Bike is a 2000 Dyna


Broke a clutch cable recently and have since replaced it. After replacing it I only adjusted it at the cable. I started the bike in Neutral and everything was fine. Clicked into first gear and it stalled.


Tried again starting in Neutral and then click into first gear and the bike is creeping forward even with the clutch lever pulled fully. So clutch is not disengaging.


I then adjusted the clutch through the adjustment behind the primary cover and again at the cable. I did this twice both times having the same problem of the clutch not disengaging with the lever fully pulled in. I've owned the bike for years and have done these adjustments before without issue.


What do I do? I ordered the cable online, is it possible I got the wrong one? Would it matter if I did get the wrong one? Looks the same as the old one as far as length and all.


Obviously there is the chance that I made a mistake when putting the new one on. After putting the transmission cover on the first time I had trouble reinstalling the clutch lever in the handle bar. The cable didn't give enough slack to put the lever back into the bars. So I unbolted the transmission cover, slipped the lever into the handlebar, bolted the transmission cover back on. Is this what could be creating a problem? I don't want to take the transmission cover off again unless I know that is the likely culprit as I will lose all of my trans oil.


Also it should be noted that the bike has considerable motor work done, 98 kit, heads cams etc etc. Clutch is a Barnett 10 plate which I installed last year. Everything regarding the clutch worked correctly before the cable breaking.


ideas?

 

If you take the trans cover off again, install one of these "E Z clutch pull" devices. It'll keep your clutch cable happy too.

 

If I'm reading correctly, you can't adjust the cable and clutch enough to get slop/slack at the lever? You should be able to get more than enough slack to make the clutch useless (always engaged).

 

Have you adjusted the center screw/ locknut on the clutch itself?
Some say "3/4 turn" and some say "1/2 turn".
I have mine adjusted to "about 30 degrees" break.
I like a "late" lever as I rarely pull it in all the way.
Doing this adjustment will allow quicker shifts and reduce gear gnashing at shifting from neutral.
Tip: Don't stomp on your shifter immediately after pulling the clutch in. Pause 1 or 2 seconds then shift. It'll go in easier without the gnashing you're used to. Who knows, it might make your gear sets last longer too. 😃

 

This works great.

 

There could be a couple issues.. The first would be routing of the cable.. If it has any tight bends or point where the cable sheath ends are simply not resting the proper seats at the lever bracket or adjuster, the outer cable will move around some before the center cables does anything. Also the outer sheath could be collapsing in some manner that creates additional slack in the cable system..

You could have a cable that's inner cable is simply too short. If so the arm that the cable attaches to under the cover is not resting at 90 degrees or a little past 90 when the lever is all the way out. The make the lever hard to pull due to the incorrect angle of the arm and the function of the actuator is limited. This is a similar problem to the ***** not being seated.

The fix.

First off. Adding an easyboy will lighten the pull and save the cable but it won't fix you current problem and it will make clutch drag even worse than what it currently is..

The way to figure out if the inner cable is the right length is to slacken the cable adjustments and screw the clutch center adjuster all the way in to 0 then add 1/2 turn (tight).. There should be a some slack still in the cable but you should be able to feel the cable get tigher and see the pressure plate move when puling the lever to the grip.. Pull the lever in a few times, then check the center adjuster. If it is loose, screw in the adjuster until it's again 1/2 turn tight. Pull the lever a few more times and repeat until the center adjustment does not change.. Loosen the center bolt 1/2 to 3/4 turn slack and adjust the cable.. See if the clutch works..

If that doesn't help then it's possible that the ***** are not seated on their spots on the actuator or there is something hanging up the cable at the end of the arm. I've seen cable ends that when installed in the holder, limit the arm's movement. At this point you really need to go back in..

 

I'm thinking it's the center adjustment too. You should be able to adjust cable slack with the cable adjuster. if you can add and remove slack to the cable it's ok length. Max Headflows adjustments should work well make sure you compress the clutch to remove any play then adj. it

 

Acording to H-D Tech.com. Some times when the cable slack runs out of adjustment the clutch adjustment procedure needs to be done several times in succession.

I learned that a few years back when the clutch lever would not fully release the clutch. Googled H-D Tech and got that answer. I repeated the procedure in the service manual then repeated three times. Each time the clutch moved in further and I was able to then adjust the clutch cable to the correct gap prior to engaging.

 

Did you collapse the cable all the way before adjusting the clutch?
What oil are you using in the primary?

 

Okay I think I understand everyone's instructions...


When I put slack in the cable before adjusting the clutch pack do I need to pull the clutch lever? I hadn't pulled it at all before I just adjusted maximum slack and then moved on to adjusting the clutch pack at the primary. Am I supposed to pull the lever first and do I need to hold it while making the adjustment?


I think my cable is routed in a manner that shouldn't create any binding or anything but I'll double check that as well.




When adjusting the clutch pack and turning the allen screw clockwise until you feel it begin to seat and you stop, is this referred to as 0? If I was to turn the allen screw past that I believe the pressure plate was starting to move but I'll verify that when I do this again.


I don't know if it means anything but the clutch lever is noticeably easier to pull than before. I just assumed that was due to me putting on a new braided line vs the old standard one that basically never got oiled (probably why it broke lol)


Thanks for all the help so far guys I really appreciate your time and knowledge!