Real Stiff Clutch?

i rode my bike around for the first time yesterday, but when i went to start it today i couldnt pull the clutch and it seemed frozen. i eventually got it to work but now it is very stiff, much more so than before. i have no clue what could have caused this drastic change and i am looking for help. thanks

You need to give us some more info here like make, year model bike, ect. When you rode it yesterday did the clutch feel nromal? What do mean by "frozen."

Did you do a clutch release adjustment?
The Clymer manual is either ambiguous or wrong for some models, including the 550. Some factory manuals may be ambiguous as well, not sure. You're supposed to turn the release adjusting screw counterclockwise first until hard to turn, then clockwise 1/2 turn. Loudhvx has a link in his signature for the corrected procedure.

undo cable from handle and in case, make sure it is freely moving. my kz-1000 froze up and i thought i had major problems when it was only the cable.

im new to bikes in general so its hard for me to say but i think the clutch pull was on the stiff side to start. when i say frozen i mean i couldnt pull the handle for a bit, only got to it move once i pulled on it hard. now it moves but is much stiffer than previously. i am not sure what you are referencing when you talk about the adjusting screw but i do have the clymer manual and its good to know its not very accurate.


ps its a 1982 kz550 ltd

oh yeah i have an idea on how it could have happened. i noticed a few days that i left my petcock on prime and my air box had some fuel in it. i didnt think much of it, cleaned up the fuel, and started the engine and let it idle for a while. when i stopped the engine seemed unusually hot and i still didnt think anything of it. it was the next time i went to start the engine that the clutch was stuck. i am realizing now that gas probably seeped past the pistons and got into my oil, and then that caused the engine to somewhat overheat somehow. im not sure if this could have caused my stuck clutch problem but if it did is this a sign of serious damage?

Personally, I would change your oil as soon as possible. I had gas leaking into my oil and it burnt out my clutch pretty fast. The gas being in the oil will change the make up of the oil, a wet clutch relies on the oil to be correct for it to grab and yet slightly slip. Clutch kits are getting harder to come by for these older bikes, at least at a decent price that is...

Remove the oil filler cap & do a sniff test to check for gasoline contamination. I would change the oil & do the correct clutch adjustment - the procedure should be in the owner's manual - some new KZ owners don't realize there's one hidden in a pulldown document case on the underside of the seat.

There are several 550 Kawasaki service manuals & owner's manuals listed on ebbaayy.

I changed the oil, replaced the clutch cable, and properly adjusted it. Everything is working better than before and the problem seems to be gone. The old cable had a bad kinc in it that I didn't notice and I believe that was actually what caused the problem.

If you verify the cable was the cause thats good. But if you DID have gas in the oil, you need to make sure you get your carbs worked on asap. If it had gas in it. It will do it again. And it will do damage if not detected imediately after.

i plan on rebuilding them real soon, all the needles have bad grooves where they meet their seat.