What's the right way to adjust the clutch?

[ShirleySerious]

I've been riding for the past couple years thinking my clutch was supposed to be a little loose, but I sat on my friend's new bike and worked the clutch. Felt a lot different.

What's the right way to adjust the cable at the lever and crankcase? As it is now, my clutch engages suddenly with the lever pulled about 1/4 of the way in. I want a little more of a gradient. I learned to ride on a GS250 and I remember the "friction zone" being about 1/2 way.

[gadang]

Great question..I am having the same issue:

I hope I can jump on this thread! I have a situation with my clutch. It doesn't want to engage until my hand is about all the way off the lever. If I pull in a 1/4 inch it is disengaged. I did put a new clutch cable on and adjusted it per the manual and it seemed fine at first but now it is getting way out to the end. Does this sound like springs or plates....or both? Can I shim the springs? Is that done by putting washers behind the springs? Can the clutch release arm be adjusted on the pinion shaft so that it can release sooner?

Thanks for any help!

[ShirleySerious]

My cable is fairly new (last year) as well.

[gadang]

Oh...I did change oil in the bike....Penzoil 10w-40. Could that cause all of this?

[BassCliff]

I looked in my book

Here's what I found.





Hope this helps.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[salty_monk]

You might be able to move the arm around one notch on the clutch housing, might give you more adjustment. About to try the same thing on mine as it's too tight even with all the adjusters wound in.

Dan

[psyguy]

You might be able to move the arm around one notch on the clutch housing, might give you more adjustment. About to try the same thing on mine as it's too tight even with all the adjusters wound in.

Dan

theres an adjustment "thingy" in the middle of the cable as well, under the tank
i'd leave the lever arm on the clutch cover so it travels equally both sides from the centre (centre being the arm facing straight forward) - that position ensures maximum cable travel without any rubbing (of the cable core), and also max clutch plates (dis)engagement

[ShirleySerious]

You might be able to move the arm around one notch on the clutch housing, might give you more adjustment. About to try the same thing on mine as it's too tight even with all the adjusters wound in.

Dan

Mine has a different design, I think. I tried screwing it all the way in and adjusting the screw on the clutch side but that yields the same reults The screw on the clutch side is almost all the way out.

[gadang]

Does anyone think that car oil can cause the clutch to act this way? It feels like there isn't as much of a friction zone any longer. It just engages when the springs are fully expanded...does that make sense? I broke a clutch cable bout 2.5 weeks ago and changed my oil 1 week ago. After the oil change is when I noticed it.

Thanks you guys!

[Steve]

Does anyone think that car oil can cause the clutch to act this way?

What oil did you use? Car oil, in itself is not a problem. Where the problem can show up is if you use a 10w-30 that has the words "Energy Conserving" in the API seal on the back of the container. I have not seen those words on 10w-40 or 20w-50 oils, and 10w-40 is what is recommended for our bikes, anyway.

If your just changed your clutch cable, is it adjusted properly? BassCliff has the proper procedure posted above.

If all that is correct, it might be time to change the clutch springs.

.

[Nessism]

Auto oil is okay. No worry.

It is not possible to adjust the progressiveness of the clutches engagement - only the place where engagement occurs.

550 clutch adjusts a little different than the large bikes.

The 550 clutch has three different adjustment points: at the hand lever, at the bottom of the cable where it enters the sprocket cover, and at the actuation helix built into the sprocket cover (under that small cover held on with two screws).

I suggest you fully loosen both the hand lever adjuster and the adjuster at the bottom of the sprocket cover. Use the helix to perform the main adjustment.

Loosen the lock nut on the helix adjuster and turn the flat head screw until you get the feel at the lever you are looking for - cable tightness determines where the clutch engages. Snug down the lock nut afterwards. You might want to leave the cable just a smig loose, and take up the slack with the hand lever adjuster. Very simple adjustment.