Kawi2strokes.com Forum

Greetings,
I'm new to the forum and trying to finish my '72 H2 restoration. My issue is the clutch drags so badly the bike can not be shifted. I've tryed 3 different brands of clutch friction discs, 4 different oils, new release mechanism, new cable, new steel discs, new springs, and new wave springs. Nothing eliminates the drag. The release lever is in the correct position, the ball bearing is in place under the pusher, nothing is warped, the needle bearing for the hub operates smoothly with no slop. When I squeeze the clutch lever, the pusher moves out and clutch pack operates like its supposed to. If I assemble the clutch dry, it releases just fine and the hub will spin freely with all the discs in place but, if I soak all the discs in oil and assemble the clutch, the hub can't be spun at all. Its like the oil is acting like glue instead of lubricant. My original H2 that I rode all through the 70s and 80s never had any clutch drag at all. I ran the factory recommended automatic transmission fluid in it and had no issues. I tryed the same oil in this H2 with no luck. Still way too much drag to be able to shift the gears. When I got this bike back in the mid 90s it didn't have this problem. I've filed the tangs of the friction discs to make sure there are no sharp edges catching on the basket preventing disengagement, checked the tang clearances to ensure they were not too tight. I'm at my wits end as I don't know of anything else to try. Does anybody have any ideas what could be causing such drag?

What is that position?
Should be 8 o'clock.
http://kawatriple.com/tunerwisdom/clutch_adjustment.htm

_________________
Answers are here: http://kawatriple.com/

What do you mean it can't be shifted at all? Do you mean that if you put it in gear, the engine stalls?

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

By correct position I mean it is at the 8: o'clock position and the cable has been adjusted as specified in the link supplied in this forum.
When I shift into gear at a stop, the bike starts pulling the bike forward strong enough that I have to hold the brake on to keep it from moving and this slows the engine down until it quits. If I go ahead and start down the road, when I pull the clutch in I can't move the shifter to either second gear or neutral. I have to stop and shut the engine off to be able to shift back into neutral. With the engine off, it will shift through all 5 gears very easily on the center stand.

That's strange. Once I'm moving on my H2, I can shift through all the gears and get back to neutral without using the clutch at all if I'm gentle with it and get to neutral before I come to a stop. I've done that when I broke a clutch cable. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with more than the clutch.

But the dragging you forward when stopped has to be clutch related. How many miles do you have on those clutch plates? In general, when I first replace a set on any motorcycle, there's usually enough fluffy, hairy stuff on the plates that they drag a little until they break in.

Warped steel plates can cause a lot of drag. Have you checked them for flatness?

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

The clutch plates are brand new EBC. I tried two other sets. One, original OEM and one from other manufacturer and they all did the same thing. I got brand new steel plates too. Checked them for flatness and all passed. The only things I have not replaced are the clutch basket and hub. The bike only has 11K miles and both pieces look like new. They worked fine when I got the bike years ago.

What clutch release are you using? If stock, have you looked for cracks? If Sytech, maybe you need the mod to add a new hole in the arm.

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

Right now I'm using a stock one. I tried one of the German all metal ones but I discovered it didn't move the pusher anywhere near as far as the stock release mechanism, so I switched back to the stock one. I have not checked for cracks because it moved the pusher what I thought was the correct amount. I will remove and check it. Do you know how far the pusher or pressure plate should move when the clutch lever is pulled in?

I'm sorry, I don't. I made a hydraulic actuator back around 1979, and I'll never have to use a cable again.

The Sytech mod is on the resource site, I think. You add a hole for the cable fitting closer to the pivot point so you get more travel.

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

I've been thinking for a long time that it would be great to have a hydraulic clutch conversion kit for the H2. Were you able to modify existing parts to create your system or did you have parts specially made for this application?