1985 350 K2 re-commissioning

[Coxey]

I must say what an interesting read this saga has turned out to be.

Rob

[mad muller]

i had similar probs clunky changes, drag hard to get neutral , i changed the clutch cable , then adjusted the arm for correct travel , the right hand side thing that moves the clutch pushrod , take the free play up on the bar, then check the arm lever isnt contacting the engine crankcase, i had to have a few goes at the shimming as it can be tricky , once the centre nut is tightend up . things then improved but not what you would call brilliant but useable. hope this helps. muller.

[penman]

Thanks Muller!
Since I last posted here I have spent (i.e. wasted) a lot of time playing about with shims as follows:

Original 0.75mm shim gives 0.31mm float on the basket. Inner clutch drum spins freely.
Impossible to select neutral, clunky gear changes, often need to blip the throttle on up-changes, especially when cold.

New 0.6mm shim gives 0.16mm float on the basket. Inner clutch drum spins freely.
Much worse - gear changes really bad, unrideable. BUT, very smooth clutch action when taking off.

New 1.5mm shim gives 0.6mm float on basket. Inner clutch drum spins freely.
Still impossible to select neutral, but gear changes much better. Clutch very grabby on take-off.

New 0.84mm shim gives 0.4mm float on basket. Inner clutch drum spins freely.
Impossible to select neutral, very clunky gear changes.

New 1.1mm shim gives about 0.5mm float on the basket. Inner clutch drum spins freely.
Almost impossible to select neutral (occasionally goes in with a struggle). Gear changes clunky but not the worst. Clutch a bit sharp but useable.

I made the measurements with a dial gauge which surely shouldn't be necessary!

Not sure where to go from here. I'd like to try a 1.0mm shim but I haven't got one and something tells me it shouldn't be this critical anyway, am I missing something?

Any ideas, guys? Too late to stop me tearing my hair, but maybe not too late to stop me pushing it to the back of the garage and starting on a different project!

Seriously, I'd like to move on to a bit of cosmetic work on this bike, but it seems pointless while it's so unpleasant to ride.

Regards,
Joe.

[EVguru]

I've never had to change the end-float on a clutch. My own Sport has a lot of end float and a smooth clutch action.

The steel plates have to be flat and free from burrs and the first steel plate to go in should be the dished one. If I have to replace the friction plates, then I tend to buy a set including new steel plates for the small extra cost.

The plates must be able to move freely in the basket and on the hub.

[penman]

Thanks for that Paul, you are confirming what I thought, that this end float / shimming lark shouldn't be so critical.

All the friction plates are new, but it's worth saying that I bought the new plates partly to solve this problem! The steel plates are flat, at least I've checked both sides of each plate by placing it on a sheet of glass and I can't see any distortion. The dished plate also passes the glass plate test, though this time I'm observing the edge rather than the flat plate of course. One issue here, the dished plate has a small area which looks a bit "blued" - as if it has got very hot at some time. There is no high spot at this point however. I can't feel any burrs anywhere on any plate and in fact there is no wear at all on any of these plates, they all look brand new.

In the interest of trying something, I will order a set of steel plates and a new thrust washer, though this is "poke and hope" tactics, rather than doing it for a clear reason.

I should also repeat that with the engine stopped, the clutch releases perfectly cleanly and you can easily spin it by hand and you feel no drag at all. By the way, with the clutch centre removed, the float on the basket is 1.7mm, which is more than I expected but I don't think there is anything you can do to alter that (?). With the clutch assembled, that float is limited by the plastic washer in the basket contacting the clutch centre - presumably that's what's meant to happen?

Still very much open to ideas and suggestions, and if any of the above is wrong/nonsense please tell me, I'm not proud, I just want a chance to ride the thing!!

Joe.