Triumphrat

GrandPaulZ · 01-10-2007

Meriden Triumph kickstarters (and most bikes of that era) drove through tranny to the clutch to turn the crank, modern bikes' kickers drive the clutch basket directly, so it doesn't care what's happening "downstream".

twlynch · 01-10-2007

Can someone explain the operation of the clutch....

I understand pulling the lever puts pressure on the the mechanism in the transmission, how does this translate into the clutch? Does this piece of hardware connect to the clutch through the backside of the transmission? I have the shop manual, but I don't see where this connects to the clutch.

Any brief explanation (probably impossible for mecchanica) will help out tremendously!

Thanks!

CommandoRdster · 01-10-2007

Your gearbox oil is fine. it sounds like clutch drag to me. When you have your clutch apart to do what Mechanicca & GPZ said, which will hopefully fix it,check out the hub & basket. Where the plates slide back and forth need to be smooth. If there are any "teeth" worn into them, your clutch will not disengage completely, and drag. The only permanent repair is to replace them, but I have had temporary results by filing the teeth down as smooth as I can. This doesn't last long because all it does is give the plates even more room to hammer new teeth.

Also check the clutch push rod. It should move in & out freely, but should not wobble at all. If it does, its force is wasted in sideways motion, instead of the back and forth motion required to disengage the clutch. There are bushings in there you can replace, right guys? I'm not sure about Triumphs.

GrandPaulZ · 01-10-2007

twlynch:
"Can someone explain the operation of the clutch? I understand pulling the lever puts pressure on the the mechanism in the transmission, how does this translate into the clutch? Does this piece of hardware connect to the clutch through the backside of the transmission?"

Just inside the tranny cover is a little ball/ramp type mechanism that pushes towards the opposite side of the bike when it's rotated by pulling on the clutch cable. This mechanism pushes on a thin shaft that runs inside the tranny shaft to the clutch CENTER HUB, right through the engine to the clutch pressure plate, compressing the springs, relieving the pressure between the friction material plates and plain steel plates. This disengages the connection between the crankshaft and the clutch OUTER BASKET (and transmission, thus rear wheel). It also means that the connection between the clutch input shaft and output shaft is disengaged, which is why the kickstarter will just "fall through" unless you have the bike in gear, which will cause it to roll forward slightly. Hope that's not too hard to visualize. If so, have someone read it to you slowly while you try it!

Commando:
Yes, there is a little bushing pressed into the shaft that the clutch pushrod goes through.

Also, the slots in the basket that the clutch plate tabs are supposed to slide back and forth in can get notches worn in them, causing jumpy clutch action.

I imagine clutch-popping starts and loose primary and/or final drive chains would cause or contribute to this type of damage.

[ This message was edited by: GrandPaulZ on 2007-01-10 22:17 ]

twlynch · 01-11-2007

GPZ you are the man! That is exactly what I was looking for...just a general idea of the system.

I feel enlightened!

THX!

Tim

CommandoRdster · 01-11-2007

Right Paul, notches was the word I was looking for, not teeth,on the clutch basket.I shouldn't have used the word "teeth"on anything with a sprocket, unless I was referring to the sprocket itself. Sorry if I caused any confusion,twlynch.
:brk:

GrandPaulZ · 01-11-2007

Well, the clutch plates themselves DO have "teeth", and they do get bashed up from banging into the slots in the clutch basket, causing the mating faces to be mushroomed, and causing them to effectively "narrow", which creates a loose condition that makes the whole mating process worse, increasing the wear rate as you continue to abuse the machine.

So, you were not wrong, technically...

twlynch · 01-12-2007

You guys are great.....

Thanks for the help!