V7 clutch pull

[Jimbolong]

I have a 2009 V7 Classic and I find the clutch pull to be kind of heavy.  This is mostly because I am approaching 75 and have arthritis in my hands; however, when I ride my son's bonneville, I am amazed at how soft the clutch pull is.  I rented a later model V7 in Italy a couple of summers ago and I didn't feel any noticeable difference in the clutch on that bike, so I assume that mine is close to normal.  Does anybody know of a way to lighten the clutch on these bikes?

[Vasco DG]

The law of levers says this could be problematic. Approach with caution.

Pete

[balvenie]

            Had to think for a while. If I remember correctly the one on my late, departed HD made the lever soft to pull to the bar but releasing it was hard work. That was in '04. Don't know if they have changed since then.

[Kiwi_Roy]

My dad was riding into his 80's and had trouble with the clutch at one point. He purchased some product called EZ clutch. Don't know if they still offer those but they give you some type of mechanical advantage. It cut the amount of force like maybe in half.

I saw something like that on an old beamer it has a pulley mounted on the clutch arm to give a 2:1 reduction.

I don't believe the clutch arm had been modified at all, the pulley was just attached to the existing arm.

[racasey]

 Magura makes an aftermarket hydraulic clutch kit under the trade name Hymec.  I saw one a year ago at Pro Italia in Glendale, it was on a young lady's V65.  It had a nice smooth light pull and she was very happy with the reduction in effort.  

http://www.magura.com/en/powersports/products/80-2014/clutches.html

Ciao,
Dick Casey

[bmc5733946]

Just a few words of caution about small block clutches: they are single plate, adjustment is critical, never let one slip once engaged, parts are expensive and difficult if not impossible to find. Here's my sad story; for my wife to have an easier time with the clutch lever on our 2004 Breva I installed an adjustable lever that let the lever sit closer to the handle bar thus reducing grip distance, this was a poor choice, apparently the clutch started slipped, I was not aware/told. Spring of 2014 I rode it across town to warm up for an oil change etc. and wasn't sure I was going to make it the 8 miles home. The small block clutch surfaces are basically not machinable. The pressure plate/flywheel is readily available, the clutch friction plate is also, the ring gear/clutch cover/friction surface is quite a bit harder to find. I have since found two used ones and will select the best one to use after their arrival.

Do not let that small block clutch slip!!!!

Brian

repost from earlier an topic

[pressureangle]

I'm using this on my '85 LM4.

http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193&products_id=2554

I haven't tried it yet, as I'm not assembled. I have a later '90-something LeMans hydraulic clutch master cylinder for it.

Clutch effort is not entirely a matter of leverage; clutch cable friction is a very significant contributor. A hydraulic clutch with the same leverage ratio will have a much easier pull.

I couldn't easily find the price of the Magura unit, which I hadn't seen-but I bought a matching set of Brembo levers/master cylinders on ebay for about $150, plus the hydraulic clutch slave for $131. Probably more than $300 for the Magura and then your brake master won't match. I still have to source and build a hose, too, which is troublesome and probably close to another $100.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I saw something like that on an old beamer it has a pulley mounted on the clutch arm to give a 2:1 reduction.

I don't believe the clutch arm had been modified at all, the pulley was just attached to the existing arm.

http://www.benchmarkworks.com/articles/howto/clutch.html



I've installed two of those.

I still have to source and build a hose, too, which is troublesome and probably close to another $100.

Spiegler or Earl's of Indy should be able to make a hose for much less than $100. Even using the Magnum BYO stuff will be cheaper. http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=110_114