is bowing when you pull the lever in. This is bad....Hope this helps you....Billy

[dluszcz]

OK Billy. I will do what you suggest when I get the tank put on and some gas in it to get it going.

And, I didn't know that the clutch cable came with a bolt and cotter pin. This is how it was when I bought the bike with the original engine. All I did was transfer the cable. I have already loosened the bolt so that the cable doesn't bow. Yes, it was tight.

Lastly, just to make sure I understand you correctly, on the top of the engine where the cable screws in, I should back this off to the half way point? I understand the 90 degree angle thing and completely forgot that when I was messing with getting the lever on the right tooth.

I'm completely lost on the gap at the front of the lever though. Or maybe I'm not. When I pull the handlebar lever, it should not hit the handlebar, correct? Presently, the handlebar lever does hit the grip.

Thanks to all for your help. This is the 1st time I've adjusted a clutch and I honestly thought it was a bit simpler with all the information I found. I guess just being a noobie to rebuilding bikes, I have to fumble through everything once before I completely understand exactly what I am doing.

[big bazzer]

clutch probs

sounds like the clutch has been getting hot , thats why the plates could be welded together, the other thing to look for is the steelys darkened and blued ,mine has just done the same thing , although the wear on the plates is minimal, thinkin i got the adjustment wrong on the cable, before that the clutch was slipping at high revs, could be weak pressure plate springs tho

[dluszcz]

Possible solution to my problem. I still cannot get the clutch to disengage.

When I put the bike in 1st gear, the tire doesn't rotate, as it shouldn't. But, when I pull the clutch, it still stays in gear and the tire does not rotate freely.

I had a friend come over for some advice. We went through it all again. He thought that the way I ran the cable was wrong. So, he corrected that.

The clutch is still not disengaging. The only thing left to check is my tightening of the clutch spring bolts. He thinks that I tightened the clutch spring bolts too tight and when I pull the clutch in, I'm moving the whole assembly, thus, the engine is still engaged.

Now, my question is this. In a previous post, I was told that I should torque it to 80 inch pounds, which converts to 6.6667 foot pounds. I have already sheared off one bolt by using my torque wrench set at 9 lbs and do not want to do that again. On BassCliff's website, the torque specs for the clutch spring bolts is 8-9.5 lb ft. As I already know, that is way too tight.

How snug is snug? Is there a way to check this without an inch pounds torque wrench?

I'm concerned that I will not tighten the bolts enough and the bolts will loosen. My friend says that the springs should provide enough pressure so that they do not loosen. It never occurred to me that tightening the spring bolts too tight could cause the clutch to not disengage.

I've never rebuilt a clutch before and since I know that I have a tendency to overtighten everything, this could very well be the problem.

If anyone reading this can confirm, deny, or offer any other ideas, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Nessism]

The problem is NOT how tight you made the clutch spring bolts unless you sheared them off. I haven't read though this entire thread but I suggest you pull the clutch back apart and start fresh.

[BadBillyB]

Still haven't sorted this out yet....Have you tried both sets of clutch plates ??...Clutch plates have a tendency to get real sticky or gummy if you let them sit in a non running bike for some time....As you said in your first post, the plates were all stuck together and you cleaned them, all except for the friction plates. These are the ones that get sticky. With everything installed and adjusted right, sticky plates will not allow the clutch to properly release. I dont know of any tried method of cleaning them up to remedy the stickiness....My 78 GS1000 had this problem when I bought it. I replaced the frictions with OEM Suzuki plates and it now works flawlessly. The steel plates also have to be free of warping, as this can cause release problems also. Clean them real good and stack them one on top of the other. Hold them up to a light and see if you can see daylight between them. The steels have a smooth side and a sharp side as they are stamped. Put them all facing the same direction while checking. I would bet that all you need is new clutch plates....And no, dont soak them in oil before installing, just put a light film on them as they are going in......Billy