Clutch lever, cable & assembly

tibim · #1 06-25-2008, 07:14 AM

I'm in the process of assembling my first bike and am hung up on how everything with the clutch lever and cable is supposed to be assembled.

I'm confused on where the two springs go and the placement of the small silver "cup" thing that sits up by the lever.

Of course the included instructions are no help, and I have not been able to find anything specific using search.

Does anyone have any diagrams of how all this is supposed to go together?

Thanks

Bikeguy Joe · #2 06-25-2008, 07:21 AM

The larger spring is a "heat shield" and goes over the cable housing where it goes by the engine. The smaller one is not needed, it just makes the clutch harder to pull- toss it.

Now the "cup"....not sure what you mean, picture?

deacon · #3 06-25-2008, 07:27 AM

First thing I would do would be to go to the bike shop and get a brake lever then throw that silver thing just as far as I could.

the silver thing on the end is most likely you cable end. It goes into the brake lever and then the cable is threaded through the opening and twist the nuts on the end so that the slot is closed around your cable.

then route the cable down to the engine. Slip on the long sprint it is your heat shield so it goes around the engine it isn't really a spring at all. then you put your cable stop, the brass thing with the screw in it on. slip the cable through the hole in the brass thing. That is how you adjust the clutch throw.

There is a slot in the clutch arm. the cable fits through it. then you run your brass cable stop up till it is tight (and i mean tight with a little clutch tension) and tighten the screw to hold it.

At this point you should have some cable hanging down. Don't cut it off till you test the clutch. work the lever on the handle bars and see if the clutch arm moves. It the arm does move, hold the lever down and push the bike. It should move without any engine drag. If all that is good, trim the cable but leave about six inches hanging out so that you can adjust it again later if you need to.

the small spring is pretty much just unnecessary junk.

Im sure someone can find you a picture of it all.

boylove35 · #4 06-25-2008, 10:06 AM

How tight does this cable have to be? How can I adjust the throttle or carb to ge more rpm.

tibim · #5 06-25-2008, 03:34 PM

I got it all assembled. The only thing is my clutch lever is so hard to twist I cannot use the clutch lever in fear of snapping it. I can actuate the lever with my hand with quite a bit of force and it works properly... but it takes too much force to use the lever. How can I loosen this up so I can actually use the clutch lever?

misteright1_99 · #6 06-25-2008, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tibim

I got it all assembled. The only thing is my clutch lever is so hard to twist I cannot use the clutch lever in fear of snapping it. I can actuate the lever with my hand with quite a bit of force and it works properly... but it takes too much force to use the lever. How can I loosen this up so I can actually use the clutch lever?

You can replace the lever with a bicycle brake lever. Replace the cable they are junk. Lenghten the clutch rod and move it inwards toward the carb for a more direct line pull (se pic)..........

tibim · #7 06-25-2008, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misteright1_99

You can replace the lever with a bicycle brake lever. Replace the cable they are junk. Lenghten the clutch rod and move it inwards toward the carb for a more direct line pull (se pic)..........

What did you use to lengthen it? Is this the only way to make it easier to engage?

Bikeguy Joe · #8 06-25-2008, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tibim

What did you use to lengthen it? Is this the only way to make it easier to engage?

Make sure your cable has no sharp bends in it.
Adjust the cable holder (where the cable housing ends at the engine) on the engine so it lines up with the clutch arm and lock down the locknut..
Oil the cable with some motor oil and slide it back in the outer part.
A bit of oil or grease inside the clutch arm/pushrod will help too.

I've never run anything but the stock cable and lever.

Bikeguy Joe · #9 06-25-2008, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boylove35

How tight does this cable have to be? How can I adjust the throttle or carb to ge more rpm.

The clutch cable has to be pulled up tight so there is no play in it, then the cable end tightened on it securely.

You can not adjust the throttle or carb to get more rpm....you'll need to get some miles on the engine and get it broken in and then it will start to rev better.

deacon · #10 06-25-2008, 05:08 PM

if you can engage the clutch with the lever on the handle bars and the motor runs just ride the bike a while and get used to it and let it break in before you start to reinvent it.