clutch adjustment question....

[mga]

on my 2k big bear 400, there's a clutch adjustment on the side that says "increase" or "decrease". Only thing service manual says to turn it one way or the other.

my question is, what happens when i decrease it? what happens if i increase it?  does it effect shifting?

I'm not sure if it's ever been adjusted, but, it was tempting to play with...ut, i didn't touch it until i asked you guys.

[Gwbarm]

As the clutch wears it needs adjustment, turn counterclockwise until you feel resistance, then turn clockwise until you feel resistance, you might do this a couple of times to get the feel of it, then stop when you feel resistance toward increase, it should be adjusted.

[Tiha]

Kawasaki adjusts the same way. 

Be interesting to see how it goes for you. First time I did it after I bought the machine (used) it shifted really stiff. As much as I have tried over the years it has never been as easy shifting as it was before I first adjusted it. 

And I have adjusted it frequently over the last 20 years I have owned it. 

[mga]

ok....so, if i INCREASE the clutch adjustment, it loosens the clutch? and if i DECREASE it it tighternsd thre clutch?

or, did i get that wrong? lol

[Gwbarm]

Increase tightens the clutch, when you feel resistance toward increase, back off counter clockwise about 1/8 to 1/4 inch 

[mga]

1 hour ago, Gwbarm said:

Increase tightens the clutch, when you feel resistance toward increase, back off counter clockwise about 1/8 to 1/4 inch 

ok, thanks. my post above was typed without my glasses on...obviously.

i wanted to adjust it because when i put it infirst gear, it wants to lunge forward. i thought maybe the clutch was too tight (?)

[Gwbarm]

Idle speed could also cause this is it normal or a little high.

[mga]

9 hours ago, Gwbarm said:

Idle speed could also cause this is it normal or a little high.

i'll lower it and see how it reacts

[mga]

On 2/23/2023 at 8:57 AM, Tiha said:

Kawasaki adjusts the same way. 

Be interesting to see how it goes for you. First time I did it after I bought the machine (used) it shifted really stiff. As much as I have tried over the years it has never been as easy shifting as it was before I first adjusted it. 

And I have adjusted it frequently over the last 20 years I have owned it. 

i got it to shift a little easier, but the only hard gears are getting out of reverse and into first. the rest shift pretty good. I'm going to play around with the clutch some more and see if it improves.  Maybe that idle is just a bit too high, i'll play with that too. To get it out of reverse, i reach down and pull it up by hand. Too bad I couldn't figure out a way to put a hand shift on it right up along the fuel tank.  😄

ha....i just saw them online... not expensive either....i'm going to look into it more

Edited March 9, 2023 by mga

[Mech]

I'd do as Gw suggested and adjust the idle speed down. That's almost certainly the problem..

[Gwbarm]

There is also a linkage adjustment by gearshift you might check for the right amount play, not too much, and not little, the manual tells the correct specs.

[mga]

i lowered the idle and it did improve a lot, but, there's a little slop on the linkage. I'll look at the manual today and see what's accptable. I learned to let the engine warm up a bit before i can get that sweet spot of idle. 

[mga]

so, what exactly does that screw do with the clutch? I'm trying to get a visual as to what it's doing inside the cover.

 

And, how much do you loosen that nut up? I can turn the nut out a lot and that screw will turn out with it. It seems like the nut is holding the adjustment screw at whatever setting i make it. If i removed it and put the adjustment screw back in, what harm will it do?

dumb questions, i know, but, like i said, if i had a visual in my mind..i'd feel better knowing what i'm doing

[Gwbarm]

 Are. you talking about the clutch adjustment or linkage adjustment.

[mga]

clutch adjustment. I loosened that nut, but if i loosen it too much the screw turns a lot. If i just loosen the nut a little, the screw hardly turns.

So, i guess my question would be what's a good starting point? Should i turn the screw in all the way then back out a little, then tighten the nut? Or, should i back it out all the way, and tighten it slightly, then tighten the nut?

I guess what i'm asking is where is the "sweet spot" for that screw? 

