clutch adjustment

Hey all, another new guy here. I bought an '82 KZ550C3 late last year and it wasn't running so well (more on that later -- this was supposed to be the bike I would ride as I complete the restoration of my '75 Yamaha). Then winter set in, I have no garage, so it sat all winter. Now it's getting warmer and lighter out later, so I'm trying to do what I can to make the old girl sing.

I futzed around with the clutch adjustment today. It never seemed to pull in enough and it was dragging when I could get the bugger to run. Now, I just can't seem to get it right. I went as far as taking the chain cover off, re-greasing the clutch actuator inside, lubing the cable, and re-adjusting it a la the sequence in my Clymer. However, when I get on the bike, pull in the clutch, and put it in gear, I notice that the clutch is dragging quite a bit (it's a real effort to push the bike forward when in gear but with the clutch fully in). Is this normal? I wouldn't think so, but I've never ridden a bike regularly, so I don't know. I wouldn't think it is right. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Nick

There are a lot of things that could cause clutch binding. How many miles are on the chassis?

How old is the oil in the bike? Maybe the plates are gummy/glued together. It's 25 year old bike. Welcome to resto-world.

You could drain the oil, put in a gallon of solvent (ATF), pull the clutch lever, and crank the motor around to maybe free them up. Don't start the bike, just flush the solvent through, then drain it and start over with fresh oil and a new filter.

Maybe the cable is frayed. Some of the machines use cables that have extra metal barrels where fraying isn't obvious, like it could be on the ends.

And no, it isn't normal to have a dragging clutch.

Uncertain whether clutch rod was also adjusted (Loosen lock not; turn screw in to stop; back screw out 1/4 turn; tighten lock nut). Excessive play fom being turned out too far can cause dragging. If small ball bearing is missing from other end between rod and clutch, am guessing would either drag or not disengage at all.

The bike has about 13k on it. I changed the oil & filter shortly after I got it. The cable itself is okay, not great. I may replace it -- it was bone dry when I tried to lube it today. I didn't see any fraying near the ends nor in the central adjuster (I took the cable completely off today when I lubed it).

I adjusted the clutch rod as well. I didn't think about the ball bearing at the other end of the clutch rod -- how would I get at it? What would cause that ball bearing on that end to go missing?

...bought an '82 KZ550C3...wasn't running so well...clutch adjustment...never seemed to pull in enough...was dragging...re-greasing the clutch actuator...lubing the cable, and re-adjusting it...clutch is dragging...bike has about 13k...cable itself is okay...was bone dry...didn't see any fraying...lubed it...adjusted the clutch rod...didn't think about the ball bearing at the other end of the clutch rod -- how would I get at it? What would cause that ball bearing on that end to go missing?

Recommend getting a repair manual for guidance. Plates should be okay after only 13k miles, but might be time to go inside and check for loose clutch hub nut, missing parts, remove and disassemble clutch to clean the plates and look for warpage, lightly sand the fiber coverings, check for even spring tension (possible broken spring), assure free movement of housing on the drive shaft.

Here's a diagram from Kawasaki.com that might be helpful as it shows the small bearing. If the rod was pulled out from the left side for whatever reason, I am unsure whether the bearing could fall out of place, and where it would go if it did. But it's supposed to be in there. Others more experienced could offer better advice on that aspect.

sometimes after sitting the friction plates can stick to the metals most of the time this happens you can fix it by putting the front wheel against the wall startthe bike put it in gear rev it up and dump the clutch sounds stupid but it works alot of the time

looking at the diagram posted by Patton, then if your clutch lifter is of the type shown then I have a suspicion that the adjustment description in Clymer IS WRONG!

Screwing the adjuster clockwise and backing out a quarter turn is wrong for the ball and ramp adjuster.

You screw it fully anticlockwise to remove the clearance and the clockwise a quarter of a turn. After weeks of frustration with my J clutch I found out the instructions in Clymer were wrong for this type of mechanism,leading frequent jamming of the clutch open.

