Topic: CB550F can't change gears except at low speed (CB500 engine)

[briandk]

Anything over a fast walking speed and the shift lever doesn't budge.
If the clutch cable wasn't adjusted right, I'd expect it to be hard to shift at all speed and for the bike to want to creep forward with the clutch lever pulled, but it doesn't feel like that.

The bike was a non-runner when I got it and I did slack the clutch cable to get easier get the carbs out. I adjusted the cable as best I could after, but didn't actually succeed in finding the adjustment procedure for the F model anywhere.  Any idea what could be a likely cause?

[jakec]

Does the clutch operate normally otherwise? There are a million ways to test the clutch engagement with the bike not running. However if you want to test if it's disengaging when hot/under load you could do this:

Wind it up real fast like to the redline in second gear, then roll off and pull in the clutch. Do you drag the back tire (clutch not disengaging) or do roll on (clutch disengaging as it should)

What's your oil level? My 175 was acting up (false neutral, clutch slippage) and it turned out my oil was just really low.

[briandk]

Well I found the source of the confusion with not find clutch adjustment procedures that matched my bike. Turns out it has a CB500 engine installed.

I checked the engine oil and if anything it had too much, but I am currently in the process of changing it.

[jakec]

So you have the pushrod / actuator arm clutch adjustment.

[briandk]

So you have the pushrod / actuator arm clutch adjustment.

Exactly. The push rod is of course broken in two and the actuator/adjustment mechanism pretty mangled. I found replacement parts on eBay, so I am waiting for them and will see how it works after that.

[jakec]

The pushrod can be used when its broken, at least that's what I've heard. The actuator arm is supposed to be really hard to replace. I actually considered a 500 once and passed on it because of the clutch design. There area  few threads here from people who've fixed their clutch setups with home-made methods.

[briandk]

The pushrod can be used when its broken, at least that's what I've heard. The actuator arm is supposed to be really hard to replace. I actually considered a 500 once and passed on it because of the clutch design. There area  few threads here from people who've fixed their clutch setups with home-made methods.

Hard to replace as in hard to find the parts or hard to replace/fix them? I found the clutch adjuster and actuator arm (sled, clutch lifter) on CMSNL so ordered from there. It seems that the two part pushrod had moved around and wrecked havoc on those parts, part of the metal crushed and missing.

I actually went with a CB550 (or so I thought) for the same reason, but bought it cheap and unseen and ended up with this

[jakec]

The arm is super easy to install, its on all the smaller bikes and is pretty straightforward to adjust. Finding the part for a reasonable price is supposedly a challenge.

[HondaMan]

The 500 adjustment is a little vague in some ways, because the rod and the engine (width) expand differently with temps. So, adjust the lifter for just-barely any slack at the lever, in the cable (or, none) when cold, and you will find the lever has extra slack after the engine warms up. This is normal for the 500 engine. The 550's big claim to fame was that the friction point of the clutch only changed very little with temperature.

[briandk]

The 500 adjustment is a little vague in some ways, because the rod and the engine (width) expand differently with temps. So, adjust the lifter for just-barely any slack at the lever, in the cable (or, none) when cold, and you will find the lever has extra slack after the engine warms up. This is normal for the 500 engine. The 550's big claim to fame was that the friction point of the clutch only changed very little with temperature.

I read a bit about it and it seems the original rod is steel ends with alloy middle to match the engine block, but the reproduction rod I found is all steel so I wonder what impact that may have. I guess I'll see.

[Little_Phil]

The rod lifter and rod was a carry over from the CB450s. Very early 500s were fitted with 22850-292-020 (source early Honda p/l) which is the solid one piece 450 rod. Very early on this was changed to the ali sandwich design 22850-323-000. It was changed after E1018727, presumably to try to improve the cold/hot change described by Hondaman. The new type is weaker and prone to fracture. I've used a hardened silver steel rod for the last couple of years with no complaints, apart from difficulty selecting neutral when hot which I think is a separate problem.

[briandk]

Replaced almost everything clutch related: push rod, actuator, adjuster and plates. Now it shifts smooth as butter.

Looking at the old parts, its no wonder it had some issues. The rod was broken, the hole where it enters the actuator was oval, the adjuster was missing its seal and part of it was broken off.





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