FZR400 Clutch - first attempt

[Straycat]

Hi all, the next job on the list for the FZR 400 resto is to figure out why the clutch wont disengage (pull the lever and it saty s in gear, or pull the lever and try to engage 1st and it is like you havent pulled the lever in at all)

There's what Id deem th enormal amount of resistance when the lever is pulled, its not overly slack or sloppy, but I have never done clutch work on a bike before so im looking to ensure I do the right things in the right order.

here's my list in order:

1) Print off all the reference material I can find here and elsewhere on how to properly adjust the FZR clutch ---- DONE
2) Check the freeplay and adjustment at the lever
3) Follow the procedure for adjusing the clutch at the sprocket side
if still no resoluton:
4) Drain Crak Case oil , remove clutch cover and check the clutch pressure plate and basket are alighed properly (dot and triangel markers ?)
5) remove clutch pressure plate bolts and springs and check that the friction plates and steels are not stuck together (bike haas been sitting a long time)
if all still looks ok
6) remove the push rod and ball bearing, clutch basket etc and look for what else may be buggered up - replace as necessary

do I have it all right ? any missing steps or things I have not considered ?
I have the factory shop manual as well, and of course Id replace any suspect parts (Friction plates will be soaked overnight in the correct oil) -- Thanks

[willandrip]

Or just put the front wheel against an immovable object and start it in first gear with the clutch pulled in to break the bond between the stuck plates.

Do the pushrod adjustment first regardless of any other work.

Wet multiplate motorcycle clutches do not come any simpler than these.

[Evilchicken0]

Take the sprocket cover off and clean the clutch mechanism on the inside with some petrol or paraffin. Put some engine oil on the mechanism when you've finished. It doesn't sound like it's the problem but you might as well start with it done. Check the pushrod hasn't broken (pull it out). Then do the adjustment at the sprocket cover then the lever.

If you open the clutch you don't have to drain the oil, just put the bike on the sidestand. It makes it a lot easier to have a clutch holding tool and a low torque wrench - the spring bolts are light because they're against a spring, clean them and the their holes in petrol or carb cleaner before you put them back to remove the oil. New springs are a good idea on the first build.

[Straycat]

Thank You very much, will do as you suggest.

[tgold]

When you get the clutch apart look for this:



Those ridges are not supposed to be there, it should be smooth.
This is a really bad case where this clutch probably doesen't even disengage, but even having small ridges can play hell with your ability to smoothly engage the clutch.

[Straycat]

Will do, thanks tgold.

also can someone confirm for me, if I want to remove the push rod, does it remove from the sprocket side ?

I know the prior owner did some clutch work (new plates Im guessing) at some point in the past (seeing hand written notes in the shop manual on the clutch pages is a pretty good indicator). So its possible that that job wasnt done properly.

We'll see once I get at it I guess.

thanks again everyone

[tgold]

Hi all, the next job on the list for the FZR 400 resto is to figure out why the clutch wont disengage (pull the lever and it saty s in gear, or pull the lever and try to engage 1st and it is like you havent pulled the lever in at all)

There's what Id deem th enormal amount of resistance when the lever is pulled, its not overly slack or sloppy, but I have never done clutch work on a bike before so im looking to ensure I do the right things in the right order.

(bike haas been sitting a long time)

Sorry I didn't mention this first, but was the bike running when you tried to pull in the clutch and put it in gear? If a bike has been sitting a long time (and especially if it is cold) it is very common for the clutch plates to stick together a bit more than usual and cause the problem that you're describing. It usually only happens once: You start the bike in neutral, pull in the clutch, then put it in gear and it clunks a bit as the plates get knocked loose from each other and then it'll be fine afterward. My SV650 racebike would often do this on cold mornings after sitting overnight. If you didn't have the bike running when you tried to put it in first then there's a decent chance this is what has happened.

[Straycat]

Yes, it happens both when the bike is running and when its not.

ie I have the bike running , pull in th eclutch lever, put it in 1st gear and it jumps and dies, ie just as if i dont have the lever pulled in. ive done that a couple of times but noting broke loose, I figured it best to take it apart and see what was goin on vs keep doing it.

same when its in gear, not running and wont roll, if i pull the clutch lever, it still wont roll, have to select neutral then its ok.

Apparently the bike sat for years, but who knows, I take alot of what some sellers say with a grain of salt.

Its certainly possible that if it did in fact sit for 10 years, the paltes are stuck pretty good, possibly made worse if a new set of fiber plates were not properly soaked prior to install.

[Asudef]

Apologies for reviving an old thread but I'm having similar issues.

When I shift into 1st, there's a loud klack with a noticeable feedback from the shifter. The bike doesn't die but it does feel like the clutch is quickly engaging. It shifts into 2nd one on with no issue after that but back into Neutral it does the same thing if I try to get back into 1st.

I've never ridden it around yet though as I'm refreshing whatever I can so am not sure if this persists. The clutch housing is fine though and the clutch plates do separate but I didn't check the springs.

Does all this sound normal or should I check/replace the springs?

[Evilchicken0]

It's more likely to be the clutch adjustment than the actual clutch, if it was the main clutch I'd expect it to slip.

On the left side of the engine find the sprocket cover take it off and clean the clutch mechanism behind it, put it back on.
Now take the big black bung out.
You'll see a cross head screw with a lock nut, use a socket and undo the nut, now back the screw out a bit.
Care fully do the screw back up until it touches down, then back it out 1/4 turn.
Thread the screwdriver through the socket, hold the screw still and do up the nut - it's tricky.
When youre satisfied reset the clutch lever, there should be a bit of play in it.

Now try the clutch. Some bikes will clunk into gear but they should find neutral reasonably easily.

[Asudef]

Yeah I did that already. Even overshot it both ways while the bike was idling and it didn't seem to make much difference.

It almost seems like the clutch is not fully disengaging with the clutch lever pulled in. It should be ready to ride this weekend so I'll take it out before trying to diagnose anything.

[Evilchicken0]

It could well be the springs then. Measure them to find out if they've shortened / compacted. It might be better to simply replace them so you only have to open the clutch once.

[Asudef]

Thanks, I got the springs since they were cheap enough and will check them next oil change. It just seems that 1-N-2 is particularly "clacky", the rest of the gears seem fine. I sort of have to stomp on it to get into gear so I'm assuming it needs a rebuild or something.

It seems better when I rev match though so guess I'll have to get better at that.