[Gwbarm]

The clutch adjustment according to service manual, loosen the lock nut, turn to the left until you feel resistance and then turn to the right 1/8 of a turn. Turning to the left loosens clutch and right tightens.

[mga]

 

so, i bought this cheap hand shifter from amazon and it actually works much better than the foot shifter. I'll upgrade it to a much better one in the near future.

(the wires you see are for my 15 gallon sprayer mounted on the back)

don't pay attention to my seat...lol..atv is used as a work horse only....not going in the auto show

Edited August 27, 2023 by mga

[Mech]

You just need to loosen the clutch adjusting nut enough that it's not locking the bolt(about a half a turn), then hold it while you turn the screw/bolt, then lock the bolt/screw up again without letting the bolt/screw turn.

When the clutch wears the free play reduces and so you are backing the adjuster a small distance away from the pushrod(20) in the diagram.

Parts 19 and 21 in the second photo push the pushrod.

[mga]

thanks...that makes sense...i'll be playing with it tomorrow

[Gwbarm]

I like the hand shifter idea, but how does it attach, the foot shifter is still there.

[Mech]

I thought we got rid of hand shifters about 1938..

[mga]

On 8/27/2023 at 9:05 PM, Gwbarm said:

I like the hand shifter idea, but how does it attach, the foot shifter is still there.

it simply attaches to the shift shaft same as the foot linkage. I left the foot linkage just in case i didn't like it. but, i'll remove it.

with the hand shifter it takes little effort, however, i could see a problem if you're into fast rough terrain riding and you need to shift gears and hold on. 

[Mech]

Or the weight of the lever tried to shift gears for you on rough ground.

I used to have an old 38 bsa 250 sidevalve that had been updated from a hand shift to a foot shift, but it was a real early box and didn't have a ratchet on the lever, you had to move the lever just the right amount to get the next gear, and it was hard tail with a sprung seat, so if it was a bit rough, which was everywhere around here, and the seat was bouncing up and down, you had to keep the your weight on the peg and shift real careful..  Those were the days..  haha.

[Gwbarm]

I liked the idea because i sometimes like to ride around barefooted and toes seem to take more of a beating shifting than they used to never noticed it until recently, certainly it couldnt be thant im getting old.

[mga]

7 hours ago, Gwbarm said:

I liked the idea because i sometimes like to ride around barefooted and toes seem to take more of a beating shifting than they used to never noticed it until recently, certainly it couldnt be thant im getting old.

amazon....$13.   i bought a cheap one to try it out. 

16 hours ago, Mech said:

Or the weight of the lever tried to shift gears for you on rough ground.

I used to have an old 38 bsa 250 sidevalve that had been updated from a hand shift to a foot shift, but it was a real early box and didn't have a ratchet on the lever, you had to move the lever just the right amount to get the next gear, and it was hard tail with a sprung seat, so if it was a bit rough, which was everywhere around here, and the seat was bouncing up and down, you had to keep the your weight on the peg and shift real careful..  Those were the days..  haha.

ugh..hard tail. we did a fund raising ride..500 miles round trip....i rode a sportster on the way down, then a custom bike that was hard tail on the way back....never again! 

[mga]

anyways, back to the clutch adjustment....i noticed when going up a hill, it bogs down unless i keep downshifting...not sure how normal this is. I felt for a 400 it would have a little more balls. It doesn't sound like the clutch is slipping, it just really bogs down. would that be normal for an atv?

[Gwbarm]

Depending on the size of the hill that may be normal if you are in high gear. Does it climb without bogging in low gear, the big bear lowest gear is like a granny gear.

They are rough.

[Mech]

Sometimes you can detect clutch slip be going along some very slight incline, get it into the lower end of it's power band and then open the throttle suddenly and listen.. You might notice a slight rise in revs that doesn't seem right, or that slowly gets caught up with as the bike gains speed.

[mga]

it's definitely not slipping. could i have adjusted it too tight? then again, i don't want it slipping either....maybe i should just leave well enough alone.  lol

i gotta say, that side hand shifter is great...man, i love that thing, it shifts so much better now. I think the problem was the foot shifter linkage was just worn too much and had too much play in it.