clutch adjustment dialed in -- finally!

After replacing my clutch cable, I have been compromising between a slight slippage at the top end, and having lots of trouble finding neutral and really hard shifting at the bottom. Quick solution: rotate the clutch arm on its splines so it is square to the cable angle when at it's maximum throw.

Long answer:
The new cable was slightly longer, and I rotated the arm on its splines to make up the difference. The problem is, the amount the arm rotates is not in direct proportion to the amount the cable travels. I did a little home-made trigonometry, and the arm moves farthest when it is perpendicular to the angle of the cable, less and less the farther away it gets.

By rotating the arm on the splines I had lowered the overall amount the arm would rotate for the given cable movement. Rotating it back (and maxing out the other adjustments) I got that tiny bit extra throw I needed to get it really dialed in.

Hope this helps!

 

Now that that's all done, you could probably go back ONE SPLINE TOOTH and pick up a bit more "adjustment window" on your cable. The real key is having the lever at 90 degrees to the cable AT MAX THROW not to start off. Whole thing would be a lot easier if the factory didn't call the part a "pushrod."

 

you could try something like this, the other hole in the arm gives more travel, the lever pull gets slightly harder

 

Polock, that's exactly what I was planning, but I stopped myself and did the geometry first. It really made a world of difference having it exactly right.

 

that was done to determine if it was the clutch or clutch adjustment. Since the clutch was out not too long ago and measured like new, i kept thinking adjustment, the extra hole eliminated the adjustment question
turns out it was the springs