Topic: Stuck Clutch

[denone]

I am thinking of buying a CB500. The owner tell me that the clutch is 'gummed up'. Will this be a simple job to remedy? Also it will not shift into fourth and fifth gears, could this be due to the clutch or something in the gearbox?  Any help with these matters would be of help.
I thank you in advance.

[Matt at PSB]

I have not seen this bike so I cannot be sure; never the less I would politely suggest that is OK to buy this bike for parts to keep another bike going, but I would not buy it as a bike to ride.

In the condition you have describe it does not have a high value. Somewhere around $100.00 USD if it has a clear Title. Unless of course this proposed transaction is taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area; then it might fetch $6,000.00!

Matt at PSB

[bryanj]

put it on the centre stand and if it wont shift into all the gears just by rotating the back wheel whilst you operate the gearchange walk away as there is expensive gearbox work to do

[oldbiker]

bryanj is right. Astuck clutch is a fairly simple job but if the transmission won't move through all gears while on the stand then this means a complete engine strip down with no guarantee what you will find. Having said that, if the bike is cheap enough and you are not afraid of getting your hands dirty, it might be worth buying.

[jgary]

My neighbor gave me a bike that sat for 4 years.  Stuck clutch.  Once I got the engine running, I warmed up the old oil & changed it.  Filter too.  (Spilled oil all over the garage floor, but that's another story.)  Put in new oil, new filter.  Started the bike & warmed it up.  Detergents in the new oil cleaned out the clutch.  After a few minutes (once I felt the engine was warm) I shut it off, kicked it in gear, and started to rock it back & forth with my feet while I sat on the bike.  After another few (maybe 10) minutes of this, I was able to push the bike around the garage in gear while holding the clutch in.  Not exactly "free", but a lot better than before.  At this point I started it up, held the clutch in, and kicked it into first.  The bike gave a jerk, but didn't take off & didn't stall out.  Clutch was now free.  No teardown, no engine work beyond an oil change.

John.

[jgary]

Holy Cannollis!  I think I contributed something without asking a question.  Surely this will not stand.

J.

[eldar]

If the bike is fairly cheap and has no other major problems, get it. Many clutch/tranny problems can be cleared up by cleaing the clutch and adjusting the forks and dogs properly. If there are other BIG problems, you can always part out the bike on ebay and very likely get back more than you stuck into it. Just make sure you put "sandcast" into the description! Thats a joke son! A joke!