KZ550-C1 LTD :: Heavy clutch

Hiya! Drove home from work today without a clutch, as the wire snapped. Not too dramatic, but I'm just pondering as to "why".

Explanation: I bought the bike no more than a week ago. The owner stated that he had "replaced the clutch and wire", but that the "wire was a bit short" causing the occasional spin. It didn't take me too long to figure out how to adjust the clutch properly, and I got rid of the spin (after pulling apart the release mechanism to mend a worn adjuster). But the clutch was darn heavy, and the wire finally snapped on me as I started her up this afternoon.

Now this could be attributed to two factors: The wire did have a small angle near the lever as it was admittedly quite tight, even after derouting it a little by the engine/frame - it was so tight I couldn't get it attached to the lever without forcing it good and proper over several attempts. I also struggled tightening it enough to work properly. Second, the amount of force needed to engage the clutch seems over the top, though I don't have another bike for comparison. This would cause excessive wear on the cable.

- Could the snapped wire be for a different KZ550 (e.g. A, G) and therefore too short?
- How hard should the clutch be to engage?
- What can cause a heavy clutch? Wire and release was fine.

+Holraven+

tHe factory KZ 550 clutches are really light and usually silky smooth.

When someone replaces the clutch with an aftermarket set of friction disks, they slip a lot with the factory springs. So they put in heavy, aftermarket springs. I tried them and they were super heavy compared to the factory setup. I spent the little bit extra for the factory disks and new factory springs and I was back to the easy, smooth clutch.

The heavy pull clutch would make my arm ache in just a few miles of city stop-and-go.

The factory pull is almost two-finger easy.

The stell plates should be de-glazed too as long as you're in there.

If you do a search, probably a bunch of threads on 550 clutches will come up.

BTW, when I was doing the clutch work, I asked several local speed shops what to use. They all said don't waste money on any aftermarket clutch regardless of brand. Only use the factory clutch.

Weight/grade of oil being used? Most "Car Oils" contain friction modifiers not compatable with the starter and wet plate clutches in motorcycles. "Oil is Oil" is not the same on a motorcycle...

Thanks for the tips! I did notice some posts on aftermarket springs yesterday evening, and it is very likely that the previous owner used a set of heavier springs. I haven't changed the oil yet either, but I know I should - although it has been "regularly changed", I don't know WHEN, what oil and whether he's changed the filter or not.

I read up on oil types yesterday, and I guess I'll be searching for a proper brand/type before changing - reading ingredients while checking the board on my mobile...

+Holraven+

As someone who installed the aftermarket springs in the same model bike, 10% heavier. I was happy with the results. Didn't notice much extra pull at the lever, and had no issues with any of the cable or release mechanism. But I did disassemble and clean/ lube the release mechanism as well as using a cable oiler on the cable. I think it was probably the original cable, 1980 with 20K miles.
I wouldn't think that the springs themselves would be causing the cable to snap pre-maturely.
Then in my 1000 I have a set of aftermarket clutch friction discs that are from Japan. I have put several thousand miles on with no issues.