Man, this was the best and most easy-to-understand video on clutch cable adjustment that I've found! Excellent explanation! I have a 2004 Yamaha Road Star Midnight Silverado XV1700. The guy I bought it from had tried to do his own maintenance on it. His clutch cable adjustment was horrible. As soon as you said, "If you pull your clutch lever in, and the bike 'chunks' into gear....", my ears perked up. That's exactly what it was doing! I made the adjustment as you described, and now the bike just 'clicks' into gear, the way it SHOULD. Thanks for this video. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to make a clutch cable adjustment.
Thanks slot! Really helpful. Some mechanic adjusted mine earlier. All was fine apart from the top gear slippage which he obviously could not test. But now I can fix it. Brilliant.
Thanks so much, I did this and my clutch was slipping at high speeds no bueno. Couldn't find any video to fix this until now you explained it very well. Thanks!
Thanks for not making a half hour video for such an easy task. So many RU-vidrs forget most of us watching these kind of videos are looking for info, not entertainment. Great audio too, and that's my second biggest pet peeve :D I think this just saved my clutch for a few more days until the rest of the parts come in. Sadly I think mine is on its way out, even after adjustment and with tons of play in the lever, it will occasionally slip in 5th still. But it was slipping in every gear before the adjustment. 86 Honda Rebel 250, found your video via a link on the Honda Rebel Forum in a post about clutch replacement. The lever adjustment wasn't possible due to a boot covering it (assuming it's there), but the other part worked great.
Very good, I think I get it. I put on new clutch cable today, rode my klr 15 minutes to the store, where it died. It starts in neutral, dies immediately in first. I'll apply this video in the parking lot tomorrow and pray for the best. Thanks!!
Holy shiteballs, mate, it worked! You’ve just helped me save a lot of traffic embarrassment, and somewhere between hundreds of dollars and the life of an old Yamaha XJ. Thanks be to you, good Sir!
I can attest to this about the adjustment. My 2014 CBR650F had the slipping clutch symptoms and it wasnt doing it before and I had never messed with the clutch cable. I was so sure that the issue was my clutch plates but I decided to give the cable some slack first and now its perfect. Check that first.
Might be time to open it up and see if anything is damaged in there. See my video on replacing clutch discs, its far easier to access than you might think
Looks just like my 83 Yamaha XJ650 Maxim. Even missing the right cover for the battery like mine. Tough finding right covers for sure. Thanks for the info.
Try tightening it up a little bit, that might help, but when a bike slips into neutral from 2nd thats usually an indication of a transmission problem developing, rather than the clutch
thank you sir for this information. I knew about the handle bar but was unsure if it was ok to adjust the other 2 points. just finished tune up on my bike. I can now shift through all gears with out getting hung up in neutral as I was before due to clutch not engaging fully. and the slack that was there before is now gone.
Thanks for the demo. Still not sure whether my problem is clutch or throttle related. Once at higher speeds it seems fine, but in low gears it jerks like a teenager's first driving lesson, and having a tendency to stall out. Setting choke to 3/4 seems to help, but it requires dangerously generous throttle-twisting as RPM's and power race unsteadily toward each other before the next gear shift. It's like whipping a horse that's busy watching cartoons!
+mrmaxstorey. My mistake. I was referring to excess play in the clutch handle. The throttle grip has no excessive play and spring-returns OK. I guess the problem must be in the clutch, and will require me combating fear of failure and also lethargy. ;)
I'm confused. In the earlier part of the video you mention when the gears "chunk in", the nuts must move up. But then at the end you say they need to go down. This is indeed an issue for me but I'd like to know if the nuts go up or down on the cable. Thanks
Sorry if it is unclear. If your clutch isnt grabbing properly, you will want to move the nuts down so the cable sleeve moves up in respect to the clutch arm
No, you gotta do this under load. Try backing off your clutch cable and see if it improves the situation. Hopefully you didnt have the clutch cable too tight all this time, and it was slowly burning up the discs
max!! dude every Vidal o you have is properly explained.your a great dude/teacher.great video man! BTW the 1982 nighthawk is still purring like a kitty.thanx buddy!
This might sound like a dumb question, but I have always been confused about how cables work. I know how to adjust them, but I am not sure how they work. My confusion is that the inner cable moves freely from the sheath/housing. But if the inner cable moves freely from the sheath/housing, then why would adjusting the nuts (which would only affect the sheath/housing) have any effect on the slack of the inner cable. Surprisingly, there is no information about this online, not even from bicycle how to websites. Thanks.
