Clutch Adjustment ? Help Solve an Disagreement.

[Tom H]

Need help to solve a disagreement.

You install a brand new set of clutch plates in a old Loop or Tonto for that matter. You adjust the slack in the cable for the little bit of free play at the hand lever. I don't remember what the book says, let's just say 1/8" gap.

Here is the question. As the clutch plates wear down, does the 1/8" gap get larger or smaller????? As in does the cable free play become tighter or looser??

I say tighter.

Now If you "only" install a brand new clutch cable because yours is frayed or broken. New cables may stretch a bit. When the cable stretches, the lever gap would become larger or looser. Right??

I could always tell when a cable was getting frayed/about ready to break because I had too much slack in cable. Adjust, ride and the slack was back. The look at cable and see the frays.

Thank you very much!!!
Tom

[Kiwi_Roy]

the clutch lever play increases as the plates wear the rod moves forward allowing the release lever to pivot forward as well

[pehayes]

Nope. Sorry.  On a Loop or Tonti.  The pressure plate is in front of the two friction plates and its springs seat into recesses on the back of the flywheel.  The rod goes through the friction plates and seats in a cup in the center of the pressure plate.  Riding down the road, the friction plates are squeezed between the forward pressure plate and the very aft ring gear plate.  Thus, as friction material beds in or wears away, the pressure plate now can move slightly aft.  The rod moves slightly aft.  And any freeplay in the system is gradually lost.  Be prepared to LOOSEN the adjustments as the plates wear in.

Also note that there is substantial lever mathematical advantage in both the hand lever and the clutch lever.  Very tiny amounts of clutch movement translate to much larger lever movement (or adjustment).

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[John A]

Along with what Patrick says, the clutch freeplay can change with the operating temperature. Some do it more than others

[Tom H]

Thank you so far!!!!

John A: I know it can vary a bit with temp. Been there, Many Many Moons ago I had a set of friction plates that did vary a fair amount, enough that I did adjust the lever adjustment. Or could it have been the cable when hot, not sure? I should have wrote that this is with a cold engine to avoid the heat variable.

Tom

[n3303j]

From my FWIW department: I'd blame the cable fraying you mentioned in the first post on improperly lubricated clutch cable end barrels. When you actuate the lever, each lever in the system is transcribing an arc. It is not a straight pull at either end. If the barrel doesn't rotate in its cradle the cable will be flexed at the junction between the barrel and the cable. It is this flexing that causes it to snap as the load on the individual wires js no longer evenly distributed.

[Tom H]

That is a good tip on keeping the cables lube.

Also a good idea to have them routed as straight as possible out of the hand levers. Might even use a zip ties to hold the cable to the handlebars.

Tom