[UncleErnie]

If you have the cable adjust all the way out already, that little svrew under the 5 Speed plate isn't adjusted right.Try screwwing it in -cloclwise- a half turn at a time.

[Superchuck]

Thanks to both, I'll relay the info to our absentee forum brother.  Going on a long ride tomorrow morning to a cycle shop up north of the city- it'll be a good chance to tweak the settings.

chuck

[UncleErnie]

Uh-huh.  You like saying "tweak", don't you.

[Superchuck]

Uh-huh.  You like saying "tweak", don't you.

I'm a tweaky kinda guy, what can i say...  And deep down, aren't we all? 

[Superchuck]

Trying to clear this all up once and for all:

According to Tim @ NField Gear...

Clutch Cable Part #s for Electras by manf. date:
prior to Aug 2006: 540070
after Aug 2006: 550519
2009: 146280

and here's a thread about figuring out when your bike was manufactured: http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,7803.0.html

Easiest way is to check out that stamped plate on the front of your bike's downtube.
(props to Rob-Bot for the leg-work)

There may still be some discrepancy, but in rare cases...

Chuck

[barenekd]

Does the clutch drag when it's sitting stopped, but in gear, with the clutch lever pulled? Does it make a mighty clatter when engaging first gear from neutral? If the clutch is dragging, that can cause hard shifting. And fresh oil in the gearbox can also loosen up and smooth out shifting. It sounds to me like your pushrod actuator may be misadjusted and have too much free play so it's hitting the clutch arm end of travel before the clutch is disengaged. This would make it feel heavy and tend to break cables because the cable is trying to pull through the case side.
To adjust it make sure your cable is completely backed off, then screw the pushrod adjuster in until you feel some pressure against. You might even go in a little to make absolutely sure the free play is gone, then back it off until you just feel the lack of pressure against the against the screw. You want about 1/8 turn of free play. Then readjust the cable so you have about 1/8-1/4 inch free play on the lever. Lube the cable with Cable Life or Dri Slide before installation.
Good Luck guys.
Bare
If you have already done this properly, It's time to get into the clutch and see what's wrong with that.

[Superchuck]

Thanks for the info Bare, next time i convince Rob to ride we'll have to have a go at his gearbox- great instructions, thanks!

[Chasfield]

Just to restress the general point about Bowen cables already alluded to in the thread:

They cope well with purely tensile forces. They don't like tearing or shear forces - which can wreck a cable in 10 miles that otherwise would have done 20,000. The latter forces occur when the cable inner has to accomodate some nub rotation because the nubs can't roll over what they bear against when they need to. Carefull observation of what is happening to the nub at each end of the cable when the clutch is pulled should be made. Poor finish of actuator arms and nub retainers, or maybe a bit of casting flash or a splinter of metal left over from machining could be the cause.

I like this nub word - much less explicit that nipple, which makes me blush.

[xxxxxx]

To clarify Superchuck's post.

Clutch Cable Part #s for AVL Electra by manf. date:
prior to Aug 2006: 540070
after Aug 2006: 550519
after June 2009: 146280

I think (and hope) that's right.

[barenekd]

An epiphany has come upon me in the middle of the night. I had to go into the way back machine to remember this one.
Check the nuts on both end of the mainshaft. Betcha one is loose allowing the mainshaft to shift back and forth not allowing the clutch rod to push the clutch all the way. It will also affect shifting. And cause the cables to pull apart as mentioned before.
If the nuts are both tight, look for a missing spacer in the mechanisms.
Bare

[Superchuck]

Thanks for the midnight epiphanies!  I think we're going to troubleshoot this and my home audio recording studio tonight after work, so we'll let you know how it works!

[Superchuck]

Ok, finally got to it tonight...  yeah it's been a while.

Is the clutch pushrod adjuster the long headless bolt that has a slit for a flathead screwdriver in it?  My parts catalog is calling it a "Pin, thrust" and part no. 550047/e.  If that's the case, I also think we got our vocabulary mixed up earlier tonight and rob-bot and I stripped that Hex Nut M6 (6mm?) which i believe is the lock nut.  Thrust Pin is slightly stripped too, but we managed to get them back on enough so that the clutch works and the kickstart pedal works.

Weird thing we encountered with this thrust pin:

When it was screwed in til it lightly bottomed them backed out a half turn the kickstart pedal had very little resistance to it and wasn't kickable to start the bike.  When I unscrewed it a lot, then the kickstart lever was almost locked up and immoveable.  Screwed it in bit more, but not nearing bottomming out, then finangled the stripped nut back on there good enough to keep it in place and now the kickstart works and the clutch works.  It's rideable again, but I fear we didn't do a proper job of clutch throwout adjustment.

Questions:

Is the "Thrust Pin" from the parts cat the same thing as the clutch pushrod screw?

Why does the thrust pin/pushrod screw impact the workability of the kickstart pedal?

Should we be replacing that stripped thrust pin and lock nut?  Does that require removal of the gearbox cover, and is there anything else we need to look out for (such as springloaded ballbearings/etc)

Any other theories welcome!

Thanks in advance!

.... also if I don't reply obsessively it's because i have a new job now that doesn't permit constant enfield foruming.  Will check back tomorrow night-

cheers all!

chuck

[Chasfield]

Remember, the kickstarter engages inside the gearbox and your leg work is transmitted throught the clutch and primary drive to the crankshaft.

If you wind in the clutch pushrod clearance adjuster too much, you will preload the clutch lift mechanism until the clutch plates start to separate. This will give you a slipping clutch and the kickstart will just be spinning the clutch plates against each other instead of turning the engine over. In this state of adjustment your clutch lift mechanism will be carrying a lot of stress and the bits that bear against each other will wear out and oveheat fast.

Many Japanese bikes have (had) kickstarts that engaged with the primary drive, so if you stalled in traffic, you could restart in gear with the clutch pulled in.

I will leave it to others to advise on the later clutch lift mech. I am only familiar with the original 4 speed type.

[Superchuck]

Many thanks for the clarification!  i think it's running well, shifting is a bit different than he's used to... probably replace those two stripped parts and have another go at it after some more reading...

also,  how do you know when it 'lightly bottoms out?'  the screw was always very hard to turn (always except when unscrewed and wiggly) so it wasn't apparent when it 'lightly' bottomed out... pretty much just went til you couldn't turn it any more. 

hmm....


chuck

[Superchuck]

Quick question:  If I remove the clutch throwout pushrod thingie, otherwise known as the adjuster rod, or the thrust rod, will all kinds of stuff fall apart inside the gearbox, or will i be able to unscrew it completely, then easily thread a new pushrod back in?

Thanks in advance

chuck