Theadjusting nuts adjust the tension/distance between the part being moved, and the part doing the moving. In this case the clutch lever and the actuating bar on the other end. By keeping this tight, the inner cable is only able to move it so much, so its operates within the range of operation, and works well
With the motor off, you should be able to click through the gears. Are you saying you can click through the gears while the bike is running, but stationary?
Hey man, just came across your videos recently and all I can say is awesome!! I just picked up my first bike which is a 84 yamaha xj650 and your vids are right up my alley! Like everyone else I have a question for your motorcycle awesomeness! I think my clutch plates are stuck due to not running for awhile, I got the motor running nice but gotta check the gears now! I've followed the procedure in this vid and my question is, with the bike in the air, when I have it in gear with the clutch lever squeezed I should be able to move the wheel freely right? It doesn't for me which makes me think the plates are stuck! Can you recommend a way to attempt to free them up without taking it apart? Thx!
Hello, I have the same bike but it's an 84, the clutch handle is really hard to reach & pull, what can I do 2 help this, I have really small hands...excellent instructional video by the way
Hey Max, thanks for all these videos, you've already helped me out a lot! I have a question about the clutch on a Suzuki GSX400E I'm currently fixing up. When the bike is on it's centerstand (running) and I shift into gear, the rear tire starts spinning (clutch still pulled in). Now if I hit the rear brake the tire stops and stays still even after the brake is released. However letting the clutch out and pulling it in again, the rear tire keeps spinning with the motor until the rear brake is applied again. This led me to believe the clutchplates where either worn out or warped, but they are well within factory standard. (after checking, the oil(& filter) and some gaskets were replaced) So it's not the plates or thick/dirty oil, adjusting the clutch cable according to your video or the repair manual didn't help and the cable doesn't seem to get stuck anywhere either. Is there anything you can think of I might have missed? Kind regards, Jeroen.
Oh thank you, that's reassuring to hear :) My other bike doesn't have it and since this is the first bike I'm doing myself, I'd like to get everything done properly. Already cleaned the carburators with help of your video's. Next up is tensioning the chain and realigning the rear wheel. Thanks for all the effort you put into your video's!
This really helped a lot but my bike does not have the third adjust point where the cable ends at the oil area. My bike when its idle in neutral with the clutch in the resting position it sounds like its hitting when I pull the clutch in it goes away and when i rev over ~1400prm the sound also goes away.
Hey, at 2:36 you mention if one is chunking down you have to lower the knuckle but at 4:28 for the same thing you have to raise the knuckle. The latter is correct right? Prolly easier to explain that if one's biting point is too far out or your clutch slips, adjust the nuts in the way that you can see the cable going down, resulting in a more engaged clutch and a closer biting point (press in more to disengage).
Great Video ... My 82 750 Maxim is stubborn getting into neutral as well at a stop light. Which adjustment would help this. I'm assuming you could adjust the "knuckle" up but not so much that it causes slippage. Should I try adjusting half a turn or a full turn? Thanks ... I know you are very busy making lots of good videos so keep up the great service to wannabe do it your selfers like me
thanks so much for making this vid! yesterday i had asked you about this and i wasnt expecting it till almost friday! thanks! my setup is a little different though. its a 75' and what do you mean "Knuckle"?
How do I know if my couch is bad? I hold the lever to go into 1 st and it does but it stalls kills the bike my lever on the handle feels lose I don’t know anything about bikes but ur video helped the way u explain it thank u
Try the adjustment in the video first, possibly your cable has stretched and you may need to replace it if you can't tighten it up. It's not too hard tho
haha I was just about to say that. sorry i'm new to bikes and did not know that it is normal to be able to shift with the bike off and stationary, thanks :)
Should I be looking for anything in particular or will it be very obvious? Some times and I think this is common (every manual vehicle Ive driven has done this) but shifting from first to second it will reject and pop into neutral or back into first if I'm high in the revs and not at the synch rpm range.
Haha yeah I dont know if thats an industry standard term, I was just referring to the uppermost piece of metal on the cable sheath. Basically, just move the cable sheath up or down
hi max, thanks for the informative vid :) I recently replaced my clutch cable and adjusted it properly. However, the problem is that the clutch always seems to be engaged. I removed the cable completely & could still shift through all 5 gears without even manually pushing the clutch in. I'm not sure what the problem could be. The only messing around I did was replace the engine cover gasket. But thats all put back together fine. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you
Your videos have been very helpful and I thank you for making this channel! Is it normal for your clutch to get stiffer as you ride longer? I have a 73 CB 450 and by the time i'm riding for about 30 minutes or so the clutch lever gets stiffer.
