Clutch

[Blackwolf]

I have an interesting dilemma. I have a 1972 SF750 that has been covered and in my garage and hasn't been ridden a few months. I figured the battery needed to get a charge so I did that and was ready to fire it up. I went to pull in the clutch lever and I noticed it was limp. It was as though the cable had stretched dramatically and I adjusted the slack and now the clutch is super stiff.
  Question is, what caused it to do that? Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[chrisk]

??? Limp? as you pulled it back to the bars limp, or just a little loose limp.

Idle, bike that have not been ridden,  can see the clutches bind over time, sometimes overnight even.
Put in gear and rock the bike back and forth with clutch lever pulled in, this may break the binding clutch plate free.

 

[Tippie]

Take out the round rubber bung that covers access to the lower end of the clutch cable in the selector sidecover. If the lever the clutch cable attaches to is staying in, pulled towards the gearbox, then it is likely either the pushrods are stuck in the gearbox shaft or as Chris says, the plates are for some reason binding in the clutch drum. Binding plates will not cause the lever to be free, just that overcoming the clutch springs won?t release the plates and allow them to slip.

 

[3C-Wayne]

Cable may be about to break, look for fraying.

 

[Blackwolf]

When I said the clutch lever was "Limp", there was a lot of slack. It was as if the lever was pulled back about half way towards the handlebar  and only had a large amount of play. Nobody touched it from the last time I used it. I did remove the rubber plug on the clutch cover and the cable was connected. I adjusted the cable and now the clutch lever takes about double the effort to move it. I did put it into gear and ran it on the center stand and the release is almost at it's far limit, meaning I only had to pull it in about 6mm.
  It's as though something in the clutch is very stiff. I just don't know how the clutch pack works on this type of bike. I will have to take it apart this weekend and see what's going on. What should I look for?

Thank,
Jim

 

[natm]

First thing to do is remove the cable and get plenty of silicone oil into it.

 

[helicopterjim]

First thing to do is remove the cable and get plenty of silicone oil into it.

Yes ..... step by step investigation.

 

[Tippie]

"I just don't know how the clutch pack works on this type of bike."
In Laverdaparadies website are the full parts diagrams for your bike, so you can see how it works.
You could remove the clutch cable from the lower end, and see if the cable itself is free. Then you can use something to see if the actuating lever (that the cable attaches to) can be pushed in to release the clutch, do do so will need some improvising with a lever. Before removing the LH engine cover to get to the clutch, you could remove the RH selector cover and see that the clutch release mechanism in there is working, could also try directly operating the pushrods then too. If you need to remove the clutch itself you may need some more advice.