Most likely the clutch disk needs adjusting. Finer adjustments can be accomplished at either end of the cable. Pull the bucking bar out along with the ball bearing and lube with a light grease. If the clutch is hard to pull there are some solutions.
For starters.....
Originally Posted by 2door
Ron,
Just curious if you've ever looked at the clutch actuator parts and tried smoothing them up a bit. I do this to every engine I work on, new or old. I keep meaning to do a tutorial with photos but just haven't had the time lately. I remove the cam (bucking bar) and using a sanding disc in a Dremmel I slightly round off the sharp edges of the cam ramp as well as the end of the pin that it pushes against. Then I take those parts to my bench grinder with a buffing wheel and polish the contacting surfaces until they look like chrome. Reassemble with a good quality grease and the results are a clutch that, like your wheel mod, will decrease clutch lever pull dramatically. Typically the parts in question are extremely rough from the factory and the smoothing operation reduces the friction inherent with rough surfaces.
I've experimented with the 'noodle' idea with mixed results but have not tried the pulley concept. It's getting cold here now and as of last week, I'm retired with time on my hands. Maybe I'll do some experimentation and use a spring scale to get some comparison readings on what works best.
Keep in touch.
Tom
