How does the clutch and lever work?

GoldenMotor.com

Dougan

New Member
Apr 5, 2010
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wisconsin
I mean the lever on the motor itself, not the hand lever.

I'm just curious. I'm trying to feed my chain into the drive gear and I can't disengage the drive gear. It seems like there is a little metal piece in the middle of the drive gear, and that the intent is that the clutch lever will push this in and disengage the gear. However, I can't push it in. Should I be able to push this in by hand?

I found this video randomly as well. YouTube - bicycle engine kit clutch checklist When I open up this I can't unscrew the "locking nut".

Is there something locked up in my clutch assembly, or is there something that I am missing?
 

noco

New Member
Sep 9, 2009
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fort collins colorado
ok you need the clutch cable hooked up....you will not be able to push it in by hand...its hard to pull even with the cable hooked up...if you have pulled the right cover off and are looking at the "flower nut" the screw that holds it is always very tight...you may need to hammer the end of the driver while loosening it....you will not be able to move the flower nut unless your clutch lever is pulled
 

Venice Motor Bikes

Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles
Mar 20, 2008
7,266
1,797
113
Los Angeles, CA.
You can push the lever on the engine in if you push really hard!!! But it's a lot easier to feed the chain through if you hook up the cable & lock the lever on the handle bars!

Also, even though the lever's in, the sprocket may still be hard to turn because the engine's new... I use a flat screwdriver to turn it & feed the chain through. ;)
 
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noco

New Member
Sep 9, 2009
343
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fort collins colorado
its not a pain....ajusting the clutch is actually very easy.....you know from what youve told us already your in the right place.....your gonna have fun....your obviously not afraid to tinker....welcome
 

dag_29307

New Member
Jul 1, 2009
296
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Enoree, Sc.
Well Dougan welcome to the addiction and the forum. Enjoy the ride. You sound as though you have some knowledge of the workings of your motor, I only advise that from now on if you want to do something to your bike/motor ask us BEFORE you do. That's why we are here. This way you can spend more time riding and less time wrenching.
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
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living the dream in southern california
lol, too late, curiosity killed the cat. I took it off. I probably will have to tune the clutch when I get everything complete, eh?
clutch is easy to adjust, once you get everything else hooked up.

best way i've found is;

with the set screw out and the flower nut loose, pull in the lever on the bars and screw the flower nut in by hand till it gets hard to turn. then, release the lever and roll your bike forward.

you want the wheel to be grabbing, not rolling free. then pull the lever in and see if the wheel rolls free.

you'll probably have to tighten and/or loosen the flower nut a few times, about a 1/4 turn each time, till you find the sweet spot for your motor.

the key thing is you want it to grab hard enough to start your motor, without dragging when it's released.

then screw the little set screw in and you're set.

while you've got the cover off, get some "Plasti-Dip" spray paint and give the inside of the cover a few thick coats. that'll cut down a lot of noise. 'cause if you've never ridden one of these before, you're gonna think you messed up the clutch and there's nuts and bolts rattling around in there as soon as it fires up. besides the exhaust, that's probably the noisiest part of the motor...