Not enough clutch slippage!

[fredintoon]

Hi 'Bug,
in all this discussion nobody has mentioned the tension spring that pulls the clutch operating arm back.
If that little darlin' is weak or missing or has an end bust off the clutch can't work right.

[fabricgator]

Did you knock off the glaze on the steels?

Hello Bug,

I was wondering if you knocked off the glaze on the steel plates?

I suspect that I have a similar problem to yours. I think I was too aggressive with the sand paper when I scuffed my steel clutch plates.

I keep my cable and adjustments tight to overcome my situation... not my highest choice. Clutch adjustment tight, cable very little to no free play.

[psycoreefer]

When you had your clutch apart did you measure the thickness of the frictions and steels? Maybe some sort of oil additive or fuel in the oil caused the friction plates to swell a bit? If they are thicker then spec that would cause you to not have enough travel to disengage them.

[CatatonicBug]

When you had your clutch apart did you measure the thickness of the frictions and steels? Maybe some sort of oil additive or fuel in the oil caused the friction plates to swell a bit? If they are thicker then spec that would cause you to not have enough travel to disengage them.

Hmmm... I like this concept. It's the first one that actually sounds plausible to me. I did not mic the plates, but I took them out and made sure they weren't stuck together. I have not sanded or otherwise molested them in any way, but if a PO did something to them that caused them to swell, that might be an issue. Would they retain the swelling, even after several oil changes and 2 years of use?

[WMarshy]

"Gummy clutch"

If your close to your next oil change you could try running some Seafoam in the oil to see if it helps with the drag. That might losen things up and save you from pull the clutch or cover...

The thing that bothers me is the clack you hear after you shift into first comming to a stop. Your still moving when you go from 2nd to 1st right? About how fast? How comparable is it to the normal clack when going from N to first? We all agree that once you shift into first from second that the gears should be engaged so what could be going on there? Is it possible to have a bent fork and first gear doesnt get fully engaged? (Just wingin it, still got alot to learn.)

[psycoreefer]

Hmmm... I like this concept. It's the first one that actually sounds plausible to me. I did not mic the plates, but I took them out and made sure they weren't stuck together. I have not sanded or otherwise molested them in any way, but if a PO did something to them that caused them to swell, that might be an issue. Would they retain the swelling, even after several oil changes and 2 years of use?

I have no idea if its possible or if they would remain swelled. Logically it seems like a "swelled" disk would be softer and wear quicker as part of its make up has been compromised but who knows? I've read in other posts that our clutch discs aren't "compatible" with synthetic oils. I don't know what is meant by that or if there is proof to back it up but maybe the PO ran synthetic and it swelled the disks? Only way to know is to take them out and measure.

It seems there are only two root causes: A. The linkage is somehow messed up and not traveling far enough to disengage. Or B. The clutch pack is some how messed up and not moving when the clutch is pulled.

It sounds like you've investigated option A a fair amount and seem some what confident that the linkage works as it should. That only leaves B and the only way to find B is to take the clutch apart and measure and inspect.

[CatatonicBug]

When I downshift from second to first, it's as I roll to the line, so the speed is anywhere from 0-10mph. I get 5-10 clunks in quick succession, then it stops once I am completely stopped. Almost as though something is still spinning, and coming to a stop as I am slowing/stopping the bike. Think of it like a flywheel that no longer has power behind it - but it stops rather quickly.

The clunking is nothing like the single clunk when I shift from N to 1st. That one's more like a Russian Tractor. This is the obvious sound of repeating metal-to-metal impacts, that seem to push past each other rather easily. Kinda like a transmission syncro that's not in sync.

[randy]

Could this sound be related to the brakes? I remember when I had an 81 SH it had warped front discs and the symptoms were most pronounced coming to a stop. Stopping the last few feet I could actually see the front calipers wobble. If I were you I'd check out the calipers and rotors. Ditto the rear caliper for loose pads, loose torque arm, etc.

[dbeardslee]

I replaced my frictions, steels and springs with new parts (no extra plate). I've noticed the clutch acts different when it's hot - less free play at the lever. It took me four times to get it adjusted so it works properly through the entire temp range. You might try adjusting it while the motor's hot and see if you get different results. JAT