Dear HOG friends,


I own a 1995 Road King with 78000 miles done. (quite a bit, eh?)

Please I need to adjust the clutch free play at the clutch itself, since the cable regulator is on its limit.

Hints and orientation on how to, will be highly appreciated

Regards,
Cranupas

 

Collapse adjust on cable all the way. Open derby (clutch inspection) cover. Loosen locknut on adjuster. Turn adjuster in until resistance felt where it bottoms out. Do this about 3 times so you get the feel of where it is bottoming out. After last time bottoming out, back it off 1/2-3/4 turn. Tighten locknut while making sure adjuster doesn't move. Work the clutch lever about 3 times to reseat ball and ramp assembly. Go back and tighten cable adjuster to give you 1/16-1/8" of freeplay on the ferrule at the perch. I use a nickel for a nickel's width and it works great for me.

 

"Freeplay" is sort of given too much importance. As long as your clutch isn't slipping under load and not dragging at stoplights (bikes wants to creep forward with the clutch engaged) it's fine. But that only holds if you adjust your clutch frequently as the friction plates wear.

I'll assume you have a wet primary but you should be able to pull the clutch derby cover without any fluid leaking out (unless it's way over filled.) Now instead of trying to explain the whole procedure there's a lot of "here's how to adjust your clutch" advice all over the internet. But I'll post a video to get you started. However, one important point is following the cookbook advice doesn't always work and sometimes you just gotta do whatever it takes to get the clutch setup correctly. And again the bottom line is a clutch that doesn't slip and doesn't drag and has a decent amount of "friction zone" in between.

For instance most will say to back out the clutch push rod a half turn and lock it down. But that doesn't always work. On some clutches it's less and on others it's more. Here's the video but with a caveat. The mechanic in it is kind of a hack, LOL! Don't ever pull the rubber boot down on the cable to reveal the clutch cable locking nuts. Always pull the rubber boot up! That way you won't stretch or tear the upper part of the boot and water won't leak down into the works. Also pulling down on the boot (like he does) without supporting the upper part of the cable is just asking for trouble.

http://www.ehow.com/video_2330184_ad...utch-pack.html

Oh, and not for nothing, but here's how I adjust the clutch on my bike!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxb7O5J3oN8