OK, so I have been a bit neglectful and have not attended to the final items on my M20 after its restoration until today. Aiming to take it the IMPS show at Headcorn this weekend, but having some trouble with getting the clutch adjusted correctly.

So, at the moment, I have a reasonable clutch, bits a bit late on the lever but kickstart will not drive the engine. If I adjust the lever much then I cannot change gear but I get a kickstart that operates.

The adjuster on the cable is fully screwed in and the and I have fiddle with the sccrew and ball. Now , its official I am frustrated, and dreading someone telling me that I have assembled something incorrectly ( could the ball on the clutch end of the pushrod not be there?)

So, can someone please tell me how to sort it out, or better still come and do it for me, whilst I watch and drink the beer?

cheers

Andrew

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

OK Andrew we heard you the first time!
Of course I don't know if your clutch is assembled correctly or that your push-rod is the right length.
But you need to disconnect the cable from the gearbox lever to star with. Now adjust that lever so that when you push it in to operate the clutch, the lever is in a perfectly vertical position when fully pushed in (not leaning in or out). You might have to reconnect the cable a few times whilst you get the lever correct.
If you can't get the lever in the vertical position, it's possible that your push-rod is too short. You can overcome this by sawing it in half and put a ball bearing between the two halves after hardening and tempering the cut ends. If the the push-rod is now a bit too long you can cut a little bit off one of the halves.
Now refit the cable and adjust it so that there is a bit of free play at the gearbox and handlebar lever.

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

yes quite Ron. We are out of limit on the forum, and I manage to post three times. Its people like me that spoil it for the resto of us.

Thanks Ron, I will have a look tommorrow and see what it looks like.

Could it be anything to do with the cush drive?

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

Ron, as you'd expect, is correct regarding the lever being correctly set up when it is disengaging in the vertical position. One way I have heard for checking you actually do have this correct is to get the bike running on the rear stand and engage gear. It is a simple matter to operate the clutch lever whilst observing the position of the lever and the movement of the rear wheel. If you have a dragging or stuck clutch then operate the rear brake to try and free it off. If you have the adjusting locknut on the lever loosened off then you can adjust the screw whilst everyting is in operation to obtain the right point. Likewise juggling the cable to suit accordingly. In fainess I have not done it this way myself yet (not needed to) but, unless I am misssing something, it seems so obvious and simple!
Duncan

hi andy, nothing to do with your cush drive.
follow up on what ron said,you wont be far off.
you could disconect the cable entirely,slip a length of tube over the clutch arm,and work with that until you are happy with the engagement /disengagement.
then replace the cable and adjust that to suit.
at the end of the day its a learning curve,once you get it right, you will never get it wrong.
cheers rick

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

Andrew it is not entirely uncommon for the cush drive nut to come undone if not tightened up enough. You will then loose drive from the engine and gain a lot of clattering noise. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

thank you chaps as always, a great wealth of knowledge, My task for this morning is to follow Rons instructions to the T.

The only thing I thought of, was that being a bit of skin flint I did not replace the steel clutch plates even though they had been a bit corroded from damp. I of course wire brushed these all off and though they would soon clean themselves in operation. Of course this could be the reason that when I had it correctly adjusted it was dragging. Ah well, I did did so enjoy working on the clutch I cant wait to strip it again. Fingers crossed I dont have to . thanks again

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

Well if you do have to strip the clutch Andrew. You will make life at lot easier if you leave out, one steel and one friction plate on assembly. It makes the clutch easier to assemble, gives more room in the clutch basket for separation and much lighter at the handlebar lever.
There are eight friction discs and some of the pattern ones can be a bit thicker than standard.I've never had a full set in my bike and it never slips...even with my bigger engine. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Aha, interesting this. I had heard this from a friend Richard Farrant who had bought a set from a well known dealer in London. When he called to say it wouldnt work and he suspected that they were slightly thicker he was told absolutely they werent but suggested leaving out a set and as you say it worked fine, so its worth bearing in mind, especially if I need to buy a new set. thanks

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

Hi Andrew..Take a look in the 'Technical Section' of the website under 'Clutch problems' for a detailed explanation...Ian

ok, so some sort of success. Basically, I find that the adjustment is very very tight. One or two turns on the ball screw either way, and its all gone to pot again. The new cable I had made is too short. So I fitted the original and its driveable, but I still feel a little like its not quite right. Crunches into gear, which I hate and can be a bit troublesome to get neutral, but if I adjust it to take account of this, then the kickstart slips. Its almost that it alters when the pushrod rotates and without making any adjustment to either arm or cable. My best guess is that the old plates are a bit rough and so I drove it a bit whilst slipping the clutch and it seemed a bit better. I will report back, but meanwhile I need to send off my nice new cable to be altered again! thanks for the help and advice.

thanks for pointing that out Ian. Its all there in black and white, brilliant. I am going to bury my head in the sand for a few miles and see whether it gets better. I once had a car with knackered big ends which got better through use. ( I just stopped listening to it, until it went bang) No seriously, I will get the new cable on, do some miles and see what its like. I think, its going to be a strip down , I know there was some wobble on the basket so really I need to follow the wonderful instructions in technical to the T. I assume you wrote that Ian, well done and thanks

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com

I decided to strip the clutch down and see whats wrong. Here are some photos. I found that the nut on the clutch cover that holds the ball on the clutch side was a bit loose, and the clutch seems to have given out a lot of grease, caught on the edges of the basket. Back looks worn and the pushrod has wear about 2 inches in from the clutch side. here are the photos, any thoughts?

email (option): andrew.honychurch@btinternet.com