The problem is there are two types of adjuster but the manual mentions only one. The more common worm mechanism, where Clymer instructions are correct and this type where they are the complete opposite.

Thanks for the notes. It looks like I may have to dig into the clutch. I do have a manual, a Clymer that came with the bike from the PO. I too noticed that the Clymer note on clutch adjustment seemed backwards... I figured that out when I took off the side cover and completely disassembled / regreased the clutch actuator and took note of how the adjuster worked.

I saw a pretty good article in the KZrider archives about clutch replacement, so I'll use that as a start. Any particular advice? Is there a special clutch holding / alignment tool I should pick up? Also, where do you guys recommend getting parts, say friction plates? I see them at BikeBandit for about $9 each, and I know that they are rarely the cheapest. If you know of cheaper / aftermarket alternatives, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

Why do you want to replace the clutch? After 13k it cannot be worn out and since you have most probably had the ingenious Clymer-guidance your clutch adj is way off. Adjust it as KiwiZ said, turn the bolt counterclockwise till you feel resistance then back (clockwise) 1/4 turn and fasten the locknut. Be carefull not to twist the adjustment when tightening the nut. Then adjust the cable and leave it relatively loose. It needs some slack otherwise there´s too much play and pulling the lever will jam the clutch open as the 3 balls pop out from their places.

Another thing is that if I understood it right you haven´t actually ridden tha bike at all. It is normal the plates to stick after a few months winter storage. Crank it up and dump the clutch:evil: You wont brake it unless you´ll end up wheelieing back to your carage. Besides if you really need to change plates you can do it in about 1 hour so no big deal to first try to ride it. Usually plates are changed cause they slip.

I did ride it a bit after I got it. First was the test ride, all warmed up (yes, I now know why they say always do the test ride when the guy hasn't warmed it up, lecture me on that later), where everything seemed to go well other than a stiff feel to the clutch. When I got it back to my place (trucked, since the bike wasn't tagged & legal, yes, another bad sign of neglect, I know), I took it for a few spins -- no more than about 2 miles total -- and decided to try to 'fix it' since it wasn't running so well (a real b**ch to start and constantly died, esp. with application of power). I won't go into the motor woes here -- I'm saving that for another post. Suffice to say that it would barely start, would die in gear, and it got dark & cold out so I gave up until spring. Spring is here, and I'm at it again. For now, I'm trying to figure out why the $*^&ing clutch drags no matter how I adjust it.

It is currently adjusted the way you say (backwards from the Clymer description, I figured that one out when I took the side cover off). I was hoping NOT to replace the clutch, but maybe take it apart for a look-see to determine if it's stuck together, the springs are good, the ball bearing at the end of the rod is in place, and so on. If you think I should wait and get the motor running and try to break it loose then, I'll wait.

When I have a few more things worked out on the motor I'll put together a motor trouble post, and you can tell me where I screwed up. I have a few ideas...

Pull the plugs.

Dump oil into clean container.

Put in a gallon of ATF.

Hook up jumper cables to a strong 12v source.

Turn key on.

Put bike into gear.

Pull clutch lever in.

Push starter button for a long time, to force solvent into plates.

Do it for enough time to wash out any gummyness.

Drain goo. Replace filter. Reuse originally drained oil if still new.

$8.00 invested may fix this problem.

Okay, I'll give this a shot. A few things... how long is long enough? I wouldn't think I should use the starter for more than 20-30 seconds without letting it cool for a long time. Also, I understand that ATF has lots of detergents in it which is why you are advocating it. Is there any way (or even need) to throughly flush the system after using ATF? I will be giving an oil change no matter what as my old oil, while freshly changed, is gasoline-thinned due to my aforementioned engine problems.

If my clutch plates are stuck together, should I notice no difference or some difference whether the clutch is in or out? Right now, when I pull in the clutch lever, I do get the smallest amount of give -- I can push the bike forward with a great amount of effort when in first (whereas, with the clutch out, I cannot push it at all despite my best effort).

Thanks for the advice & keep it coming. I'll get this clutch working yet...

Nick