73 TX650 - Heavy Clutch!

r3sc

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Good Evening All,

Re the clutch on my 73 TX650, I’m getting some miles on the bike now that the weather is improving and I’m finding it great to ride but one thing that lets it down is the fairly heave clutch pull.

During the restoration last year the clutch was totally stripped, plates and springs checked, pushrod checked and new steel ball fitted. I also fitted a new clutch cable which is really well lubricated and the lever is well greased and is running the standard brass bush for the pivot point. I’m fairly confident that the springs are standard OEM items.

The clutch cable is routed as it should be I think and goes down the right hand side of the headstock before crossing under the frame top tube and into the clutch cover. There are no kinks or sharp bends at all but yet the clutch is still fairly heavy.

I’m not a small guy and have the ability to pull it in fine but it gets a bit wearing when I get stuck in traffic.

So, are these bikes renowned for heavy clutch actuation and if so, what do you guys recommend to resolve it?

Any pointers would be much appreciated.

Regards

Pete.
 
Shouldn't be hard to pull at all. I might check the orientation of the actuator. Usually funky cable is the problem but not here, I guess.

aAWC74O.jpg


ALSO
This should be packed with grease, as it isn't here:

clutch actuator.jpg
 
You say the clutch cable was well lubed but didn't say with what. If you just used that spray cable lube, it's not very good and doesn't last long. It feels real good when you first do it but within a few days, that light lube will be gone. Most of us just dribble plain motor oil down through the cable.
 
I put so much oil in my cable that it ran out of the bottom of the left engine cover for days. Try this: pull the tank, seat, air box and as much stuff as you can out of the way and let the cable just hang out in the breeze not tethered to any part of the frame. Squeeze the lever, see if the pull is easier and watch the cable flex. You might find that with a different routing with gentle bends the pull gets easier. I routed mine both inside and outside of the left carb before I settled on inside but more for aesthetics because there just was not that much difference in pull. Search this site, clutch cable remedies abound.
 
Hi All,
Thanks for your replies,
Xjwmx- yes, I’ve checked the actuator and it is well lubed and in the right orientation. I tried to offer it up slightly differently but the cable length only allowed it to fit in the correct position.

5twins- I lubed the cable with a spray grease which comes out of the aerosol as a liquid but after a while when the propellant etc has evaporated it turns to a very slippery grease. This enabled me to use a standard cable oiler and it went in one end and started running out of the other.

hovel- I think your suggestion is well worth a try. The cable does appear to fit in a number of different routings so I’ll strip it down and as you say, try it in front and behind of the left hand carb. That being said, there are no sharp bends or kinks in the cable anywhere.

One other question, does the actuator have a captive steel ball in it? So one fixed in the actuator and one between the pushrod and actuator head at the clutch side?

Regards
Pete.
 
^if i remember right, there should be three balls. one goes in the mouth of the actuator between it and the first big push rod segment. the second ball goes between the two big push rod segments, inside the motor. a third ball goes between the mushroom that actually pushes the clutch, and the segments. If you had too many balls, or too much length for some other reason i could see the lever being hard to pull to the grip.

http://www.650rider.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7551
 
somebody might have put in some heavy clutch springs. they are available. or wrong clutch springs. originals are black, and i think have some blue paint marks dabbed on them
 
C3DCCA5D-6244-4D78-950E-2C6D79EE5084.jpeg
Good point! Are the standard OEM springs still available?
This is a photo of my current cable routing. It looks ok but the thing I don’t like is that it touches the side panel slightly. Is this normal?

Regards
Pete
 
the thing I don’t like is that it touches the side panel slightly.
That's the reason I routed mine behind the carb. The cable was beginning to mar the finish on the side cover. If your cable was behind the carb you would have better alignment with the elbow that is on the case. You can search for posts about modifying the elbow but I don't think it is necessary.
 
Hi hovel,
Good call on the cable behind the carb.

I’ve stripped it this afternoon. I have a one piece pushrod with a steel ball captive in the actuator and a steel ball in front of the mushroom at the clutch side.

I have a small diameter endoscope which allowed me to push it past the pushrod seal towards the clutch to check that the steel ball was in place.

After reassembly the clutch was noticeably lighter and smoother, not as light as some of my other bikes but now acceptable.

Many thanks for your help.
2D83A9B1-A59A-44F0-8ADE-3BA94EB2144F.jpeg

Photo of newly re routed cable.

Regards

Pete.
 
In the picture in post #2, see the angle between the cable and the release arm? It should be at that 90 degree angle, when the clutch lever is pulled all the way in to the handle bar. That's where you get the best leverage. If you pull it past that point, to disengage the clutch, it will get progressively harder to pull. In other words, loosen the cable adjustment and run the adjustment screw in farther to suit.
 
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