Minor clutch adjustment

[Kendan]

Hey all, hopefully just a quick question. I put on a set of Kuryakyn ISO grips and they are a bit thicker than stock. So now i find that getting into neutral is a bit of a pain. (I slid the grip off as the glue failed and have no issues putting it in neutral with just the handlebar)

Which end of the clutch cable would i adjust? Never actually had to adjust a clutch cable before.
Thanks!

 

[warp9.9]

It really depends on the appearance of your cable, by that I mean; if your adjustment up top is way out and you do not have more to play with the you need to lengthen the sheath between top and bottom so cable outer sheath length is adjusted below -- which from the sound of what you explain needs to be done. Unless the lifter shaft crank arm is not lined up with the marks on the shaft.

if this is the case I would first adjust here then look at whether you need to lengthen the sheath or not.

 

[Kendan]

Thanks much for the quick response. Now that its no longer thunderstormy I will try to adjust the bottom part of the cable. The top doesn't appear to have any room for adjustment (the locking nut is pretty much right up against the lever assembly) and thanks to your pic the marks on the arm and shaft are lined up nicely.
Its just a wee bit annoying that when the engine is 'cold' I can get neutral no problem, just when it gets to operating temp that it usually is a pain to find neutral.

 

[warp9.9]

Thanks much for the quick response. Now that its no longer thunderstormy I will try to adjust the bottom part of the cable. The top doesn't appear to have any room for adjustment (the locking nut is pretty much right up against the lever assembly) and thanks to your pic the marks on the arm and shaft are lined up nicely.
Its just a wee bit annoying that when the engine is 'cold' I can get neutral no problem, just when it gets to operating temp that it usually is a pain to find neutral.

What brand and grade of oil you running

 

[Kendan]

What brand and grade of oil you running

I'm running Mobil 1 10w40 synthetic. Was running Redline but had similar issues so i changed to Mobil this spring.

 

[warp9.9]

Does the free play change any from cold to hot when she starts giving you grief ?

 

[Mittzy]

Adjust the lever throw on the top of the lever sure it will make it a tad further away

 

[Kendan]

Does the free play change any from cold to hot when she starts giving you grief ?

No, the free play is pretty much the same. After coming back from a good ride last night, I slid the Kuryakyn grip off (glue had failed anyways) and rode a bit around my parking lot with the Kuryakin and the factory grip, and found no issues getting into neutral with the factory one. The factory one is a wee bit, but noticeably thinner than the Kuryakyn grip. Seems I just need that 2 or 3 extra millimetres of pull to get neutral with the Kuryakin grip. I was in the habit yesterday of pulling the clutch a bit harder to get neutral, so i'm hoping a cable adjustment should fix it, as I prefer the Kuryakin grips over stock.

Adjust the lever throw on the top of the lever sure it will make it a tad further away

Are you referring to the 4 stage adjustment dial on top of the lever? If so, mine doesn't have that dial, just a plain old clutch lever.

 

[warp9.9]

No, the free play is pretty much the same. After coming back from a good ride last night, I slid the Kuryakyn grip off (glue had failed anyways) and rode a bit around my parking lot with the Kuryakin and the factory grip, and found no issues getting into neutral with the factory one. The factory one is a wee bit, but noticeably thinner than the Kuryakyn grip. Seems I just need that 2 or 3 extra millimetres of pull to get neutral with the Kuryakin grip. I was in the habit yesterday of pulling the clutch a bit harder to get neutral, so i'm hoping a cable adjustment should fix it, as I prefer the Kuryakin grips over stock.



Are you referring to the 4 stage adjustment dial on top of the lever? If so, mine doesn't have that dial, just a plain old clutch lever.

Yep the dial adjust distance of the lever to the grip is for different hand sizes. Cable adjustment has little to do with that. Just remember 2-3 mm free play which gives slop down on the lifter shaft. Without that it will be like a dead man's clutch until it fails prematurely. If it turns out the grips are too thick, toss them as it's better than replacing clutch components.

 

[Kendan]

Yep the dail adjust distance of the lever to the grip say different hand sizes. cable adjustment ha little to do with that just remember 2-3 mm free play which gives slop down on the lifter shaft. without that it will be like a dead mans clutch until it fails prematurely. If it turn out the grips are to thick toss them as its better then replacing clutch components.

Oh I was hoping you weren't going to say that. Spent a few dollars on the grips and the add-ons. So I guess to fix this would require an adjustment to the length of the clutch cable? Not something i would do, but just curious.
Not a fan of the factory grips so any suggestions on an aftermarket grips?