How does the clutch push rod work?

I know that seems like a dumb question whose answer is "It pushes on the clutch" But I was cleaning around my sprocket cover, and thought I would push on the push rod, but no matter how I pushed on it, it didnt move a bit.

I did notice that when I pulled it out a bit there was slight wear on the rod where it rubs against the crank case where it goes in. Is slight wear ok, or should this be replaced?

the wear is naturall it is caused by the seal wearing on it if you want more life out of it turn it around. the reason it didn't move when you pushed on it with your finger is it has 5 springs that have 40 plus pounds of spring pressure so it would be almost impossible to move without some sort of leaverage advantage. like a clutch lever and cable and all the other goodies that go with it.

cool, thanks. So I can pull the rod out and put it in the other way around? I noticed there looked to be a groove on the exposed end of the rod, would this interfere with anything if I put it into the crankcase?

no it will work either way the tips are hardened on both ends double check on a flat surface that it is straight. as that can cause wear as well

thx