Clutch cable problems...please help!

Okay, so I had a buddy help me with this. I'm new to bike repair...

I have a 1982 KZ-750 H. My clutch cable was way worn so I bought a new one today. My friend said he knew what he was doing and began disassembling the sprocket cover. I wasn't able to see what he was doing and he couldn't remember how the cable went inside at the clutch...spring in front, spring in back...who knows? Oh well...I was just wondering if anyone has any pics of this.

My symptoms now...bike starts with clutch depressed in neutral but jumps if in 1st gear...what am I missing here?

Oh...btw...I've been a long time subscriber of this excellent forum but now it says only one post. My bike was dead for awhile and just got it cranked again! Now I'm back!

Thanks!!

The worm-gear was probably not set properly(aligned) before you bolted the cover back into place.
You might have to take it apart again,OR...you MIGHT be ok there,and just need to adjust the new cable.

The picture I have of an exploded view of your set-up doesn't really show where the spring goes,but it SHOULD go onto the cable after the cable has been routed through the case(engine cover) and ALSO through the worm-gear bracket(last).You then pop the cable end into the slot in the bracket,and put a cotter-pin in there to keep the cable end from popping back out.

Thanks, Sandy! I'll get on this tomorrow afternoon. Gotta have it for the 4th, ya know! I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully post pics of my resurrection.

Sandy wrote:

The worm-gear was probably not set properly(aligned) before you bolted the cover back into place.

i'm experiencing similar problems with my clutch, how might you set the worm gear?

Well, as it turns out, the cable was about 6 inches shorter than the old one. I managed to route the cable on the inside of the handle bars rather than outside where the old cable was. That gave me plenty of slack and allowed me to adjust it correctly. I took it for a test ride and everything was going great when I lost all tension in the cable. The gears wouldn't engage at all! I coasted into a Waffle House, got my girlfriend to bring me tools, and then got to it. I think my problem was that I forgot to tighten the nut at the center of the cable! With gears engaged, I rode back home and a rode few extra laps around my neighborhood. Hopefully, this was my problem. Any other reason for this?

exoskel wrote:

Sandy wrote:

The worm-gear was probably not set properly(aligned) before you bolted the cover back into place.

i'm experiencing similar problems with my clutch, how might you set the worm gear?

Well,when you remove the gear from it's houseing(mating half),it might not get aligned properly.As you set it into place,it has to go in a certain way.Too far clockwise or COUNTER clockwise will make a huge difference,and chances are that the cover won't even bolt back into place,if the gear was installed in the counter clockwise position.
You'll know when you have it right.

And last,make sure you check the adjutment,on the bolt.(#1 and 2 in the pic)
Remove the smaller cover on the clutch cover itself(see other pic).

Loosen off the lock-nut,and back the set screw out,just to loosen it.Now go clockwise with that screw until you feel resistance,and then back it off slightly.Then tighten the lock-nut.
You may have to do this a couple of times until you get it adjusted properly.Feel for it though...and not too tight.

Sorry about that.Here's the other pic...