clutch adjustment

[gk45241]

Put about 400 miles on the 79 over the weekend. Had a blast . I am however a little concerned because the clutch adjustment seems to be kinda out of whack now . The clutch will engage when taking off from a stop, But is engaging cold almost to where it is fully out.
I do not remember this being an issue in the past. Is there a way to bring the catch point in on the lever? I am far from the clutch guru and am curious what has changed. I would hope the clutch isn"t going out. The bike has about 18000 on the odometer. There is no slip while riding. Just a little more finicky taking off from a stop than she used to be.

Help!!!!

Gary

[motoman]

Back off the cable adjustment so cable is free/loose. Remove inspection cover on clutch side ans loosen the lock nut and rotate inner screw inward till it lightly bottoms. Then back it out a quarter-turn and tighten lock-nut. Back to cable adjustment leaving adjusted so there is no tension on cable when engaged.

[DGXSER]

Yep, start by adjusting the clutch. Here is the tech tip

[gk45241]

pictures?

Does anyone have a picture of what the adjustment screw and locknut look like. I haven"t pulled it apart but don't want to get in over my head an mess something up.

Which side is the clutch adjustment panel on?

Thanks,
Gary

[CatatonicBug]

Does anyone have a picture of what the adjustment screw and locknut look like. I haven"t pulled it apart but don't want to get in over my head an mess something up.

Which side is the clutch adjustment panel on?

Thanks,
Gary

The clutch is on the right side of the bike. It has 2 phillips-head screws holding a round cover on. Remove those 2 screws, and you'll see the mechanism. Do you have a manual? You can download one from the link in my signature if you need it. There are pictures in there.

[skids]

I had one do that suddenly and the cable broke soon after! I think the strands were breaking...

[ManagerMike]

I had to replace the clutch on my '78 this off season (started slipping at high r's and throttle angle), just crossed 18,000 miles. Out of curiosity I mic'd the friction plates and found they averaged .010 inches thinner than the replacements each, that's huge when you multiply by 8 plates!
If you do end up replaceing the clutch, it's a great time to switch to synthetic oil if you are so inclined, as there seems to be an annecdotal corelation betweewn old clutches, synthetics, and slipping. I,ve got synthetic oil now and a perfect clutch, it'll lift the front wheel if I'm not carefull.

[TopCatGr58]

Does anyone have a picture of what the adjustment screw and locknut look like. I haven"t pulled it apart but don't want to get in over my head an mess something up.

Which side is the clutch adjustment panel on?

Thanks,
Gary

Hey Gary,

Here's a picture from the Clutch plates/extra steel tech tip, showing the 12mm box end and phillips screwdriver in position for doing the adjustment. You don't have to remove the cable from the lever, but ensuring it has some slack at the handlebar first would be good.



T.C.