'75 Z1-B 900 Clutch Cable adjustment

Greetings, I feel like a doddering old fool because its been so lonb since I adjusted a Clutch cable on a "Z". :blink:
Heres whats going on, when bike is first started and barely warm with Clutch Lever pulled all the way in and bikes in Neutral and I put in first gear, its like the clutch is not pulled in at all, bike immediately jerks and begins to go. If I warm bike up quite a bit problem is not so much.Clutch cable was brand new when bike was restored in 2008.
Looking at the Clutch cable adjustment on handlebars, adjuster is just barely threaded in, Mid Cable adjuster is also barely started.
Not sure if I need to start at Mid cable adjuster by frame down tube?? I have read and re-read my manuals but sorry to say, the adjustment procedure is as "Clear as Mud" to me! I Don't want to start yanking off covers until I can see if adjustment can be made at Handlebars or Mid Cable Adjustor by Down tube. Steve or 650 ED can someone break this down ( Simplify) how to get the Clutch Cable adjusted so it will disengage when cool. I hope this all make sense!

Adjust so the cable has all slack. Open the tear drop cover on the left side. Loosen the lock nut and tighten down the screw until resistance is felt. Back off 1/8 turn and tighten lock nut. Readjust the other two adjusters. If it still doesn't work the plates are sticking. Could clear up after riding for a while. Has it been sitting?
Steve

+1

Also, does the bike have the stock clutch plates and springs? If the stock parts have been replaced with heavier duty parts the clutch plates may stick together after the bike sits. My old BSA had all racing parts in it, including aluminum clutch plates and heavy springs, and that clutch would stick after sitting for just a couple hours. To free it up I had to (with the engine off) put the bike in gear; pull in the clutch; and rock the bike forward and backward until the clutch would free up. Ed

Thanks Steve & ,650Ed :woohoo:
I figured the cable adjustment out, embarassed at how easy it was :ohmy:
Anyway, made just a small overall change in the adjustment, only difference I can tell is that I let the Clutch Lever a lttle further out before it catches now. After "Pondering" some more on it, I am convinced 650Ed is onto something,I think the Clutch may be "Sticking"....like Ed's Beezer did. I have not ridden the bike as much since I got my "recliner on wheels" ( '03 Harley Heritage)...soooo.. I am gonna ride ithe Z some next week and see what happens. I suppose if it is Sticking , riding it some should help loosen up the Clutch discs, a friend of mine who is a British Bike enthusiast, says I should use the Kick Starter a bunch he say's that helps loosen stuck clutches/plates on the Brit bikes. Think that might work on my Z?? Also another annoying problem.....Having trouble with the Tach cable staying tight on the engine/ head, have tightened it MANY times, still manages to come loose, luckily ,I remembered to check it today, almost ready to fall off again! Guess I am gonna try some Thread Lock on that!?
Regards
Ed

If you pull in the clutch it should spin. Popping it in and out while running may free it up also. The tach fitting has a habit of coming loose. I clean it with carb spray an use lock tight on it.
Steve

Right. Pull in the clutch and give the kicker a few strokes. If the plates are not sticking you should feel no resistance other than the spring on the kicker. You may notice that there initially is some resistance, but after a kick or two there should be nearly none since the plates should free up and the kicker spring isn't terribly strong. Ed

650ed wrote: +1

Also, does the bike have the stock clutch plates and springs? If the stock parts have been replaced with heavier duty parts the clutch plates may stick together after the bike sits. My old BSA had all racing parts in it, including aluminum clutch plates and heavy springs, and that clutch would stick after sitting for just a couple hours. To free it up I had to (with the engine off) put the bike in gear; pull in the clutch; and rock the bike forward and backward until the clutch would free up. Ed

I put up with this for so long with the Barnett plates .... didn't know better this place wasn't around way back then :pinch: thank God they finally started slipping and under advice here I replaced em with Kawasaki plates (still bought a new set of Barnett springs though) no problems at all anymore.
Give yours some time though like you said it might have been just cause its sat for a while.

KZB2 650 wrote:

650ed wrote: +1

Also, does the bike have the stock clutch plates and springs? If the stock parts have been replaced with heavier duty parts the clutch plates may stick together after the bike sits. My old BSA had all racing parts in it, including aluminum clutch plates and heavy springs, and that clutch would stick after sitting for just a couple hours. To free it up I had to (with the engine off) put the bike in gear; pull in the clutch; and rock the bike forward and backward until the clutch would free up. Ed

I put up with this for so long with the Barnett plates .... didn't know better this place wasn't around way back then :pinch: thank God they finally started slipping and under advice here I replaced em with Kawasaki plates (still bought a new set of Barnett springs though) no problems at all anymore.
Give yours some time though like you said it might have been just cause its sat for a while.

Thanks KZB2 650!
Yea, I forgot to mention when we resto modded the bike, we took the Clutch apart, all the plates were surprisingly good considering bike had sat in a barn ( Really!) from 1994-2008 and not ran at all!, We did clean them all, steel and fiber discs and of course assembled with Oil etc.I did replace the clutch springs too ,but with stock type springs.Bike did not give me any clutch problems at all after we completed the resto-mod in 2011, until I let it sit a lot for the last 2 years. So, more I ponder on that,more I think that's part of the problem.. I will try the Old Brit trick with Kick Starter and Steve's trick too, and of course I plan on putting some miles on it next week, hopefully all that will cure the clutch problem, as for the Tach cable/loose issue, gonna get some Thread Lock for that, Steve do you use Blue?? OR??
Regards To all!!
Ed

I use the Blue. My bike sat for 15 years 98-13. I always used Castrol GTX 20-50. Still am. No problems. I have a new filter and plan on trying the Rotilla. I don't care for change and the clutch is the same one from before the wreck in 86. Stock Kawasaki. If there is a reaction to the change, I will be PISSED. :evil:
Steve