I was just on eBay looking at a '72 xs650 that was cafe'd and painted bright yellow and read in his description that he replaced the original clutch actuator worm arm with a later model year one because it was made longer making the clutch easier to pull. Is this in fact true and if so--- what year did Yamaha make this change?
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Mikes XS sells an arm with two holes take your choice. No free lunch though, it's easier to pull but doesn't separate the plates as far. So getting and keeping the adjustment just right is harder.
jayel
#9 Guru 74 TX650A
yamaha used the same lever for the entire model run, the longer arm clutch actuator is a aftermarket item from mikesXS
Very early arms, 70 -71? have 3 not 4 ramp flutes. not sure if the length changed but I kinda remember it did somewhere.
anothermammalwiththumbs
XS650 Member
I made an extension for mine out of a small L-shaped piece of steel;
Bend the L so it catches over the side of the existing arm, then bolt through and drill a new hole to attach the clutch cable.
That's a terrible description. I'll take a picture sometime or make a drawing.
Bend the L so it catches over the side of the existing arm, then bolt through and drill a new hole to attach the clutch cable.
That's a terrible description. I'll take a picture sometime or make a drawing.
Early arms were shorter. Mid and late production arms were longer. Late production arms were the same length as mid production ones but the cable anchor was moved in. This put the length in between the early and mid production versions .....
Personally I didn't feel any difference between the two holes on Mikes. My clutch isn't hard to pull anyway. I tried out HHB hydro clutch and it felt exactly the same as my standard clutch. I even have the stronger springs on my clutch basket.
I have Mike's new worm and the differences between the holes as far as pull goes it's hardley noticable, now the difference in clutch action was very noticable. Use the inner hole It works the clutch better.
Ride the bike alot and your hand and arm will get stronger.
If your current worm is very worn or cracked you will find the new worm helps a lot.
My 75 cltuch was terrible hard and a new cable helped but not much. I read about how the plastic part of the worm can crack and make the clutch hard to use. I replaced the worm and couldn't believe how well the clutch worked.
A new cable and worm with plenty of good lube and even with the other clutch work, mostly heavy springs, I can pull the lever with two fingers.
Leo
Ride the bike alot and your hand and arm will get stronger.
If your current worm is very worn or cracked you will find the new worm helps a lot.
My 75 cltuch was terrible hard and a new cable helped but not much. I read about how the plastic part of the worm can crack and make the clutch hard to use. I replaced the worm and couldn't believe how well the clutch worked.
A new cable and worm with plenty of good lube and even with the other clutch work, mostly heavy springs, I can pull the lever with two fingers.
Leo
Perry Luft
XS650 New Member
My left hand strength is very weak because of arm injuries. I am looking into changing over to a foot clutch. I can’t seem to find any available conversion kits being available. Does anyone have any leads?
