New bike's clutch won't fully engage or disengage By glavey (Read 653 times)

[glavey]

I have a brand-new VIP/Baodiao BD125-8 (essentially a clone of a Honda Grom). So far the PDI had been going good, except for two things so far, one on which is the clutch.

With the trans in neutral, the bike easily rolls forward and backward, with or without the clutch lever pulled in. However, when I put it in first, with the clutch fully pulled in, the bike is difficult to move forward and backward and sometimes locks the rear wheel (won't fully engage). With the clutch lever released, there is NO free play in the lever (clutch won't fully disengage), and the rear wheel always locks.

I have tried to adjust the clutch cable at the lever and down near the clutch arm coming out of the trans. case. If I tighten down all of the adjustments, making the sheathe as short as possible, there is no free play at the end of the clutch travel and the bike is difficult to push forward/backward; If I lengthen the adjusters to make the sheathe as long as possible, the is, again, no free play at the end of the clutch travel, and the bike is slightly easier to push forward/backward while in gear.

My thoughts are that either the sheathe on the clutch cable is too long, not allowing full disengagement, the clutch plates are a bit stuck together from being new/bathed in chinese oil, and/or somehow the clutch lever isn't pulling the cable enough.

If I shorten the cable's sheathe, I'm sure I could get some free play and the end of the clutch travel, but then the clutch would engage even less when I pull the lever.

FWIW, I haven't started this bike up yet to see if it will move forward by engine power with the trans in gear and the clutch pulled in.

Also, I don't know if this ties in to the above problem, but the clutch lever has a very heavy pull; I don't know the the assemblers didn't lube it or if it's kinked somewhere.

[czmdiver]

You must start the bike and go from there.
The clutch should take No more then Two Finger easy pull. and should be able to use one finger..

[glavey]

Thanks for the reply.

After doing my best to eyeball the front and rear sprocket alignment today, I started up the engine and put it in gear. Aside from the carb needing adjustment (which of course has those break-off bolts holding on the float bowl), everything worked. In neutral, the bike didn't move, and in first, with the clutch held in the bike didn't move forward under it's own power and moved forward when the clutch lever was released.

I also re-routed the clutch cable; made a nice long sweeping curve instead of 3-4 sharp ones. Pull effort went down to two fingers. I think if I lube the cable it'll be even easier.

[cyborg]

I think the cable is very low quality and has stretched ,,,