Clutch question

[BumbleBee]

So now you have it apart (well done by the way), the question is, what can you see that might be causing it to be fierce and grabby?
Hopefully its just the 'hot' steel plate?

[Andy_C]

It could well be the slightly out of flat steel, as I say it looks like it has got quite hot at sometime as it is blue in some places.

There was a lot of accumulated dust / crud on the basket and hub which probably would not help clutch action.

Everything else checks out OK as far as I can see, no discernable play in the clutch hub no contamination of the plates, in fact I am pretty happy with it.

Just need to find a replacement flat steel - suppose I could put a request in the wanted section of this forum.

[BumbleBee]

Also worth taking a look at anything the springs rub up against in case its got wear notches that can be smoothed out, and whether the operating mechanism (from the lever pivot right through to the end of the push rod where it pops out in the middle of the clutch hub) releases without too much of what they call "stiction" , which can be responsible for fierce grabby operation. Good luck.

[Andy_C]

Guess if I pop the clutch operating arm off I can push the pushrod out of the mainshaft and take a look at that / lube it while I am at it,

[Steve Brown]

Glad you've beaten it! I may have a few good steel plates here. When you say no play in the clutch inner drum, do you mean endfloat? Ideally the inner drum wants to be able to spin freely but without any movement in and out. That in/out play can be the cause of much juddering.

[70sbikes]

The replacement cables I have bought have ALL had an inner that was too long. This is my solution:



It's a long aluminium cap head screw, with the centre drilled and a slot made with a Dremel. I also have one of these on my Honda CB350 Four (for the exact same reason):

[Andy_C]

Glad you've beaten it! I may have a few good steel plates here. When you say no play in the clutch inner drum, do you mean endfloat? Ideally the inner drum wants to be able to spin freely but without any movement in and out. That in/out play can be the cause of much juddering.

Yes Steve, I meant end float, there is no real perceptable movement in and out, I dropped you a message re a steel plate, if you do have one to spare that would be brilliant

[Andy_C]

70's bikes - that is a neat solution.

Replacement cables seem to cause a lot of issues, I had to get a new throttle / oil pump cable for my KH 400 a while ago, and although the "correct" ones for the year, they were all slightly too long.

I ended up cutting the nipples off and soldering on some replacements - dont know what the manufacturers use to secure the nipples but clearly not solder.

Annoying!

[norbert]

I use screwed nipples where the clutch arms since decades without any issue. Must be the correct nipple that fits in the clutch arm. So it's quite easy to make the cables yourself. The same with the carb cables: srewed nipples in the gas grip.

[BumbleBee]

It doesn't help that there is more than one clutch lever and holder arrangement, requiring different cables. After all these years the bikes often have various permutations the factory never intended.

[Steve Brown]

Glad you've beaten it! I may have a few good steel plates here. When you say no play in the clutch inner drum, do you mean endfloat? Ideally the inner drum wants to be able to spin freely but without any movement in and out. That in/out play can be the cause of much juddering.

Yes Steve, I meant end float, there is no real perceptable movement in and out, I dropped you a message re a steel plate, if you do have one to spare that would be brilliant

Hi Andy, I definitely have some but didn't get to the Morini spares stash today-sorry. I am going in again tomorrow though.

[Andy_C]

Thanks Steve - let me know if one surfaces from your stash

I did check the clutch hub for in / out play again today, near as damn it no movement.

[3potjohn]

I have measured clutch cables for different bikes that I have and made my own. I made up a bird nest tool, a bit rubbish but works OK.

[Steve Brown]

Thanks Steve - let me know if one surfaces from your stash

I did check the clutch hub for in / out play again today, near as damn it no movement.

Found one! The only one in a set too, the others all had a very slight warp. Have sent you a PM too.

[Andy_C]

Steve - many thanks for taking the time to find a plate.

PM sent.

Cheers.