Topic: '76 CB550F Clutch Adjustment Procedure...

[fonj4]

Hello,

It seems I may have a improperly adjusted clutch. I've have tried to adjust my clutch on the CB550 and it seems worse than ever. I rode the bike yesterday and it died on me twice. Once at a stoplight and then again in mid travel on the road; I lost all power. It seems like when heat builds up in the engine I have a harder time shifting and it's near impossible to find neutral. Eventually the bike stops altogether and I wait for it to cool down and then it seems to work ok again until there's a certain level of heat that has built up. The Clymers manual and the Honda manual leave a lot of questions so I'm asking the community here for help.

The right side cover with the lock nut and slotted screw adjust the tension of the spring for the clutch. What is a good starting point from the tight position all the way left or right? I counted about 8 full turns to move from locked and tight to completely loose on the other end. After that's adjusted then what? I would really appreciate a full and comprehensive step by step procedure for making these adjustments. Any help would be wonderful.

Thank you!

[dave500]

the clutch wont make your engine die,to adjust the clutch loosen the cable till its slack,then loosen that cover lock nut,apply a slight pressure upwards on that little clutch lever on the case and adjust the screw until the dots align then tighten the lock nut,then adjust the cable until itll neither slip nor drag the clutch and neutral is easy to select.

[Bankerdanny]

You have multiple issues. Dave covered your clutch for you.

As far as the dying goes, there are a couple possibilities. What kind of ignition do you have? Points or electronic?

[fonj4]

Thanks for the instruction dave500. I will try this method and see how it goes.

[fonj4]

I'm running points and condensers. I replaced them last fall and set the timing etc. and all was working just fine.