clutch push-rod adjustment problem

The problem was the bearing that resides in the pressure plate. (see photo below) The old bearing, on the left, was not only falling out of the race but the push-rod had ground out at least a 3/16" hole into the center piece that the push-rod pushes against.
Great evidence that its important to back off the adjustment screw at least a 1/4 turn. I also bought a new clutch release arm spring. The new spring was at least a 1/2" longer than the old spring. That took care of the slack making the clutch hand lever a lot more responsive and the adjustment was a breeze.

I'm glad you got that sorted out. I will file all this away in my faulty memory. Roy

Did u put a bearing in the pilot hole where the actuator arm goes or is ur arm up against the bearing surface?Seems to me if a bearing does go in there it would eliminate the issue u had with ur bearing--and maybe mine as well.bj

Hoc, When you say "actuator arm" do you mean the push-rod? My bike doesn't have a ball in the clutch actuation sequence. My push-rod pushes against a flat center piece that goes in the pressure plate bearing. You can see in the photo in my post above of the new bearing assembly that there is no cup to hold any kind of a ball.

If you look at the Kawasaki parts diagrams below for my bike (1st image 87 kz1000) and yours (2nd image: 82 kz1100) you will see just how different my clutch release mechanism is from yours. I believe the mysterious ball that everyone is talking about is part number 600 on your bike.

Just to add a little more info, my photo showing the old and new bearings side by side are part numbers 92045A and 13091 in the first parts diagram above.

OK .Thanks.On the actuator arm (shaft) No.13116 above,my shop manual shows a spring thet goes over that arm and the "mystery ball bearing" no.600 that fits in the hole in the block that part no.13116 rides in.Apparently this set up was only for the 82 "J" and 1100 bikes.Even in your diagram above,the spring doesnt show up,but there is one on my bike,so a little mystery continues.I think I will just take the clutch entirely out and have a look-see at the entire assembly laid out on my work bench and see what goes where.And since the clutch has never been replaced and is now 30 years old,I may just replace the whole shooting match.Lol.bj

OK just brief closure on this issue.Readjusted the clutch push rod as per the footnoted instructions for the 82 J and 1100 bikes (counterclockwise on the set screw).No more "suicide clutch" and now the slack is gone from the cable as well.Lesson:Read Manual carefully including footnotes.Thanks all.bj

I have a 82 Kawasaki kz440. The clutch cable broke . Replace it now it wont come out of neutral. Can turn clutch release by hand . What do I need to fix it

Since you are new here, you may not have realized that nobody has posted to this thread in almost nine years, and it was a thread about a kz1000 which has a different setup . In the future, you should start your own thread, or at least post in an active one that is about this problem on your model.

Anyway, one of the first questions you are likely to get is, have you carefully followed the procedure in the factory service manual? If you do not have one, there may be one to download from this site. Be sure to get one for your exact year and model, as Kawasaki has used several clutch release mechanisms.

By Dragon man: I have a 82 Kawasaki kz440. The clutch cable broke . Replace it now it wont come out of neutral. Can turn clutch release by hand . What do I need to fix it.

The owner's manual should have the procedure. Some guys don't realize the om is kind of hidden in a pull-down document case on the underside of the seat. The basic procedure is to slacken the cable by turning in the thumb adjuster at the clutch lever & turning in the mid-cable barrel adjuster, then loosen the clutch release lock nut. Then for the actual adjustment, turn the clutch release adjusting screw counterclockwise first until hard to turn, then clockwise 1/4 turn & tighten the locknut. then adjust the cable to take up the excess slack. There should be a little free play in the clutch lever, a few mm. But check the manual to verify the procedure.
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TexasKZ wrote: Since you are new here, you may not have realized that nobody has posted to this thread in almost nine years, and it was a thread about a kz1000 which has a different setup . In the future, you should start your own thread, or at least post in an active one that is about this problem on your model.

Anyway, one of the first questions you are likely to get is, have you carefully followed the procedure in the factory service manual? If you do not have one, there may be one to download from this site. Be sure to get one for your exact year and model, as Kawasaki has used several clutch release mechanisms.

I realize that yes, the OP should have consulted his factory owners or service manual, but I think it's rather ironic to chastise him for re-starting a 9 year old thread. More often that not people get booed for asking something without doing a search first. In this case the OP must have done a search and came upon the 9 year old thread which he brought back to life with his question. So which way is a person supposed to go? Search and find something fairly close to your question, or not search and just ask away. Either way he risks being criticized for not doing the right thing. And maybe, just maybe he doesn't have a factory manual of any sort for his bike.


Rick H.

I don't mind resurrecting old threads. Problem is some pics aren't available anymore and spammers like to use them for their spew thinking no one will notice.
Good part it won't take up more space and gets everyone up to speed on what the new poster has already learned or not.
We always say do a search and he did.
Steve