[03fatty]

Hello everyone... this is my first post and it should be easy.

I had to replace my clutch bracket on my handlebars (chrome was coming off) so I replaced it and performed the clutch cable adjustment (1/16 to 1/8 of slack between the clutch bracket and ferrul). I wanted to make sure I performed the adjustment correctly and was wondering if I can really things out without running the engine? The reason why I want to test things without running the engine is because 1) I don't want to go flying down the driveway and 2) I live in Cleveland, Ohio and my bike has been put away for the winter in my cold garage (I don't want to start it up until spring or a nice day when I can ride).

So... last night, I was playing around and noticed the bike goes into 1st gear and 2nd gear okay but not great (not real crisp). It goes into neutral easy. I noticed that when I put the bike in gear and squeze the clutch lever, the bike doesn't move. I checked another bike in my garage, a Wide Glide, and I noticed the same thing happened... Is this due to the oil being cold? since I did not adjust anything in the clutch, is it okay to adjust the clutch cable when it is cold (about 40 degrees last night). Am I just paranoid??? Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Those things are all normal. The clutch tends to drag when the bike is cold, and the shifting won't be nice when the motor is not running. If the internal adjustment was correct prior to the cable replacement, you will be fine. If it was me, I'd go ahead and do the internal adjustment too, but it's not really necessary. You can do the internal adjustment with the bike cold (in fact you can't do it accurately with the bike warm).

Harris