Chain cover trouble

freakinbike wrote: In the attached image is a part I am missing. It doesn't have a part number, so I'm assuming it's just a simple spacer.

Here's what I've deduced, correct me where I am wrong. The clutch rod hits the spacer against the clutch release. Without the spacer, the clutch rod goes all the way into the clutch release, and there's not enough pressure to fully release the clutch.

If this is it, where can I get that spacer? Could I get one from Home Depot? Is there a specific thickness?

The circled part is not your problem. What you have circled is the clutch rod seal that is located in your transmission cover that is behind your counter sprocket. Thats just the way Kawasaki Motors has always laid out their parts diagrams or "microfishe" (most people who work in dealerships today don't even know what microfishe is any more!!). It is not some type of part without a part number.

EVERY part that is used on ANY Kawasaki motorcycle HAS a part number.

So I was wrong then.

Soundman, can you shift at all? Even with the lever at its stiffest, will it still partially disengage the clutch?

I tried putting my old chain cover back on, to see if that was the issue. Still have the same problem. Perhaps I'm not assembling it correctly? I have been wondering about the clutch bearing ball seated in the chain cover. It has a flat side. Is there a specific way to put it in? A certain way that flat side should face?

DBSoundman wrote: I'm having the same trouble on my 440. cleaned up the release lever and checked the cable, reinstalled. Tried to set the cable but have to extend out a lot to get tension and when I do its hard right away. There's no area of increasing tension and there's no spring back either.

Does anyone know if you should be able to push the pushrod yourself with a tool or something and get movement? I can slide it back and forth just fine but when I tried to duplicate the action of the release lever it wouldn't budge. Makes me worry that the clutch is seized.

Start your own thread, don't hijack other's.

And, unless you're Superman or the Incredible Hulk, you are not going to push that rod in enough by hand to release the clutch. :laugh:

@freakinbike Yes I have been able to shift from neutral down to 1st back to neutral and into 2nd.

@steell I did start my own but thought to pop in on this one to share what I know as it's the same problem.

My current plan is to dissemble the whole clutch system, clean it, and rebuild it.

While I think that's a good idea, I don't think something that drastic is necessary. For me, all that changed was the chain cover (unfortunately changing it back to original did not solve the problem).

I'm going to reassemble the chain cover (again) tomorrow morning to see if something isn't seated properly. If you discover anything, be sure to post. Or if you have any ideas, something we could try