suggestions for an easier clutch pull?

[gregvhen]

my clutch feels stiffer than any other street bike ive been on. 05 rebel 250, 05 ninja 250, 89 ninja 600, 89 katana 600, 07 r6, 07 r1. and ive felt 09 cbr 600, and 09 and 10 r6, and r1.  all of these bikes seem to have a very easy pull compared to mine.  i know, many of them are cause theyre newer and designed better, but what about 89 kat and zx6? and im adjusted fine, cause if i go any looser it'll slip. but the discs are fine.  any suggestions?  could the springs feel stiffer cause theyre old? or do they only get weaker as they get older?

[mister]

my clutch feels stiffer than any other street bike ive been on... any suggestions?

Do your Man Exercises with your left hand to increase its gripping strength. 

Michael

[007brendan]

Maybe your cable is shot.  Take it off and lube it up, see if it helps.

[the mole]

+1 Time for a new cable.

[werase643]

http://www.amazon.com/Moose-Racing-Easy-Pull-Clutch-System/dp/B001DDH1LE

$37 bucks

[gregvhen]

+1 Time for a new cable.

well i thought that too, but when its not hooked up i can pull it no problem at all, like the wind could push the lever in almost, so its not a bad cable. im wanting to say its the springs, or just bad leverage design. but i dont know if springs get harder to compress as they wear out or not.

[gregvhen]

http://www.amazon.com/Moose-Racing-Easy-Pull-Clutch-System/dp/B001DDH1LE

$37 bucks

seems pretty cool, has anybody used this before.  the only thing that could be an issue is, if it increases the ratio then will the full travel of the lever be enough to disengage the clutch enough/ engage it engough.

[Homer]

I wrote this around the same time you got mad at me over that sprocket:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=52355.0

The "actuator arm" I mentioned is the lever inside the front sprocket cover.  The thing the cable's attached to.
You can cut it with a dremel and weld a short extension.  Pythagoras and all that - exponentially better leverage from small extensions of a lever arm.  
Don't need to worry about running out of room inside the housing, either.  I think there's space for up to about 1/2".  About 1/4" to 3/8" added will bring the actuation pressure down enough for a small child or just your pinky finger.  

will the full travel of the lever be enough to disengage the clutch enough/ engage it engough.

Yes, with the aftermarket stuff.  
The one Werase posted has an internal lever system - same cable pull length, just a better pivot point.  The aftermarket ones in my thread just attach the ball on the end of the cable in a different spot. 
The travel worry comes from the length of the actual lever near the front sprocket.  It doesn't move very much, though.  Can't remember exactly, but I think it's only like 20 degrees or so. 
If you lengthen it, you'll lose a bit of travel, but cable adjustment will get it right where it needs to be.  

And, yes, people do it frequently.  You don't hear about it on here, because everyone's too concerned with carb adjustments and matte black paintjobs.  

[Suzuki Stevo]

Spray the cable, pull the cover and spray the rough adjustment on the bottom too, it's Teflon Baby! 

[gregvhen]

ooooo, i do like that moose one. looks like it'd be easy to do your fine adjustments on.  and you were asking if the hot start could be used as a choke, i would say yes but youd have to make a bracket to stop the cable sleave from moving with the cable.  also you may have enough travel to fully open the choke circuit but if your bike doesnt have alot of trouble starting then you may not ever need to fully choke anyway.

[ohgood]

Spray the cable, pull the cover and spray the rough adjustment on the bottom too, it's Teflon Baby! 

i haven't thought of that for the cables. i've used heavy grease + air into the sheathes before. the wonderful-for-my-chain-blue-can-of-goodness works for cables too ? do tell !

[tt_four]

The newer bikes pull easy because they're efficient and new, the really old bikes probably pull easy because the clutch springs are soft after 20 years of use, and your bike is stuck right in the middle somewhere. Try putting a little slack in the cable so it's engaging/disengaging closer your grip. That way the tension is there when you have a better grip instead of when your fingers are all the way extended.

If you want it to feel easier you can try riding my Buell for a couple days then get back on your GS. You'll wonder what you ever worried about.

[Homer]

you were asking if the hot start could be used as a choke

I bought a bike with fuel injection; I don't need it anymore.  Thanks.

New bikes don't have quirky problems like this to chat with people about, though.   
Besides, while you're in there looking at it, you can check the cable itself.  Mine broke on the highway once.  Pretty interesting experience. 

[ohgood]

you were asking if the hot start could be used as a choke

I bought a bike with fuel injection; I don't need it anymore.  Thanks.

New bikes don't have quirky problems like this to chat with people about, though.   
Besides, while you're in there looking at it, you can check the cable itself.  Mine broke on the highway once.  Pretty interesting experience. 

mind: hand, pull clutch handle

hand: clutch handle feel funnay

pants: uhhhh, did we just haz a pitstop here ?

[The Buddha]

Maybe the actuator rod is binding cos its kinked a wee bit. That bloody thing is a total POS design BTW ... the clutch is on the right side but your right foot. Who the Fsck thought of sending it through the engine cases with a dinky little rod. Oh yea, the GSXR's of the same vintage, have it on the right side engine case.  ... and yea wait till the damn push rod seal blows and starts leaking, or when you lose a chain and it bends the push rod as it flies off ... you cant even pull the clutch in to save your motor.

I think the GS was designed by a non riding, non wrenching, non racing, blind and deaf clown. Luckily these things I mentioned above never happen under warranty so they get to walk around like they accomplished something.

Cool.
Buddha.

[gregvhen]

Maybe the actuator rod is binding cos its kinked a wee bit. That bloody thing is a total POS design BTW ... the clutch is on the right side but your right foot. Who the Fsck thought of sending it through the engine cases with a dinky little rod. Oh yea, the GSXR's of the same vintage, have it on the right side engine case.   ...
Cool.
Buddha.

yea i know, i like the kawi, honda, yamaha, and pretty much every other manufactorer who wasnt suzuki, way of running the cable to right where the clutch is.  kawi isnt on the top of the list, simply cause is can be difficult to get the little tubular lever to catch the clutch if you ever have to take it off and put it back.  which is where suzuki made it very nice, in that its no pain at all to remove the cover, switch out cable etc. but like you mentioned, it can easier screw your whole engine if one thing goes wrong in that area.  im not positive, but im pretty sure older cbrs worked the clutch the same way till around the mid or early 90s. but im sure someone will have to correct me on that one

EDIT: even earlier than 90's for honda

[Suzuki Stevo]

Many Yamaha dirt bikes in the 70's used the push rod... YZ80E/D MX125C/YZ and many more, by '77 I believe it's use had come to an end with Yamaha??

[The Buddha]

Yes yamaha is the best in that regard. However I have to check - I know on the 4's and parallel twins its on the right, but my virago has it on the left in a small dry cover with what I believe a rather short push rod to the other side. If I recall.
I think where stupid designs are concerned they should be liable for life of the vehicle, also for manufacturing defects, like when honda put shitty material in the cams in the V 4's, and yamaha starter idler gears were made of crap and lost teeth on the seca ... that they oughta be liable for life.
Cool.
Buddha.

[redhenracing2]

My lever is by my right foot on my gixxer, right next to where you fill oil. Clutch pull is no more efficient/easier than it was on my gs.

[gregvhen]

My lever is by my right foot on my gixxer, right next to where you fill oil. Clutch pull is no more efficient/easier than it was on my gs.

true, but we were just mentioning clutch design in regards of repair/replacement should something go wrong, not really in regard to easy of pull..  we gotta a little side tracked thats all......as usual.