Binding clutch actuation on a C twin

Ducdude

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Good day all,

Had a good weekend camping in the mountains of PA on the
Shadow...The bike did everything perfectly and she was a real joy in the back
country mountain roads. 43 miles per (US) gallon was the avg mileage between
30% motorway and 70% two lane twistys.

She started, stopped, charged the battery and railed though
the corners brilliantly! I also proved to myself that if you are going very
fast for any length of time it helps if you remember to open the other fuel
tap...Duh...:)


3400 miles on the old girl since she woke up from her long
slumber.:)

OK while all was well, there was one development that did gain
my attention. I noticed that the clutch actuation at the
lever felt like it was binding a bit. She shifted fine in fact some of the gear
changes were darn near Japanese quality smooth and quiet.. It at first felt
like the lever itself was binding and I lubed and cleaned it and then replaced
it...With no change. So then I figured the cable was at fault... So I lubed it
well and checked it’s action when disconnected at both ends.. It was also
smooth and easy.

I have a new cable ready to put on but it seems if the one
there has smooth action that would be a wasted task. Before I set to work
pulling the G1/2 kicker cover to see what the matter is I thought I would query
the list and get your input on what I should be looking for.


What could be causing the binding of the clutch
actuation?


Much Thanks for your Input!

Cheers,
Eric
 

greg brillus

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Hi there Eric, Pop the inspection cap off the Kickstart cover, and have a look at the top end of the G91 lever whilst you hold the clutch handlebar lever in, and see that the top of the G91 is not butting up against the cable abbuttment before the cable runs out of travel. If this is the case, just readjust at the cable adjuster so that you get full travel with a small gap between the abuttment and the inner top of the G91 lever. The standard Vincent clutch with the original 7/8ths pivot centres handlebar lever will have quite a bit of freeplay before any lift starts, otherwise the clutch will engage with the lever too far out, with less control from the outstretched fingers.....Cheers....Greg.
 

Chris Launders

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Hi Eric.
I know exactly what you mean, my twin feels the same, a sort of grinding feeling when you pull the lever but everything works ok, iv'e even put a little grease on the clutch pillars in case the plates were binding as they lifted but still haven't found anything yet.
Chris.
 

Ducdude

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Hi Eric.
I know exactly what you mean, my twin feels the same, a sort of grinding feeling when you pull the lever but everything works ok, iv'e even put a little grease on the clutch pillars in case the plates were binding as they lifted but still haven't found anything yet.
Chris.
Yes Chris you have it correct, that is exactly how it feels .. It is all correctly adjusted Thanks Greg the lever just kisses the abutment when the handlebar lever is at the hand grip...I will dig into it next week end and see what is up.. Thanks Gents. Eric
 

stumpy lord

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hi,
Check to see that, the clutch pressure plate is not touching the inside of the clutch dome when the clutch is lifted, and thus trying to scour its way through the clutch dome. Nearly all the clutch domes I have seen show evidence of this having happened during the machines life.
stumpy lord
 

greg brillus

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Sorry Eric, Didn't quite savvy what you ment......Ok next item to cure what you describe....it sounds like the six primary clutch plate springs are tight in the cup bores....just remove, and linnish down slightly the O.D of the springs until they are not a grippy fit in the cups and reassemble....problem solved......Greg.
 

jim burgess

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Yes Chris you have it correct, that is exactly how it feels .. It is all correctly adjusted Thanks Greg the lever just kisses the abutment when the handlebar lever is at the hand grip...I will dig into it next week end and see what is up.. Thanks Gents. Eric

Before you take off the exhausts and associated bits do the easy checks first, pull off the clutch cover and take a look inside.
Best of luck.
jim Burgess
 

Ducdude

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Only takes one loose clutch screw touching the cover. Check that end first.

Thanks Stumpy Lord, Dejay, Greg and Jim....I will have a go at the clutch cover side and make sure all is as it it should me and then proceed to the kicker cover,,,Thanks much for your input...

Eric
 

notap

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hi Eric, I know you have probably checked this as you said you had disconnected the clutch cable at both, but I had a similar "grinding feel". It turned out that when the cable was free of the actuating arm, the roller at the end of the cable that slips into the arm was at about 90 degrees to its resting position in the arm. So the cable had a twist in it when under tension and this was the culprit... I ended up getting a new cable and viola! As I said, you have probably checked this already. Best of luck. Rob
 
Top