Clutch drag

[gadget]

Well .. I took my curvy 'S' for it's mot, glad to say it passed yet again with no advisories, the tester told me it is in excellent nick so quite chuffed that all my efforts have paid off. But .. he too commented on the clutch drag! It's a bit of a mystery so far tbh... comes n goes from time to time.
I've done the clutch mantra thing half dozen times, worm has been stripped cleaned and regreased, push rod is clean, cable is lubed and correctly adjusted. It clunk's a bit from neutral to 1st but after that it selects all gears perfectly.. up and down, it's only when in gear with clutch in it drags so you can feel it pulling a little especially when revved a bit. Would I be correct in assuming that the plates need to come out for inspection? Mileage is just 13,000, is there anything else I could be missing before doing this? How sensitive to oil level is the curvy? I've read somewhere they don't like being full to the max mark as it can cause drag! Is this true or not? BTW.. oil is Smith and Allen 10w40 and only just been changed together with a new filter.
Any advice / tips appreciated.

[R1ffR4ff]

They can be a bit of a PITA to get right. I use Smith and Allen oil and my engine and gearbox love it. It can take several goes to get the Clutch lifter and cable right.

I made my own page for it which might help or if you have been there before just try again,

https://cx500.000webhostapp.com/SV650ClutchLifter.html

I doubt at 13,000 miles it's the plates unless the engine has been abused. If you have checked the chain and sprockets and there's no galling or bad wear that would suggest the engine has not been abused.

I've recently reset mine as I started to get a bit of drag after the last time I checked around 4,000 miles ago.

They seem to be very sensitive to adjustment per machine e.g everyone's could be a tad different by age.

If you haven't already maybe try a new Clutch cable just in case and keep the old one as a spare as I do under my rear seat along with a spare new A-Pull throttle cable.

[Bibio]

do you have cnc levers fitted?

[gadget]

Thanks for the replies, as far as I know the previous owner (1st owner) was female and not a hooligan so I very much doubt it had been abused in any way, the bike was/ is totally mint condition. Tbh I've adjusted it before and come very close to it being perfect but when trying to get it 100% i seem to make it worse!
Would/does the oil level have a part to play in this scenario? I've read the sv doesn't like to be filled to the max mark!? Is this a common problem? If so I'll maybe drop some oil out and see if it has any effect. Chain and sprockets are in excellent shape too so no reason to believe it's been abused in any way. I'm really not wanting to strip the clutch out atm but after I have exhausted all other options I may have to do just that.
Levers are standard but will be changing bars from clipons to handlebars very soon so will have to buy the longer cables in any case.
R1ffR4ff ... I'll follow your lead and give it another go as per your page to the letter and see if it's any different/ better from what I've been doing up till now n post my findings.
Thanks again for your input peeps.

[Dave20046]

he previous owner (1st owner) was female and not a hooligan so I very much doubt it had been abused in any way,

[Danger detected , comment aborted]

[Dave20046]

It's an unpopular opinion on here but if it's service time any time soon, try some putoline v-twin formula. And as you say don't go to the F line , go in the middle of L & F.

Your plates could be shagged if you've rule out everything else. Take it the worm drive thing you did was the forum approved method (8th of a turn back out from memory?)

[Bibio]

i have a different method for adjusting the worm drive.

set handle bar lever adjuster half way.
loosen nut on worm drive adjuster.
turn in/out the worm drive adjuster so it just touches the back rod.
nip up the worm drive adjuster nut while not moving the adjuster.
adjust the "free play" at the handle bar lever adjuster by backing it off.

the lever adjuster has a habit of backing off so best nip it up with pliers.

the free play is so when the engine heats up its not engaging the clutch.

overfilling the oil does give problems changing but it has to be way over the full mark, this usually happens when people fill the oil level when the bike is on the sidestand.

[Bibio]

It's an unpopular opinion on here but if it's service time any time soon, try some putoline v-twin formula. And as you say don't go to the F line , go in the middle of L & F.

Your plates could be shagged if you've rule out everything else. Take it the worm drive thing you did was the forum approved method (8th of a turn back out from memory?)

nothing wrong with a 20W 40 the W is the "winter" rating and 20W is -15c before it starts to thicken up, the 40 rating is for ambient temps of 40c before it starts to thin. working temps are not given, a "thick" oil like 20w40 will have the same running/working viscosity as most other oils.

[gadget]

I've adjusted the worm so it's at a quarter turn and an eighth previously and although it has made a slight difference it still drags at some point, enough to be a pita at lights etc. I think I will drop a little oil out even though its pretty much spot on the Full mark just to see if it has any effect on drag, if not I guess I'm going to have to pull the clutch out for a thorough inspection before buying necessary parts. I'm sure it's not my worm adjustment method or cable lube problems at it feels really smooth and free. Dreading taking it all apart tbh as my bike lives outside so have to wait for a nice sunny day in order to investigate it.
But as said ... I'll drop a little oil out first and test, then re-adjust entire clutch and test, only then will I have cause to get the clutch assembly out.
Thanks all for your advice and suggestions, keep e'm coming.

[R1ffR4ff]

I only ever have my oil on the Mid-Way mark. I took this advice from the SV forums. http://forums.sv650.org/images/smilies/ac_ride.gif

Tips:

I have a squeezy plastic old cleaned out Sauce bottle( Brown sauce/Ketchup etc) with some clean engine oil in it. Makes it easy to top-up if required.

I have a plastic kitchen measuring jug and have it marked @ 500ml and 300ml. When I fill up for an oil change all I have to do is fill it four times and then one 300ml and that gets me pretty close to what is required in my SV650.

Then run the engine,let it cool and settle and then top-up if required so it's on the middle mark on the stand. On my rear paddock stand the level is just above the mid-mark.

[Bibio]

at 13k your clutch plates should be fine.

i know my clutch drags a little when the bike has been laid up for a year or so but a good few runs sorts it out.

high oil level usually does not cause clutch drag its normally difficulty changing gears.

if you have had the clutch worm gear apart are you sure that you have not lost any of the bearings.

there is one more clutch mantra that people often overlook. adjusting the cable at the engine end. again follow my previous adjustment method but when you set the lever adjuster to half way loosen off the bottom cable adjuster and wined it down so there is a fair bit of slack in the cable then adjust the worm drive. then the lever adjuster.

one other thing to check is the gear lever pivot is well greased and free to move.

[gadget]

Ahhh, that may be part of the problem... I only get to use my bike every blue moon! Haven't had a chance to use it very often at all in the last year due to one thing or another. Is clutch drag a common problem on rarely used SV's?
All the clutch worm bearings are accounted for, no visible damage or wear and now fully greased. No pitting on clutch push rod either. I've set the clutch up several times and each time I've followed the instructions to the letter so I'm now hoping it might be something as simple as lack of use!