Basic Clutch Troubleshooting:
Clutch lever/cable assemblies;
a. Pivot lever pin and lever lubed.
b. If steel inner cable is covered with a plastic tube over it, do not lube.
c. If bare steel inner cable - lube with 90w gear oil.
d. Pushrod adjust screw is backed out to feel for a smooth inner cable. Slack at the lever shows smooth back and forth feel.
Clutch Plate Wear And Warp:
Lever is pulled in, bike creeps up to the back of a car's bumper, and/or hard to find N.
a. Pushrod throw is not far enough.
b. Pressure plate adjust screw is out of spec.
c. A single warped plate; can push the bike forward; hard to find N; grinds into 1st gear.
d. Clutch slips if all is adjusted at lever and adjust screw.
Clutch Inspect And Assembly In The Generic:
Steel plates are stamped out and have a round side and a cut side. Frictions may have this cut side of memory direction also.
a. Collect all steel plates and lay them on each other. Hold the steel pack in hand.
b. Look around the steel stack and find any gap upon the stack.
c. Remove any plate that causes a gap.
d. Friction pad wear is too close to the metal material, has burned pads, or is measured out of spec.
e. Replace steels and frictions as a complete set.
f. Install all cut sides toward the pressure plate.
Clutch Pushrod And Lever Adjust:
At the cable: Screw threads at the center of the cable, hide the threads by screwing in.
At the clutch adjust nut: Loosen lock nut.
Cable is loose at the center adjust collar:
a. The pressure plate adjust screw is free of any drag at the end of the screw.
b. Lightly pull lever and feel the lever move to the perch as you turn the center screw in.
c. Knowing this is the correct direction, the screw will finally stop. So hand off lever, move the screw out to, where there is no friction.
d. Then turn it in and feel it stop. The hand should go limp as it bottoms or stops. Try it a few times with no hand on the lever.
e. Once you feel that ever so touch, back it out a 1/4 turn. and tighten simultaneously holding the adjust screw from moving.
Cable adjust:
a. Begin to show threads and run out the cable center adjust screw.
b. Pull lever so cable ends do not fall out of the center collar ends.
c. Run out the lever to the perch and stop.
d. Pull lever; notice the slack; look at the gap between lever and perch taken up before pulling lever any more..
e. Tap lever with a finger to feel that slack bounce closed as you keep turning the center collar out till it hits the perch.
f. That is the farthest you can throw the pressure plate, still have slack at the cable so the clutch won't slip, and snick it right to N without hunting for it.
Static Test:
Lever is pulled in; back wheel off the ground; or a hammer handle that can push the pressure plate and break it loose if not turns by hand. That shows no creep, plates broke loose,
