Topic: cb550 clutch grabbing after warm

[kippstakes]

just got my cb550 up and running- new wiring, fresh oil, etc. 
strange thing though, after riding for maybe five minutes, after the bike has heated up, the clutch stops engaging smoothly and gets very touchy- grabs into gear no matter how slowly/smoothly the handle's released. this has been an ongoing problem. the clutch has been replaced- problem persisted through two clutches, so i don't think that's the problem.
side note, the bike seems to run VERY hot, and heats up quickly. pretty sure it's not running lean, in fact i think it might be a bit rich since the plugs are coming out a little on the dark side (star wars reference unintended). 
any guesses?
thanks

[reddyvv]

Did you change the steel plates in addition to the friction plates? They can get warped. Did you wear out two sets of plates or did you just change them twice to try and fix the problem?

[kippstakes]

Installed entire new clutch- basket, plates, the whole bit. Unfortunately the signs are exactly the same. 

[dave500]

de glaze the steel discs,either sand them evenly or sand blast them,be sure the cable has smooth action aswell with no kinks in its routing.

[Jasondo]

So I am dealing with the same issue and here is what I have learned so far. Unless you bought new oem steel plates with dimples on them they are probably smooth right ? Factory plates have dimples that trap little bits of oil to help lube the plates and prevent sticksion when you pull the lever. Also after the government banned zinc content in street approved oils this has had an affect on our clutches. Keep in mind these bikes were designed over 35 years ago when motor oil was formulated differently . I am currently experimenting with a zinc additive because I have the exact same problem. Carefully though too much zinc has quite the opposite effect that you don't want !

[Mule Train]

I had the exact exact issue on my 72 cb500. Clutch was perfect for the first ten minutes of running then got so grabby that I had to ride the clutch just to get it moving and became so stiff that I thought I was gonna break my wrist. I tried everything, new clutch plates, springs, re greased the clutch activator, different length clutch cables and clutch cable positions. So finally, I thought maybe the clutch cables I was purchasing were cheap so I bought a genuine Honda clutch cable through eBay from Everett cycles in Washington. It bought a supposedly "genuine" clutch cable from Thailand prior and it sucked ass . But with this real clutch cable it completely solved my issue. My clutch is so smooth now that it feels like it could be hydraulic. I've been battling this for years and is all due to me being cheap, so do your self the favor and buy a real Honda clutch cable if you haven't done so yet. Hope this helps

[goldarrow]

I had the exact exact issue on my 72 cb500. Clutch was perfect for the first ten minutes of running then got so grabby that I had to ride the clutch just to get it moving and became so stiff that I thought I was gonna break my wrist. I tried everything, new clutch plates, springs, re greased the clutch activator, different length clutch cables and clutch cable positions. So finally, I thought maybe the clutch cables I was purchasing were cheap so I bought a genuine Honda clutch cable through eBay from Everett cycles in Washington. It bought a supposedly "genuine" clutch cable from Thailand prior and it sucked ass . But with this real clutch cable it completely solved my issue. My clutch is so smooth now that it feels like it could be hydraulic. I've been battling this for years and is all due to me being cheap, so do your self the favor and buy a real Honda clutch cable if you haven't done so yet. Hope this helps

Assuming that your "real" clutch cable didn't come from Thailand, or any other parts of the world. What makes Honda parts great may be QC, material used, production process, etc.  what if your "real" clutch cable is made in thailand, with Honda packaging over it, would you still say it sucked ass? When you buy aftermarket stuff, you get aftermarket QC and such.

[Mule Train]

I had the exact exact issue on my 72 cb500. Clutch was perfect for the first ten minutes of running then got so grabby that I had to ride the clutch just to get it moving and became so stiff that I thought I was gonna break my wrist. I tried everything, new clutch plates, springs, re greased the clutch activator, different length clutch cables and clutch cable positions. So finally, I thought maybe the clutch cables I was purchasing were cheap so I bought a genuine Honda clutch cable through eBay from Everett cycles in Washington. It bought a supposedly "genuine" clutch cable from Thailand prior and it sucked ass . But with this real clutch cable it completely solved my issue. My clutch is so smooth now that it feels like it could be hydraulic. I've been battling this for years and is all due to me being cheap, so do your self the favor and buy a real Honda clutch cable if you haven't done so yet. Hope this helps

Assuming that your "real" clutch cable didn't come from Thailand, or any other parts of the world. What makes Honda parts great may be QC, material used, production process, etc.  what if your "real" clutch cable is made in thailand, with Honda packaging over it, would you still say it sucked ass? When you buy aftermarket stuff, you get aftermarket QC and such.

I'm not bagging on Thailand or anything, that place is awesome actually! I'm just saying that I tried multiple clutch cables , including motion pro, and the most recent one I bought solved all my problems