Hi Everybody, I'm having trouble setting up my clutch. I've done what the book says but the clutch drags enough to move the bike when I pull back the lever and I'm unable to shift gears. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, if anybody can walk me through this it would be great and now that I have all the oil leaks fixed I can take her on my first ride. I was told to use 80/90 weight oil instead of the 20/50 that I'm running in the engine, could this be the problem?
Thanks

 

People use a lot of different stuff in the primary, including automatic transmission fluid. My suggestion is, until the bike is running, do not experiment; use either the HD product [Formula + or whatever it is called now] or the same as you put in the engine - and don't do anything unusual there either.

 

Thanks Mick I'll try the motor oil, I'm also not 100% sure about setting up the adjusting screw. The book says to turn it in to take up the freeplay then back off a 1/4 or 1/2 turn. I'm not sure what they mean by that but I just turn it in until I feel pressure then back it out. Is this correct?
Thanks
Jeremy

 

The 'backing off' of a ¼ or ½ turn is to make sure the clutch is fully engaged.
If you have followed the instructions completely the clutch will be adjusted properly. A lot of people think the clutch cable slack is adjusted just like most bikes....... i.e., turn the barrel adjustment out at the clutch lever to take up, or in, give slack in the cable.
NOT SO ON A SPORTSTER! You need to heed the directions to get that clutch ramp adjusted correctly.......... pg

 

Heed the words of PG. In my 79 to 85 FM the clutch adjustment procedure has 6 steps, omitting only to do it with the handle bars pointing straight ahead. Some of these steps have multiple parts so i have coded them a, b, c, or whatever. The procedure must be followed precisely, in sequence, leaving out no steps.

To tighten down the locknut at the end i use a 13/16" spark plug socket, a 7/8" closed end wrench, and a long skinny flatblade screwdriver. It must be a spark plug socket as they have the hex shaped outer end to accept the wrench, with the screwdriver going in thru the middle. Hold the adjusting screw with the screwdriver, tighten the nut with the socket and the wrench.

 

Well I've done what the book says for adjusting and I also used the motor oil and I ended up with the same result. Any other ideas before I take off the cover and inspect?
Jeremy

 

It sounds like you have done everything correctly, so all you can do is pull it apart and have another look.
That's when you will have this problem: What are you looking for?

Questions:
Have you taken the clutch apart lately?
Have you ever taken it apart?

If you have taken it apart, yours being a 1975 you should have (6) spacer tubes. one goes on each of the 6 studs. These are all the same length. They give you the correct plate adjustment without you having to think about it, as well as automatically line up the pressure plate. On older bikes (before 1974) you had to measure the distance and align the outer plate....... otherwise it would wobble and cause clutch drag.
The only thing that you could have going on in the clutch that will cause drag is if the finger on the plates and the grooves in the clutch basket are very worn and grooved.

Now regarding that 2nd question...... If you have never taken the clutch apart before, there are a number of things you should know before you even start to remove it. Just let us know and we can give any help you may need...................... pg

 

Marksjeff........
I am a bit concerned about your clutch problem. The post I just made directs you to look into the clutch and making that suggestion may have been a bit premature.

Let me ask you this:
How long have you had this bike, and are you aware of a Sportsters operation? By that I mean to say..... Are you aware that a cold Sportster will CLUNK into first gear and take you for a ride down the driveway before your rear end gets back to normal size?
Compared to a Honda, that just goes click into 1st gear and calmly sits there waiting for you to let out the clutch.

This is all part of a Sportster. So if you are new to this bike, just cram it into gear and take off. As the machine warms up the shifting becomes easier. It will always go CLUNK into first gear, even when fully warmed up, but the clutch drag will subside compared to when it is started up cold. Just a thought.

And of course I am still bothered by the adjustment you made to the clutch. Was it done correctly? It sounds like you did, but something is nagging me about that. Anyway, I did not mean for you to tear into it. If it worked before then it should work as well after the adjustment was made.......... pg

 

Too much oil in primary also gets you a same symptoms than wrong adjustment.

 

I've had the bike for over a year but have been putting it back together. I didn't mess with the clutch. The primary cover was cracked from a broken starter shaft so I replaced that and had to move the parts from one cover to the next. This is the first Harley I've owned and was just shocked when it took off when I put it in gear. I tried to shift it out of first while holding the brake and it wouldn't happen, so I didn't even try shifting on the road. Maybe I should have tried to go for a ride to see if it would have shifted. I did notice that after it warmed up it didn't move the bike as much but I still was unable to shift out of first while sitting in the driveway.