Tips for clutch/worm drive setup

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by thedonal

How loose should the lever be? Even though I get it slightly tighter, it always ends up with about 10-15mm of free play..

If your lifter is not worn, then personal preference. If your lifter is anything other than perfect there will be some* lost motion in the assembly.
*Assuming there isn't lots that is, they do not last well.

Originally Posted by thedonal

Incidentally, how do you tell it's touching the pushrod? Is it a feel thing? Doesn't look, from memory, like it'd be easy to see, you see.

Wind the locknut out such that it's nowhere near the lifter - it mustn't interfere with the free movement of the screw. Make sure the screw is perfectly free in the lifter - if it isn't it'll make it difficult to judge when it contacts the pushrod.

Originally Posted by noob-saibot

Why is it always quoted as being this way?

If your lifter is perfectly new and unworn you can adjust it like it says in the manual, it'll be about right. In any other circumstance follow my guide - when there's any wear at all in the lifter anything other than fully down will waste lift and at least make it harder to achieve a useable adjustment.

Originally Posted by noob-saibot

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 ?

If the lifter were unworn, then yes, it probably would, as the lifter almost certainly has some wear the initial lift of the lever does nothing - the lifter screw turns but does not push away from you as the lifter arm rises.

Understanding what's happening when the lifter is other than entirely unworn means it won't function right unless the 'revised' information is followed. I have done this a lot and I assure you this is good, practical information that comes from experience with this and other Suzukis that use either the same or a very similar assembly.

And Again!

Originally Posted by Me, Once Or Twice.

Slacken off cable adjusters at top and bottom, loosen lifter locknut, back out screw a bit, ensure that lifter arm is as far down as it will go, gently turn screw in until it contacts pushrod, back it out a bit, (~1/8th of a turn), then nip up the locknut, roughly adjust cable with lower adjuster - not too tight - then with top adjuster ensure that there remains a little slack all the way from lock to lock.

So how can I tell if my lifter is in good working order and I should go with one method or the other?

[Sid Squid]

Slacken the cable off, then adjust the lifter screw to no slack, (but only just, it musn't be screwed in at all - just touching the end of the pushrod). If the lifter arm moves up and down more than a tiny bit - it's worn. In practice more than about 4-5mm and it can get difficult to get the adjustment right - but this is heavily dependant on wear in the clutch assembly itself.

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Slacken the cable off, then adjust the lifter screw to no slack, (but only just, it musn't be screwed in at all - just touching the end of the pushrod). If the lifter arm moves up and down more than a tiny bit - it's worn. In practice more than about 4-5mm and it can get difficult to get the adjustment right - but this is heavily dependant on wear in the clutch assembly itself.

Cool Pretty sure when Iv done this in the past and the arm will only move maybe 2mm at most but i'll try it again and see

[steveg]

Replaced my worm drive @ 45k as was completely knackered , made a huge difference and could get perfect adjustment easy after

Lovely light clutch

Cheers Steveg

ok..

See ive just done mine the Sid Squid way, yet when i did this it was no good. Had to go and undo the lock nut and back out the adjuster another 1/8 of a turn. By adjusting the cable at the worm drive end after adjusting the worm drive correctly I was now appearing to be making contact with no lever pull.

This is what I was getting at before Im being annoying now amnt I

Originally Posted by steveg

Replaced my worm drive @ 45k as was completely knackered , made a huge difference and could get perfect adjustment easy after

Lovely light clutch

Cheers Steveg

sounds like a plan- how much are they? Ball park if it wasn't recent...

Originally Posted by thedonal

sounds like a plan- how much are they? Ball park if it wasn't recent...

I seem to recall paying £40 or something like that

[steveg]

£33 quid + VAT

Cheers Steve

i think i need to adjust my clutch too. It seems to be grind when going from 1st to 2nd like its not fully disengaged. from 2nd onwards is find though