Look around on ebay for aftermarket brake and clutch handles, they make them in all different shapes some of which swoop in towards the handlebars. You can try adjusting the cable as I show in the video, but replacing the levers might be a better option
Thanks for this video! Quick question for anybody who might know. When I start a ride with my clutch properly adjusted it slowly changes so that after riding a couple miles it starts to chunk into gear and won’t shift to neutral. I’ve resorted to overcompensating the adjustment so that at the beginning of my ride the clutch is slipping a little bit and as it starts to change and not disengage I make small adjustments at the handlebar while I’m riding. Is this just a blown clutch cable or is there something adjustment wise that I’m missing? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Mr max storey, I was wondering if you could take a look at a video of me trying to start my bike. It just started happening. I have only ridden it once his year, and then it stopped starting.
Thanks for the video. How far should the arm move? Yours moved like an inch and a half but how much did you adjust it to move when you got it all perfect? thanks
unless your cable is stretched, the arm moves only a predetermined amount. What you are doing by adjusting it is determining how close the clutch actuating lever is the push rod before you start to move it. Just play around with it and try your best, if you can't get it after some good effort then the cable might be stretched and you should order a new one
life saver. mechanics do it fine but like you said on top gears there is this noticeable drop in power so that what it is called slippage. cant thank enough so i will say it here and like it.
So I'm confused. At 2:35 you say if it chunks knuckle up but at 4:22 you say if it chunks knuckle down? If it chunks, which direction should I turn the knuckle ?
After a long travel or a high speed run, the clutch feels too jumpy and also play feels to be longer that it was at the beginning. By the clutch feeling jumpy I mean it bites suddenly through the lever travel up, right at the handlebar even though at the start it was right around at the clutch open. What seems to be the problem here?
HI, thanks for the video! I have a dirt bike and when I'm shifting into 1st gear, I need to let the clutch lever out almost all the way before it will engage. Based on your video I think I might have to adjust the "knuckle" down, is that correct? I want it to engage when the clutch lever is only out about 50%, not all the way out about 95%. Thanks!
hello thank you this video it was very helpfull. i have an 81 xs400 and the clutch is really tight i think the previous owner messed around with it, the bike stalls out almost every time i try and put it into first it lunges forward and dies. do i loosen or tighten the top nut to fix this? thanks!!
Hi Max, I have a Yamaha xj600s Diversion 2000 W. I just renewed the clutch, thrust bearings, oil etc but although everything seems to be working fine I just can't seem to get the lever set correctly. It's heavy/stiff to pull the clutch lever so after about 20 mins of riding my wrist starts to get strained. How do I adjust the lever to make it lighter to operate?
hey mrmaxstorey i will say all you vid are great i have watch so many of your vids over the past year or so that i have been subscribed and they are awesome your videos and a few others really got me to where i am today with my motorcycle.but here is the question my bike is an 88 katana 600 and it shifts perfect but in low rpm anything below about 2000 rpm it rides like the engine is really rough which its not that bad barely noticeable with the tac i almost dropped it a couple of times because of this could you tell any me possible reasons it would do this some say bad sprockets or wrong sprockets i really dont want to spend anymore money into if i dont have to as i pretty much rebuild the whole thing and put more money into it than its worth but its a first bike for me and i dont mind i just want to get my license for it but its hard when the test will consist of low speed maneuvers.so thats why im here asking you an experienced rider.thank you for all your videos they are a great help to all of us.
Hey man I have an old xr250r and my clutch is pretty good but the only problem is when I go to take off it seems like the clutch is either on or off no like middle ground if that makes sense? It shifts through all the gears fine runs great just a little iffy to take off especially on concrete.
I have a 84 honda shadow 700 and when I pull the clutch in and put the bike in to first or second the bike stalls. I turned off the bike and put it in gear and pulled in the clutch and tried to roll it and it didn't roll. So should I lower it? Thanks, great vid!
