Clutch adjustment/assembly

Hey guys, putting this bike together, 82 kz550a3. Trying to get it cranking, just put a harness on it. Need to put the clutch together having a little trouble with the 3 ball bearing system. The bearings ride on a plate and one side is flat. Which direction should the flat side face?

And in that pic above the flat side is facing to the right as the picture lays. Then, assembled, is this what its supposed to look like?

First you insert the aluminum billet in the side cover, then you put in the plate holding the 3 balls. Those balls are supposed to go in the holes of the other part. Clutch opens when you pull the lever and it rotates the balls slightly up from those holes.

Well, i think i got it together right, took some fiddling with the cable adjustments and i got it half way work. Doesnt return, i can squeeze the clutch in and feel it work, but now it doesnt return. Am I goin to need a new beaqring assembly for this or grease it up real good and try again?

Clean it and grease it. It should work. Do you have a return spring in the cable? There should be one at the engine end and it should help to pull it back. Have you adjusted the assembly? Do that first since it affects the release also.

This assembly works as follows: When you pull lever/cable it turns the assembly and forces the 3 balls up towards the connecting rod whichc pushes the clutch plate assembly against the clutch springs and forces the clutch open. When you loose the lever the cluch springs will force the 3 balls back down.

It is also possible to have too much play ie. the 3 ball assembly turns too much moving the balls on the flat surface jamming the clutch open. To adjust it correctly first adjust the assembly on the side cover and then the cable.

It's not bad but can be trickey !

I remember my 750 when I changed the cable. The balls rotate on the cam and its hard to notice. Pay attention to how the cam will move with the lever. The travel is very small when you install it and it pushes the push rod.

1 work of caution....

I went to re-install the cover on mine and set the adjuster wrong. I read the book, tightened the cover, turned the screw in 1 turn and locked it down. Everytime I pulled in the clutch..... "pop" !
It slipped off the cam and I had to reinstall it. Then I read the "1982 suppliment" in the manual and that year it was set to "1/4 turn and lock down the screw". Worked perfect but drove me nuts for an hour or so at first.

Thats whats happening, it looks like i had it adjusted then "pop". I havent touched the adjustment behind the sprocket cover as the screws are frozen in.. Ugh..Why do they use screws and not bolts??? Had that problem with the carb boots, almost all of them were frozen in. Took about a week of swearing to get them off. Im goin to replace them with allen heads.
Ok, so, adjusted the cables till i had enough slack to pull the lever assembly in the sprocket cover to the right position, put it together and tightened until i had a good feel in the clutch lever, but when trying to pull the lever in it went "pop" again.. So its the adjustment behind the plate on the sprocket cover thats screwin me up?
And yes there is a spring to help it return, and no, its not returning by itself. Ill be working on that plate today and try to adjust it, let you guys know how i made out. Thanks for the help!

Trying to refresh my memory........
Once you have the cam lined up and install the cover assembly, then there is the screw with a locknut on it. Thats the one that has to be precise. Check the manual or ask someone here for the exact spec to adjust it. It makes a big difference ! I was hearing that "pop" and then the cable went limp and I kept thinking I broke something. If I remember I kept adjusting it like the book said " 1 turn after all slack is removed, then lock the jamb nut down". After about 10 times of messing it up I read the "1982 KZ 750 Supplement" in the back of the book and it said 1/4 turn on the 82 750, then lock the jamb nut. Worked perfect.

Look at the manual in my signature, if you don't have one already.

Well i got it together right and working halfway, but it does NOT return on its own. Greased the crap out of it, tried to work it back and forth but still only get one use of the clutch then it sticks. Thinking that spring has had it, or the assembly itself.. I dunno..

Its the cable itself. Took it off and found the top from the exhaust to the lever wont barely budge. Gonna try and lube the crap out of the cable, but i think a new one will have to be in order shortly.
Got this problem out of the way, Borrowed a friends battery jumper to see if this bike cranked and found a frozen starter. So i need a clutch cable and a starter just to hear this thing crank. Woo hoo.. lol

your photos show a ball & ramp adjuster and the method quoted in most manuals to adjust is 100% wrong.


To adjust screw the adjuster anticlockwise until resistance is met and then in 1/4 of a turn clockwise.

After having my clutch locked disengaged on a number of occasions I found my Clymer failed to mention that their adjustement method was for the worm type only. Mine is a 1981 J and I suspect kawasaki switched from worm to ball & ramp about that time

Post edited by: Kiwiz, at: 2007/09/29 00:55