Topic: Clutch issues - noob questions

[moduleum]

Well, got the bike street legal on Friday, so I've been riding it around town a little.

First thing I noticed on Friday was the clutch was slipping a little.  I followed the directions in the manual and adjusted the free play and this seemed to solve the slipping problem.

However, even after adjustment, all of the engagement still takes place in the first 1 - 1.5" or so of pulling, i.e. no engagement during the back half of the stroke near the handle bar.  Does this mean I need a new clutch?  (btw, the bike has 15k miles).  There doesn't seem to be a way to adjust the range or expansion of engagement, only the slack in the cable  .

During one semi-hard acceleration off the freeway, I missed fifth gear somehow.  I kept the clutch in and pulled over, turned off the bike, and shifted to neutral, and everything seemed fine after that.  Got into fifth no problem.  I didn't bork my gearbox, did I?

Also, there is an ever-so-slight (2-3 clicks of gears not meshing, if you will) grind when shifting gears.  This is my first bike so I'm not sure how "butter" the shifts are supposed to be, but the gears don't seem to fall into place like they should.  I've been taking it easy because of the above problems and I'm afraid to accelerate hard in fear of screwing up the tranny.  Any advice is appreciated.

[moduleum]

Btw, I've read most of the threads related to clutch issues, but I'd like someone's personal opinion based on aforementioned issues, as I didn't find the answer I was looking for...

[number13]

What kind of bike do you have?

[moduleum]

1976 CB750 K6

[tmht]

Under the clutch adjustment cover, where the clutch cable goes into the motor there is a "arm" that the clutch cable connects to. That "arm" is held on to the shaft the actuates the clutch by a lock nut. That lock nut threads over the shaft which has a slot in the end of it. To adjust the engagement point, loosen said lock nut and make small 1/8 turn adjustments to the "shaft" until you get it where you want it. Tighten the lock nut back down, and replace the cover.

[moduleum]

Under the clutch adjustment cover, where the clutch cable goes into the motor there is a "arm" that the clutch cable connects to. That "arm" is held on to the shaft the actuates the clutch by a lock nut. That lock nut threads over the shaft which has a slot in the end of it. To adjust the engagement point, loosen said lock nut and make small 1/8 turn adjustments to the "shaft" until you get it where you want it. Tighten the lock nut back down, and replace the cover.

Yes, I followed the directions in the manual to adjust this.  The Clymer manual states to loosen the lock nut and turn the adjustment screw clockwise until a slight resistance is felt, and then turn back a quarter turn.  I did this and the adjustment screw ended up back where it was before adjusting.  Is there any deviation from the manual that I can follow w/o screwing up the clutch?

Does tightening the screw (clockwise) or loosening (counter-clockwise) expand the clutch engagement?

[tmht]

Under the clutch adjustment cover, where the clutch cable goes into the motor there is a "arm" that the clutch cable connects to. That "arm" is held on to the shaft the actuates the clutch by a lock nut. That lock nut threads over the shaft which has a slot in the end of it. To adjust the engagement point, loosen said lock nut and make small 1/8 turn adjustments to the "shaft" until you get it where you want it. Tighten the lock nut back down, and replace the cover.

Yes, I followed the directions in the manual to adjust this.  The Clymer manual states to loosen the lock nut and turn the adjustment screw clockwise until a slight resistance is felt, and then turn back a quarter turn.  I did this and the adjustment screw ended up back where it was before adjusting.  Is there any deviation from the manual that I can follow w/o screwing up the clutch?

Does tightening the screw (clockwise) or loosening (counter-clockwise) expand the clutch engagement?

To be honest with you I don't remember off the top of my head which way you have to turn the screw, but the adjustment in the clymer is a pretty much a baseline. You can adjust it in small amounts one way or the other, probably up to about a 1/4 turn. However, If you have to make more than an 1/8 turn, I would consider riding it the way it is until your next oil change. The take advantage after you drain the motor to remove the clutch assembly and inspect the plates for wear. Especially if you don't know the maintenance history on the bike.