ARGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Im so ticked right now. I put a new battery in the z1 tonight since my old one took a poop after 2 1/2 years. Started it up everything was good, the n took it for a spin round the block, and when i came up to the stop sign pulled in the clutch eveything was good. Whent to shift into 2nd gear and..................S N A P!!!!!! The clutch cable snapped. Not a big deal but just irratating. I have a brand new one for my kz 650 that lokks like it will fit. So thats going on tommorrow. I just ordered a new one from Z1. I would wait for the right one to come, but she is my main mode of transportation. Infact i know the kz 650 cable will work because i put one on there when i first got the z1........LOL.......so its all good.

quit drinking out of alluinium cans see i've got the same problem i can't even spell alliuminium by the since you already figured out your own question i won't dignify you with an answer. your right

LOL.........timebomb your right. Not a question just a rant if ya will.

Mine broke the other night too. Strange thing about this one was I had no warning. Usually you can see the cable beginning to break loose of the ball at the clutch lever for a while before the cable actually breaks, but this time all at once-snap. Funny thing is this is my first Motion Pro cable I've ever used and the first cable that broke this way. kawasaki is still the better cable of course, but for the money MP is a good cable.

Ron...Jeff will be proud of you,bud!:laugh:

Well i put the kz 650 cable on the z1 and got it adjusted. Good fit no biding or anything when i turn the bars. It's like a new bike again......or at least the clutch is like a new one. So i guess the new cable from z1 will be my back up for this one. Oh and Ron were all proud of ya bud for getting a a a a a a a a after market cable:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Lol....

RonKZ650 wrote:

Mine broke the other night too. Strange thing about this one was I had no warning... this time all at once-snap....

Undoubtedly because of failure to perform the routine clutch pushrod adjustment. :laugh:

Well i still have to adjust the damn cable some more because the clutch still isnt engaging all the way. It was weird cause i rode it for a couple miles earlier and it ran good no problems. Then tonight i went to get gas in her and when i would leen into it felt like the clutch wasnt engaging all the way, u know a whole lotta RPM's and no going any were. Im gonna mess with it 2morrow morning when i can see.

oldkaws4ever wrote:

Well i still have to adjust the damn cable some more because the clutch still isnt engaging all the way. It was weird cause i rode it for a couple miles earlier and it ran good no problems. Then tonight i went to get gas in her and when i would leen into it felt like the clutch wasnt engaging all the way, u know a whole lotta RPM's and no going any were. Im gonna mess with it 2morrow morning when i can see.

Clutch push rod adjustment -- Need and Purpose

The FSM covering Z1 and KZ900 includes a periodic maintenance chart requiring clutch push rod adjustment at 2000 mile (3000 km) intervals and explains the need therefor in separate text, which explanation is quoted verbatim as follows:

Besides cable stretch, clutch plate wear also causes the clutch to go out of adjustment, with a decrease in push rod play. Due to this wear, the push rod gradually moves closer to the clutch release lever (at the lower end of the clutch cable) until it touches the adjusting screw When the rod is touching the screw and therefore has no play, the clutch will not engage fully and clutch slippage will occur. Note that the clutch push rod does not necessaily have play just because the clutch hand lever has play, and so hand lever play alone cannot be used to determine whether or not the clutch requires adjustment.


The FSM covering '77-'79 KZ1000's includes a periodic maintenance chart requiring clutch adjustment at 5000 km intervals, and explains the need therefor in slightly different language, which explanation is quoted verbatim as follows:

Clutch plate wear also causes the clutch to go out of adjustment. This wear causes the play between the push rod and the adjusting screw to gradually diminish until the push rod touches the adjusting screw. When this play is lost, the clutch will not engage fully, causing the clutch to slip.
NOTE: Even though the proper amount of play exists at the clutch lever, clutch lever play alone cannot be used to determine whether or not the clutch requires adjustment.


Good Luck!

Ever notice when you buy a new car it always tracks perfectly forward and the tires wear evenly, then over time possibly this changes and you start pulling to one side and/or tires wear funny? Easy to fix, just go to an alignment shop. They have all the specs, camber, caster, toe in ect. There is only one small problem, they can set everything perfect, right to specs and what results? The tires wear worse than they did and it pulls more than it did before. This is the way I look at this push rod thing. once it's messed with, it will never be right again. I know guys do it, but plenty get messed up worse too. Like I've said before, all my KZs combined at over 300,000 miles I never touched the rod and never had a clutch slip yet, even after 160,000 plus miles on the KZ650 the clutch worked fine with original plates, springs and the rod where the factory set it up. So to me it would be strange for a clutch to wear to the point it would slip and need this adjustment done. So there's my view on the matter, most have been fooled with over the years already, so you'll be fighting someone elses botched job forever.

I almost fell out of my chair,,,, a after market part on Rons bike!!!!!!!!!.
the neat thing about a cable, they work right up until the time they fail,,,,

just givin ya a hard time ron,,


RonKZ650 wrote:

Mine broke the other night too. Strange thing about this one was I had no warning. Usually you can see the cable beginning to break loose of the ball at the clutch lever for a while before the cable actually breaks, but this time all at once-snap. Funny thing is this is my first Motion Pro cable I've ever used and the first cable that broke this way. kawasaki is still the better cable of course, but for the money MP is a good cable.

Ok everything is adjusted right and the bike is 100% good again, no slipping what so ever. I pulled out the kawasaki z1 900 shop manual and followed the direction and its like a new bike.