+BlazingGex To tighten the cable you need to raise it in the adjusting bracket. How long has the bike been sitting? The clutch may have dried and adhered to itself. Here's an easy way to unstick the clutch (after tightening the cable has failed to fix the problem). With the engine off, put the bike in gear and with the clutch pulled in, roll back and forth until the bike begins to move past the clutch. Another thing you might try is putting the bike on it's center stand, starting the engine, shifting to first with the clutch in (it may need a bit of a rev to not die during this step) then with the clutch pulled in gently apply the rear brake to lock the rear wheel while giving it gas to keep the engine going. Either method (or better, both) should free the clutch. Unfortunately it's quite possible that the clutch is ruined if it got that stuck in the first place. After freeing it take it for a ride and test for slipping. If there is any, pull the cover and carefully check the clutch for uneven wear or rust / damage. If any wear or damage is found, replace any affected part. Also, change your oil.
also i cannot get my bike into neutral while im idling.. i have to either be free-rolling or i have to shut the engine off before it will go into neutral
I have an 06 zzr600. I laid it down on the left doing about 50, when I rode it home after I noticed that when I put it in gear and I have the clutch in it wants to take off. Like its not being fully disengaged when I pull the lever. Any advice?
I have a problem, when i'm trying to put my bike into 1st from neutral i can't i feel like it's blocked or something, but when i hit 2nd and drive a little bit, when sometimes i can hit into first, but it's only when my bike is moving. Any suggestions?
I have a Honda CM250 Custom. They are like the Rebel 250's. I had the cable adjusted that both nuts were at the bottom of the cable. I still couldn't disengage the clutch. I would have that clunking noise like you were talking about. I got a new clutch cable and it works a lot better but the longer I run the bike the harder it gets to downshift. When I am 1st gear with the clutch in the bike seems like its trying to walk. When the bike is off and in gear and the clutch in I can move the bike but I still can feel a little resistance. What is causing the clutch to do this when the bike gets warmed up? A question about the XJ 650. What is the cover on the right side of the XJ650 in front of the clutch cover? Some asshole hit and run my Ford Ranger. They hit the truck and it flew 5 feet foward slamming into the curb and tossing my XJ on the road. It broke that cover and a part of the case but it didn't go in too far. What's the purpose of that cover. Looks?
altlandf The bik is supposed to have some resistance while in gear, motor off, clutch in. If its hard to shift then adjust the able again. About your XJ if you are talking about the YICS cover then yeah its mostly ornamental IIRC
watched your video last night I just did my clutch today because I had so much slip in 4th and 5th gear it's made my bike like new again heaps of power on the throttle now , have you got any tips about first and second gear clunking hard ? thanks mate
Awesome video thank you! So my issue is I have a 14 zx6r with 4k miles ...the other day while riding I was downshifting from 3rd to 2nd and my gear indicator disappeared, but it didn't say I was in neutral. As soon as I released the clutch to engage I just kept on rolling as if I was in neutral. When I tried to kick it into gear my shift pedal was locked in place...it got towed to my house. I played with the shift pedal and was able to pop it into gear while rolling forward slowly and applying lots of pressure...now it's impossible to kick it into second if I'm not moving, and if I'm moving every gear almost feels like it kicks into place very violently everytime I shift, any suggestions?
No the nuts should be tight. The nuts only secure the sheath of the cable to one spot. It still allows the cable itself to move and all the clutch components including the springs
Thank you mrmaxstorey, great video and explanation. I hoped it would help me understand why I cannot shift upward into neutral when the bike is stopped. Like when I pull into my garage. Still in 1st, with clutch lever pulled, it seems "locked" into 1st. But if I hit the kill switch, it slides right into neutral. I replaced the clutch plates & springs but no change. any idea what might be happening?
Mr Max, I have a 1980 Kawasaki KZ250 that I replaced the 3 bolts that mount the starter clutch to the sprocket last fall. It's been running fine since, but now I'm noticing the bike will sometimes have problems switching from 1st to second - it'll drop into neutral. I have also noticed that it seems to drop into lower gears randomly while riding. I noticed it happening mostly at speeds over 30-35mph. Could this be a clutch or tranny issue? If it's a tranny issue, can an adjustment fix it? TY
I have a question for all.... I was told by a Yamaha mechanic that the clutch adjustment right were the clutch lever is... there's a disk that you can turn that has a slot in it. He said that's more of a water drain and to keep it down otherwise the cable will rust. I mentioned that on a Facebook forum/page and somebody jumped on me about it and said that it's the lock where you should line up the metal nipple with. ???? Eh?
i got a question. i had to replace my clutch calbe on my cr80. befor i replaced it ever thing worked fine. but after i replaced it, the clutch will not engage. how do i fix it?
Question.. I just got a new clutch cable installed on my 04 636. At first it was almost like the clutch never engaged completely... in first i could pull in the clutch and the bike would still creep forward.. plus down shifting was extremely hard.. so i adjusted it .. it shifts now fine.. BUTTT .. in when riding.. after shifting into 2nd and opening up the throttle... to about 9k.. the bike slips from 2nd into neutral every time... help???
