Topic: Is this cluch drag normal?

[whdtt]

So after searching extensively, i think my question is even too naive to have been discussed before.  Please remember this is my first bike of any kind, so I am still working out what is "normal" and what isn't.

Its a cb350F, not running (waiting for throttle cables), and I am just finishing up giving everything a once over/rebuild/adjustments/tune ups. 

One thing that i have noticed, moving it from my driveway to work area, is:

---when the bike is in neutral, it glides effortlessly

---however, when i am in gear (doesn't seem to matter which one), but have the clutch lever all the way pulled in, it is much harder to move (but will with some encouragement).  I have adjusted the clutch lifter arm and cables 3x, but nothing alleviates this problem.  Is the clutch actually dragging, or is the bike turning the engine over (effectively increasing resistance), even with the clutch disengaged?   

Again, it is not running at the moment, so i am just trying to diagnose everything as it is, so i don't know how this actually affects riding conditions.  The bike shifts just fine in all gears, and is rock solid when the bike is in gear, and the clutch cable is silky smooth.


In the same note, per instructions from the service manual, there is an adjustment screw that, once the lifter arm mark and the plate mark align, that i screw all the way in, then back out 1/4 turn before locking in down, and all subsequent adjustment is through the clutch cables.  What does this adjustment screw do?  I assume that it is moving the actual clutch assembly, so if i back it off more than 1/4 turn, will that alleviate the problem, if in fact there is one? 

Nothing like a new hobby to deflate ones ego..... 

[scondon]

 The clutch plates tend to get stuck together when the bike sits for extended periods(read 1+ years) causing drag on the clutch. Running the engine with the clutch lever pulled in can help break them apart.

In the same note, per instructions from the service manual, there is an adjustment screw that, once the lifter arm mark and the plate mark align, that i screw all the way in, then back out 1/4 turn before locking in down, and all subsequent adjustment is through the clutch cables.  What does this adjustment screw do?  I assume that it is moving the actual clutch assembly, so if i back it off more than 1/4 turn, will that alleviate the problem, if in fact there is one? 

Nothing like a new hobby to deflate ones ego..... 

 If your clutch plates are sticking and running the engine/riding the bike frees them up you will want to check this adjustment again to insure that it is still at spec. Backing off the adjustment will increase the drag

[martino1972]

So after searching extensively, i think my question is even too naive to have been discussed before.  Please remember this is my first bike of any kind, so I am still working out what is "normal" and what isn't.

not at all..remember:there are NO stupid questions,ONLY stupid answers....

[birdmannn101]

Does anyone have the number of turns or the proper torque limit for the four bolts that hold the clutch lifter plate down?  Could not find this information in the service manual.

Dan

[Spanner 1]

Birdman....tighten the 4 lifter plate bolts progressively in a counter-clockwise pattern and torque to between 6 and 7 FT.LBS..( per Clymer manual, Honda Manual does not specify)...caution, that's very little, as they are into aluminum posts...

[birdmannn101]

Well, I took the clutch off and the fiber washers looked dark not brown but had pads but had been sticking to the metal plates because they left marks.  Cleaned both the fiber washers and metal washers with #00 steel wool.  Put back on the bike and have the same problem... Starts and rolls good in neutral but when putting it in 1st gear with the clutch depressed (which seems very hard to pull) the wheel keeps rolling.  If I put the brake on with the clutch depressed the engine stalls.  Don't know where to go from here - but new fiber clutch plates or figure out why this clutch takes so much to pull it through.  I tightened the clutch lifter bolts to 10 foot pounds.

[Spanner 1]

If the bike has sat for a while the ( wait, the clutch on these old bikes is non-operational if the bike is on it's main stand and not ridden )....must ride the bike to achieve a working clutch, un-stick it, achieve a smooth shift with hot oil etc.....also a new clutch cable will do wonders for your riding exp....!

[cycleman]

I agree with the above and second replacing the clutch cable. 

I wouldn't get to carried away until you ride it.  A few miles cures a lot of these issues.

[RichPugh]

My 76 CB550K sat for a while before I got her tuned up and running well. The bike was REALLY hard to push around in gear with the clutch engaged but easier with it in neutral but oddly, easiest in neutral when the bike was cold. If I were to ride it a bit then toss her in neutral and try to move her around, it was almost as stiff as when it was in gear and clutch engaged. After riding for 3-4 tank fulls worth of spirited riding (in the city with clutch work out the ass), its gotten MUCH easier to push around all the time.

The fact that when your bike is in gear and your clutch is engaged and you press the brakes, the engine stalls.... that is a different story. I am assuming you are doing this with it up on the center stand? So, the rear wheel is stopped in neutral while the engine is running then you put it in gear and it rolls... then you engage the clutch and the rear wheel continues to roll and when you hit the rear brake, this stalls the engine. You surely have a clutch that is not engaging completely or slipping enough to allow slight engagement. My buddys CB360T was doing this... When we were riding and he popped the bike into neutral and came to a stoplight, all was fine but when he was in gear and held the clutch in to stop at a light, the bike would stall. I simply adjusted the cable to have the lever pull "More" (adjusted at the barrel adjuster at the lever and at the case also) and it seems fine now. His cable is stiff too but he also had a problem with the clutch side cover plate mechanism. Replaced it and it got 50% better... LOL. A new cable would probably make it 85% better... but it doesnt stall at lights in gear anymore