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I hope this helps somebody out. I would have taken pictures, but I didn't really think I'd figure the problem out. Should have known better, as once again, logical thought and the common-sense design of these motorcycles resulted in a good day.
I was having problems with the clutch in my 550 not engaging smoothly. It seemed that it often "hung" in the disengaged position and then it would engage rather abruptly. It was worst when the bike was warm and when sitting at a light. Then last week, I was at a light and when I released the clutch lever, the clutch just didn't engage and the lever had no tension. This was unfortunate to say the least.
I had already replaced the cable and adjusted the mechanism, so I knew that was ok. I double checked it and it was correct. Strangely, now the clutch lever was back to "normal". I was not satisfied, however, and following the conventional wisdom here, I popped open my clutch basket and checked everything out. No problems there, and the parts were all within spec. After putting it back together, the clutch was still "grabby" when engaging. Hmm.
I reasoned that the problem must be in the mechanism translating the cable movement to the clutch push rod. Everything else was fine, so that seemed a good place to look. When I pulled off the sprocket cover, everything looked ok. The cable operates a small circular cam made of plastic that rotates and pushes in on a rod to disengage the clutch. It worked smoothly, but I knew from looking at the springs in the clutch, there was a lot of force on it. Looking closely at it, I saw what appeared to be a grease zerk right above it. It obviously hadn't been used, ever, as it was clean as a whistle. I reviewed the manuals I had and it wasn't mentioned anywhere. Figuring "what could it hurt" I whipped out my grease gun and shot some in. Then I greased up the channels the cams rotated in. I buttoned it back up and took it for a ride.
Problem fixed! Smooth as glass!
So for those of you that aren't really satisfied with the smoothness of your clutch engagement, try this out. You really only have to take off the clutch adjustment cover. On my bike it's three screws. The grease zerk is directly above the adjustment nut. Put about a half a lever's worth of grease in, then use the rest to lube the cams. Watch your fingers and operate the clutch lever to work it in. I'm not sure this design is universal across models, as my 550t is the only GS I've ever worked on.
Please post if this helps you out. I'm really curious, since I haven't seen this discussed on here.
*correction* After doing a search, I found 3 or 4 instances where people had done this with success. However, it doesn't appear to be well documented, so I'm glad I put this up here.
I was having problems with the clutch in my 550 not engaging smoothly. It seemed that it often "hung" in the disengaged position and then it would engage rather abruptly. It was worst when the bike was warm and when sitting at a light. Then last week, I was at a light and when I released the clutch lever, the clutch just didn't engage and the lever had no tension. This was unfortunate to say the least.
I had already replaced the cable and adjusted the mechanism, so I knew that was ok. I double checked it and it was correct. Strangely, now the clutch lever was back to "normal". I was not satisfied, however, and following the conventional wisdom here, I popped open my clutch basket and checked everything out. No problems there, and the parts were all within spec. After putting it back together, the clutch was still "grabby" when engaging. Hmm.
I reasoned that the problem must be in the mechanism translating the cable movement to the clutch push rod. Everything else was fine, so that seemed a good place to look. When I pulled off the sprocket cover, everything looked ok. The cable operates a small circular cam made of plastic that rotates and pushes in on a rod to disengage the clutch. It worked smoothly, but I knew from looking at the springs in the clutch, there was a lot of force on it. Looking closely at it, I saw what appeared to be a grease zerk right above it. It obviously hadn't been used, ever, as it was clean as a whistle. I reviewed the manuals I had and it wasn't mentioned anywhere. Figuring "what could it hurt" I whipped out my grease gun and shot some in. Then I greased up the channels the cams rotated in. I buttoned it back up and took it for a ride.
Problem fixed! Smooth as glass!
So for those of you that aren't really satisfied with the smoothness of your clutch engagement, try this out. You really only have to take off the clutch adjustment cover. On my bike it's three screws. The grease zerk is directly above the adjustment nut. Put about a half a lever's worth of grease in, then use the rest to lube the cams. Watch your fingers and operate the clutch lever to work it in. I'm not sure this design is universal across models, as my 550t is the only GS I've ever worked on.
Please post if this helps you out. I'm really curious, since I haven't seen this discussed on here.
*correction* After doing a search, I found 3 or 4 instances where people had done this with success. However, it doesn't appear to be well documented, so I'm glad I put this up here.