Did you remove the clutch cover? If you are just changing the cable then the internals should still be fine, if your clutch worked beforehard. Loosen the locknut. Turn in the adjustment bolt until it makes just makes contact. Unscrew it one-quarter turn. Tighten the locknut. Use the bottom end cable adjuster to set clutch engagement. Use top end cable adjuster to set lever free play. That's about it. What did you start out to do?
Patrick
Thanks for the reply. I first started out removing the old handlebars and installing new ones. I was re-installing the clutch cable to see if I would have to buy a shorter one since I switched from mini-apes to drag bars, and the clutch cable was longer than stock.
My cable measured out to 60" long, 5" of free length. I think OEM is 52"?
I re-installed the cable after bolting on the bars and controls. Ran the cable back through the frame and set it loosely in the bracket above the right cover, and also into the lever housing. At this point I had not touched the adjustment screw or the locking nut, it was as I left it when it worked with the old bars.
Next I loosely adjusted the cable in the bottom mount to take up extra slack. I had to screw the cable out almost all the way (lengthen the cable, you could say) in order to get any tension on the clutch lever, and this didnt seem right. So, armed with my Clymer, I loosened the lock nut on the right cover. At this point all tension left the cable and it went completely slack. After just barely loosening the lock nut the arm connected to the case had no tension at all on it, I could move it the entire range of the cable without it actuating the clutch.
Its worth mentioning that in my newbness I didnt spray any penetration fluid on the lock nut before I went to loosen it. I was using a 1/4" drive socket and ratchet and it didnt take a monkey load of torque to crack it loose. All the same, it appears as though the adjustment screw turned with the lock nut at first. At this point I sprayed some PB on it, and was able to turn the screw independent from the lock nut.
This is why I think I messed something up. With the lock nut loose I had to turn the adjustment screw all the way loose (counter-clockwise) to get tension back on the arm or the cable. With it maxed out to the left the marks on the arm and the case match up, and I can tension the cable properly, but still no clutch action. Also, now instead of having to lengthen the cable to get tension on the handle I had to shorten it, screwing it most of the way into itself to get the right amount of tension at the lever.
Pretty much everything I have read says the plates are stuck together, but I dont think that is my problem. If it is common for the plates to become stuck after just a few weeks without any other issues happening, so be it, let me know and I will move on with reinstalling the bars and getting this thing back on the road. Once I have it running I can test things further, but I am concerned I did something bad inside the case and it would be easier to handle it now with the bike still apart.
Is it possible that I put too much tension on the cable and over-extended something inside the case? Maybe busted the adjustment screw, made the screw slip off something on the inside, bent something from pulling too hard on the lever, etc?
