KZ900 Clutch issues

Hey ya'll,

My clutch is not working at all. The last time I rode the bike, a few weeks ago, I had no issues at all nor have I ever had any problems like this. Last year I replaced the clutch plates, friction plates, and springs. My oil is right where it should be in the sight window and it is filled with Rotella T 15w-40. I have adjusted all three points for the clutch adjustment (at clutch lever, on the wire between the pipes, and at the push rod) with no change. If I hold in the clutch and try and roll the bike in first gear it does not engage and the wheel will not spin. Anybody have this happen before? I'm at a loss on what to do.

Did you try to rock it back and forth with it pulled in and in gear.... maybe the plates are stuck together.... happened to my Barnett a lot but not the nos plates after a week.

Stock actuator?
Steve

Yes I have tried rocking it back and forth with the lever pulled in.

Steve, it is the stock actuator.

There is little that can go wrong with it. Is the cover loose?
Steve

Inner cable fraying ???

Just a wild guess if all other checks fail

Dave

Was the engine ( OIL ) cold? if not warm it up and try again.
Sometimes this could happen if a bike is not used over a long period, the clutch and friction plates "glued" together (adhesive effect).

Michael

Hi Bama704,
Sure sounds like stuck plates. Is the lever effort normal? Remove the teardrop cover from the countershaft cover. Observe the actuator (the part with the screw and locknut) as the lever is pulled. Does the actuator recede into the cover as it rotates? If so, and if you have a centerstand, try this. CAREFULLY!:
Put the bike on the centerstand. Make sure the rear tire is not touching the ground. Place it in neutral, start it and allow it to idle. You'll probably observe that the rear wheel will begin to turn slowly, even though it's in neutral. Pull the clutch lever in completely while it's idling and shift into 1st. gear. While keeping the clutch lever pulled in, gradually begin applying the rear brake. If the plates are stuck you might have to give it a little throttle to keep the motor running. If the clutch release mechanism is working correctly this should break the plates free. If it doesn't, the next thing to look at would be the clutch pushrod. It might be bent.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

slmjim+Z1BEBE wrote: Hi Bama704,
Sure sounds like stuck plates. Is the lever effort normal? Remove the teardrop cover from the countershaft cover. Observe the actuator (the part with the screw and locknut) as the lever is pulled. Does the actuator recede into the cover as it rotates? If so, and if you have a centerstand, try this. CAREFULLY!:
Put the bike on the centerstand. Make sure the rear tire is not touching the ground. Place it in neutral, start it and allow it to idle. You'll probably observe that the rear wheel will begin to turn slowly, even though it's in neutral. Pull the clutch lever in completely while it's idling and shift into 1st. gear. While keeping the clutch lever pulled in, gradually begin applying the rear brake. If the plates are stuck you might have to give it a little throttle to keep the motor running. If the clutch release mechanism is working correctly this should break the plates free. If it doesn't, the next thing to look at would be the clutch pushrod. It might be bent.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Thanks for the advice, I will give this a shot. I have removed the teardrop cover from the countershaft cover and the actuator does recede into the cover as it rotates. I will try it this weekend with the rear wheel off the ground on my paddock stand.

Scirocco, I tried it with the oil cold and then I warmed up the bike as well, I had the same thoughts as you that it could be that the oil needs to warm up to get the plates to release.

I have yet to try the previous advice, but the more I think about it the more I don't know how it would work. If I shift into first, while on center stand (or paddock stand) with the clutch lever pulled in it will still lurch and engage hard because the clutch does nothing for me right now. So letting off of the clutch would do anything is what I mean. I can still try it though....

There is very little complexity to the clutch. Did you ever answer the question of whether the lever has normal resistance when you pull it in? This is the important question. If lever feels normal, but clutch does not release, all it can be logically is the plates are stuck together. Of course if the lever is limp and has no resistance, the problem is in the cable/clutch release are in some form broken. If the plates are stuck, sometimes nothing will release them except for manually disassembling.

If you discover the clutch plates are stuck together you can try this - with the engine turned OFF put the bike in gear; pull in the clutch lever; and rock the bike forward and backward until the plates free up.

If you do that for several minutes and the plates still do not break free there is another method you can try. If you have a hill near your house, or a friend who will push the bike, try this – put the transmission in neutral; roll the bike down the hill or have a friend push it until it’s moving at a decent speed; turn the ignition switch on; slip the transmission into 2nd gear. The engine should now start. Assuming it does, give the bike moderate throttle while pulling in the clutch lever and at the same time applying the brakes. This will normally cause the clutch plates to free up. I used this routine every morning for two years with my BSA when it had aluminum racing clutch plates in it. Be sure to do this where there is no traffic and you do not need to stop quickly as it may take 50 yards or more before the clutch plates free up. Also, under no circumstances start the bike in neutral and slam the tranny into gear while the bike is stationary thinking this will free up the plates. Doing that can break things bigtime! Ed