Tips for clutch/worm drive setup

its not too hard actually, just go slow and check a few times before you put it all back together. If I can do it all on my own, without even having to have my dad watching over my shoulder, then anyone can do it just remember to re-tighten the cable...the first time I did mine, I forgot about the cable, and the biting point was very close to the lever...d'oh!

Last summer, I did it before heading down to the folks.

But didn't tighten the lock nut up proply.

And didn't have much clutch control for the rest of the journey!

Had to get some sockets from the cheap shop (Highcliffe is a small town in Dorset. Very small!). The driver that came with them had a plastic handle that wore off the first time I tried to get the sprocket cover off. Made do with using some of Dad's tools to drive the cheap sockets (he hasn't a socket set but had some socket drivers I could use!) to improvise and got it sorted! Never again...

Originally Posted by embee

The worm drive needs some decent general purpose grease, something like Castrol LM or equivalent. Fully pack the ball bearing helix with grease.

There's a "gospel according to Sid Squid" for setting the clutch mechanism somewhere, search and ye shall find, but in short -

fully slacken off the cable,
ensure the worm drive lever is fully down (clockwise),
loosen the locknut and turn the centre screw in until it just touches the pushrod,
back off something like 1/8 to 1/4 turn and
gently nip up the locknut.

take up most of the cable slack at the lower adjuster down near the sprocket
fine adjust the cable slack at the hadlebar lever

It's a good idea to lube the cable well too, I use a small plastic bag with the corner cut off, slip over the loose cable end and secure with rubber bands or tape, fix it upright and add some clean engine oil or similar into the "funnel" and allow to seep down the cable for a few hours or until it starts emerging from the lower end.

That should get you more or less right.

Why is it always quoted as being this way? Even in this nice illustrated thread the bold text above appears. http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.p...justing+clutch Unless im going mad is this not completely different to what the manual states

ie - position lever to correct angular position first (80-85 degrees) which is normally close if not the lever at the all the way down position. Then you do your worm drive. Then you dont touch the lever position / adjuster lock nuts, you take slack up at the cable.

Sorry, but if you take up the cable slack at the step above by messing with the lever position are you not then immediately pushing the worm drive onto the pushrod, thus negating setting a free distance by turning the worm drive adjuster out?

Not really- most of the slack is taken up with the adjusters at the sprocket end of the clutch cable (coarse tuning). Fine tuning at the top end is just that-

You should have enough slack here to allow yourself to set where the biting point is most comfortable for your use of the bike, but not so little that the lever is tight against it's mount when you release it- or the clutch will be slipping all the time.

Which is what I got from Embee's post- deal with the cable adjusters at the sprocket end first, before messing with the lever.

Incidentally- I've yet to lube the cable. Will do that in the near future...

Originally Posted by thedonal

Not really- most of the slack is taken up with the adjusters at the sprocket end of the clutch cable (coarse tuning). Fine tuning at the top end is just that-

You should have enough slack here to allow yourself to set where the biting point is most comfortable for your use of the bike, but not so little that the lever is tight against it's mount when you release it- or the clutch will be slipping all the time.

Which is what I got from Embee's post- deal with the cable adjusters at the sprocket end first, before messing with the lever.

Incidentally- I've yet to lube the cable. Will do that in the near future...

but if you set up the worm drive and then start messing with the sprocket end adjusters to change the lever are you not then negating the adjustment you've made to the worm drive by now pulling the lever up and in turn deleting the space created between worm drive and push rod ?

Just trying to work it out in me pea brain as this is the bit that always gets me whenever i read these threads

[embee]

Of course the manual is correct, just that in practice if you let the worm lever go right to the stop (i.e. cable fully slack), and then back the centre screw off about 1/4 turn and nip the locknut, you'll find that the take up will be at more or less what the manual says (just shy of a right angle).

In theory the manual method is to get the clutch operating range (pushrod actually moving the clutch pack) equally around 90deg between cable and lever where it will be working at its best.

As thedonal says, the lower cable adjuster takes up most of the slack, and leave yourself fine adjustment at the handlebar end so you can fiddle with it easily.

Common sense says check the actuation once it's all adjusted and see that the lever works around 90deg, before refitting the cover. Once you've done it a couple of times it'll all make sense.

You shouldn't be- if you tighten it to the point that you're moving the screw onto the pushrod, then you're basically overtightening it- the lever would also be pulled taught at that point. If you leave some slack for fine adjustment, it won't move the worm drive at all.

Once you adjust the screw, it's held in place by the locknut- so the gap there won't change until you set it up and pull the lever in- which its is what should be happening.

edit- oops- beat me to it Embee!

The riding configuration and diagnositic configuration will be different, to test if was the cable you would have the clutch all the way out for full range of motion, then if the problem persists you know for a fact its not the cable or the worm drive. If you see where im coming from.

For riding, have it set anyway your comfortable with i say, as long as its all tight and safe.

but im finding that when the lever adjuster is all the way in and the sprocket area adjuster (6) is all the way down and the lever (7) is at its 'fully down' position thats its more or less at the specified 80 odd degree angle. Then I do my worm adjustment. If i start to then take up cable with the sprocket area adjuster (6) like the pic below then do i not start to engage the clutch?

For riding configuration, I personally i would get it all set how i want it first, then check the worm drive last to make sure its in the proper optimal position