clutch won't disengage

Hey All,

here's one of those irratating newbie questions. i started my '79 kz1000st today and warmed it up. the clutch seemed to be working fine. i shut it off, and did some other tinkering, then went to disengage the clutch to start it again, and the clutch won't disengage!

the lever will move 4 or 5 degrees, then locks up solid. i notice that the cable seems to run awfully close to the header pipe; could it have gotten so hot as to be fried? or is the clutch likely fried for some reason?

the oil level was normal while the engine was running.

anyone ever encounter anything like this? any ideas? or am i just well and truly f----d? thanks

john (clutchless in nebraska)

if the clutch cable is rusted on the inside it could have froze. but you have a clutch adjustment under one of your engine covers. most jap bikes you turn it clockwise until it is snug, then back it off a quarter turn, then tighten the lock nut. if you didnt tinker with that..... then it could be the cable.

anyone else have a good idea? :blink:

The outer countershaft cover holds a plastic worm gear type affair. The clutch cable pulls the end and the worm gear rotates. When it rotates, it pushes a long rod that goes through your engine. The rod contacts a 3/8" ball bearing and on the other side is the actual clutch pusher that pushes open the clutch plates.

If your clutch is stuck, I would remove the outer countershaft cover. Inside, you will see the plastic worm gear which has an arm where you hook in the end of the clutch cable. I would then pull the clutch lever in and see if it pivoted freely. If it doesn't pivot freely, the problem is in your cable. I would reroute or replace the cable to fix it. I would also lube the cable.

If the worm gear DOES pivot freely, the problem is elsewhere. Since that only leaves the rod, ball bearing and the clutch plates/pressure plate, do this... First try and pull out the rod. If it doesn't come out, you have welded the rod to the ball bearing or worse, there was no ball bearing and the rod is welded to the clutch pusher over on the right side of the bike. If this is the case, you will have to drain your oil and pull the clutch cover off and pull out the pusher, ball bearing and rod from that side and fix the problem. If you CAN pull the rod out from the countershaft side, put it back in... the problem is in the clutch itself.

Sometimes plates can stick from oil adhesion. When they do, put the bike in neutral and push it forward and see if you can "pop the clutch"... If that doesn't work, you will need to remove the clutch cover, take out the six 10mm bolts and disassemble the clutch plates; both steel and fiber and see why they won't come apart.

Hey All,

thanks for the replys. my local motorcycle guru removed the clutch cable today and says the clutch is fine, but the cable is histoire. off to the clutch cable store! lol

thanks again. newbie going back into stealth mode.



john

ps: we think it got too close to the header pipe and got fried. time to do some re-routin'!

john

Post edited by: superjohn, at: 2006/03/15 17:30

Hey John,
I had the same problem with the clutch cable touching the exhaust. There should be a metal clip on the left frame down tube, under which the cable should be routed.

If the clip is missing you can us a couple of black zip ties.