Disaster, bike no go:(

 

Well, we really don't know what happened. The Mouse came off a jump
and the drive train gave out. The clutch cable is intact, and the
clutch lever on top of the engine engages and the bike seems to shift,
but when the lever is let out, nothing happens. I did notice that the
sprocket jumps a little when the shifter is kicked in, but there is no
movement of the chain. I took the bike to the dealer and they might
not be able to look at it for a week, we have a lot of work to do
before the next race in two weeks so that will not do.

On a good note, The Mouse got some good coaching from another site on
corner ruts... Look ahead, stay over the front plate, etc.. and was
doing very well on the insides of the corners today with no crashes..
I will keep you all posted, guess it's time to learn how to tear apart
a clutch...

Rowdy Mouse Racing, "No Crybabies"

 



Have you tried adjusting the clutch cable at all?  I ask simply because my
son dumped his bike once in a trail a *loooong* way from the truck. Cranked
it back up and it exhibited the same symptoms you give.....no forward
movement or engagement in any gear. After a string of bad words I turned the
thumbscrew adjustment on the lever a couple of rounds and it started giving
me a little action....few more turns and we were back in business...that was
over a year ago with no further issues. All I can figure is the crash may
have somehow stretched the clutch cable.


--
KW

aka KW, DirtBikeDad, warrenmountain
'03 Kawasaki KDX220R
'01 Honda XR100R
'03 Yamaha TTR125L
'90 Kawasaki Bayou220

 


I am not really sure yet. I did check the adjustment but is seem
correct. I am studying the service manual right now and after I clean
the bike up in the morning I am going to have at it. That will be the
first thing I go after, if not, I will take off the covers. I watched
a guy tear a clutch apart at the track this weekend during the NEMA
races, hopefully it's something simple...

 

Hi!


So there's the usual resistance at the usual point when you pull the clutch
lever? If not, you might want to adjust and verify that cable and
associated levers etc. are not damaged and have sufficient freeplay. The
cable might be frayed in a place where you don't see it. [1]

If the problem persists, check if the shift lever has enough freeplay for
up-/downward movement [2]. If that's the case and the gear(s) engage
properly, you rather have a problem with slippage originating from the
clutch disks/basket. I suppose the bike to rev up without moving even
though the gear is in. Lay the bike on the side, remove the clutch cover
(brake lever and kickstarter could be in your way) and see what's wrong in
there. Some bikes (KTM) also have a actuator push rod which might be
misaligned/bent/worn out/stuck or broken.

If the gear(s) *don't* engage properly (=you can't get out of neutral), you
might be facing a case-split-job since it could have happened that
bent/broken shift forks, problems with the shift drum or the return
spring(s) are the source of trouble. This would be the worst case, however.


That's no rocket science. The central nut might be a bit tight (if you like
to get at the basket and probably its bearing) but there are alternatives
to a basket holder [3].

While you're at it, probably also do an oil change and shave a bit off the
flywheel.


Good luck!

Volker,
the trend clearly sets towards a third offroad bike


[1] To test this, remove the cable and twist the inner wire of the bowden
cable. It should twist clockwise and counterclockwise with virtually no
resistance. I had that kind of internal damage with my KTM once, resulting
in the clutch sometimes not releasing at all (which resulted in excess
freeplay at the lever) and sometimes delayed which gave me a very pleasant
enduro ride as you might guess.

[2] If it's bent, it might interfere with the clutch cover, if it's loose
on the shift shaft and/or the teeth have snapped (I'm guessing that you
have a "Yamaha style" cogging which is prone to snapping teeth when the
clamping gets loose) you might not be able to put enough force on the shift
shaft. Replace the shift lever in that case or enlarge the slot with a
diamond cutting wheel and your dremel to get more clamping force if you're
on a tight budget. Loctite.

[3] Impact wrench, stuffing a rag somwhere between the drive gears and, of
course, grinding down a piece of rigid sheet metal that fits between the
basket fingers. Be warned: The aluminum is rather brittle. Don't put too
much force on it or you might break a finger.


--
@:  I N F O at B A R T H E L D dot N E T
3W: www.bartheld.net

 



I like to put bike in highest gear (6th?), ask someone to hold down
the rear brake tightly and using the impact wrench or a wrench with a
*big* lever. I don't even get close to the basket fingers... But that
will only work if you can get the bike into gear, of course... The nut
has a little flange that has to be removed... The manual should
explain better.

-- Tiago