Clutch Not Pulling In

[notto06]

I thought that i had a bad clutch cable. Finally got the cable and replaced it. Clutch is still not working. If i manually try to pull the clutch in, bypassing the use of the cable, it just doesnt pull in. I pulled the cover off and i am not really sure what is supposed to be happening here. I would assume that when the spline is turned, it pulls the plate out so its not in gear? With the cover on, i can look in the oil fill hole and see the piece pulling in and out. I think it is just free moving though and not actually grabbing the plates?

Ideas?

Thanks,

Otto

[notto06]

i think i figured it out. just want to verify. my spline has a slop gap where i can throw it back and forth manually on the outside. i had it setup so it was all the way out on the slop, then pulling in from there. i should have it all the way in on the slop, and then pulling in from there, to pull the plate away, correct?

Thanks

[tom203]

i think i figured it out. just want to verify. my spline has a slop gap where i can throw it back and forth manually on the outside. i had it setup so it was all the way out on the slop, then pulling in from there. i should have it all the way in on the slop, and then pulling in from there, to pull the plate away, correct?

Thanks

Yes, sounds like you figured it out- first get pivot lever about right, then fiddle with cable to suit this spot and give you a liitle play at handlebar. Take a peek at parts fiche and it will be easy to follow operation.

[notto06]

i went ahead andw hooked it up to pull it from the most inner of the slop point. i see the plate moving, but i dont think its pulling out far enough? once i put it into gear, it stays in gear. it is not disengaging once i pull in the clutch. i used a torque wrench on the springs, i am at about 9 ft/lb on each. do i not have enough grab from the springs to pull it out far enough? it is pretty tight when i pull the clutch in.

[notto06]

also, with the cover off, the "clutch release rack" is able to move in and out freely. that would be the slop that i have in the spline on the outside when its mounted. is this supposed to be free moving in and out like that? and free spinning all the way around?

Thanks

[tom203]

If you take the cover off, the pivot gear falls out of mesh with the "correct spot" on the rack gear ( this is the gizmo that pushes on plates to release them). When you reinstall cover, you will likely have to unclamp lever arm and move it on pivot shaft, so it starts pushing on rack gear with very little play before resistance is felt. A properly set cable prevents the lever arm from swinging too far to the right and losing this closeness- as you pull on clutch lever, you want to feel resistance real quick.

[OldVet66]

Make sure the lever and cable are at 90 degrees on the motor side. The splined shaft should be in position to depress the clutch but not touching so it rumbles with the motor running. There is adjustment at both ends of the cable and in the middle on top of the valve cover. Adjust all of these so the cable sheath gets longer taking up the slack. Just make sure you leave plenty of future adjustment at the clutch lever. It doesn't take much to depress the clutch so you will hit that point with the bottom and middle adjustment, leaving the top for fine adjustment. I like to have a fair amount of slack at the clutch lever so my friction point is closer to the handle, but that is up to you. Less slack and the clutch engages farther out. I feel I have less control out there, but everyone has different size hands and strengths so put it where you are comfortable.

[notto06]

i have that portion worked out. lever has been on and off through the process of setting the cable. currently, its almost like the clutch isnt being pulled out enough. when i pull the clutch, and put a little weight behind the bike, i can get her to move forward a bit, but there is still a lot of fight like its only about half way disengaged. is there something else i should be looking for here?

Thanks

[tom203]

When the lever arm /pivot shaft engages nicely with rack gear gizmo , I can push on lever arm with the heel of my hand, take up a little play, and disengage the clutch. Look at pic, see how pivot shaft engages rack gear gizmo- part #21

[notto06]

there is no way that i would be able to move the lever with my palm. there is too much pressure pushing back. pulling from the clutch lever on the handlebars is pretty tight itself. it wasnt that strong before i started having issues. what would cause that?

[tom203]

there is no way that i would be able to move the lever with my palm. there is too much pressure pushing back. pulling from the clutch lever on the handlebars is pretty tight itself. it wasnt that strong before i started having issues. what would cause that?

Well, if this bike is new to you, PO might have installed heavy duty springs. I can look in oil fill hole, push on lever and see clutch backing plate move toward me about 3/16 inch to disengage clutch. I would think the 850 clutch is just a little harder. Make sure you go to Alpha-sports website to get full size pic of what's happenning- it's not easy to explain.

[Flyboy]

Also check that the pivot hole in your clutch lever has nt worn oval, and/or the pivot bolt worn, they get dirt and dust in there and it acts like grinding paste, if the pivot hole in the lever is worn, it will give you a clutch that does not disengage properly, causing the dragging you describe, also makes the pull harder.
Assuming evertthing else is set up correctly.

[notto06]

yea i can see a little movement, and when the cable is attached and i look in the fill hole, i also see movement. by pivot hole on the clutch lever, do you mean where the lever itself is mounted to the bars, or where the end of the cable is being pulled in? the new cable seems to fit pretty snugly in the hole.

Sorry for my lack of knowledge on this guys.

[notto06]

the springs had seemed pretty close to the limit. i went ahead and ordered new ones on Monday, but they wont be here until middle of next week. could the springs just not have enough to them anymore and cause it to not pull out far enough? ive been over the diagram many times, seem to have an OK understanding of what is going on. the hub is just being pulled out to disengage. i just dont see why it will not pull enough to actually fully disengage. probably one of the more frustrating tasks ive dealt with on this bike so far.

[Flyboy]

Yes, I mean, the hole where the bolt goes through, where it mounts to the bars, a sure sign of worn lever is excessive up and down movement of the lever.
I might have missed it, but what is the history of the bike? When last did it run on a regular basis, it could be that your clutch is sticky and the plates are gummed together, a strip and good cleaning of the clutch will sort that problem out.
Warped steel clutch plates will also cause the clutch to drag.