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Tracer 900 GT Clutch Adjustment


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Just want to confirm that removing the actuator arm only requires removing the retaining clip up top right?  I'm gonna try it at work tomorrow where I have the tools but don't want to get into more than I can handle in a 1/2 hour.

 

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6 hours ago, betoney said:

That is why we were discussing moving the arm offset by 1 tooth.

I put the longer arm on, adjusted the Pazzo lever so it is on 1 - closest to the bar.  The actuation is at the last half of the lever travel where I want it to be.

Moving where the arm sits does almost nothing (minus the minimal radius change in relation to the cable), you still have the same amount of travel and still need to have a set amount of slack.

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1 hour ago, Soullancer said:

So.. If you take adjustable clutch levers, you risk not engaging the clutch entirely? 😳 When setting them shorter to the bars

You "may" loose full clutch disengagement because you loose total throw.

 You'll have to play around with it, just yesterday I had do dial mine out a but because I was creeping at a stop light.

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2 hours ago, kilo3 said:

Moving where the arm sits does almost nothing (minus the minimal radius change in relation to the cable), you still have the same amount of travel and still need to have a set amount of slack.

Moving the lever increases the distance between the two cable connection points.  Reducing cable slack.  You are correct that the travel is the same.  If I rotate the lever 90 degrees, the clutch cable would then be to short.  

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23 minutes ago, iitywygms said:

Moving the lever increases the distance between the two cable connection points.  Reducing cable slack.  You are correct that the travel is the same.  If I rotate the lever 90 degrees, the clutch cable would then be to short.  

Si using a adjustable lever shouldn't cause problems if I use setting 1 or 5 on the lever

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3 hours ago, kilo3 said:

Moving where the arm sits does almost nothing (minus the minimal radius change in relation to the cable), you still have the same amount of travel and still need to have a set amount of slack.

Yes, you still need the correct amount of slack at the lever.  Between the lower cable and lever adjusters and moving the arm 1 tooth I was able to adjust the friction zone to the the spot where I want it and still have the lever on its closest setting. 

I hope I am not coming off as confrontational or argumentative, I am full aware of leverage ratios, lever travel, actuation zone etc.  I'm simply stating what has worked for me, almost 50k miles with no slipping or burned up clutch.  As with anything on a public forum, take the bits that seem to make sense to you and only make adjustments that you are comfortable with.👍

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***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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  • 3 weeks later...

Time to fix the long friction zone on this bike.
By my napkin math, I'm looking at ~ 12 degree increase in total throw going from 4cm to 3cm shift arm radius.
We'll see how much harder this makes the clutch to pull but I don't feel it will be an issue.

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Edited by kilo3
cm not mm
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Cheapest of the cheap mods proof of concept. Clutch is faster and there is minimal additional pull resistance.
With the added benefit of being able to have the clutch release right off the bars, and yet still have full disengagement.
I'm almost tempted to go a tad shorter but that would require a different spring solution that I'm not interested in dealing with.

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50164141123_2d0c7288f4_c.jpg

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Here's my take on the subject. With over 4 decades of riding bikes most with cable clutches a few with hydraulic clutches ,I  prefer the cable actuation better. Much better control over the engagement . I myself like a close reach to the levers so I normally put adjustable levers on all my bikes I have owned. I have noticed the tracer has a very short engagement that is by design I believe. Doesn't require much movement to disengage and with very light lever pull. One of the first things I ordered was new adjustable levers to move them closer to the bars for easier reach and not effect the actual engagement at all . Just my preference in riding comfort and ease of use .Still  waiting on the levers coming from France actually.

MIKE

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3 hours ago, GTO MIKE said:

Here's my take on the subject. With over 4 decades of riding bikes most with cable clutches a few with hydraulic clutches ,I  prefer the cable actuation better. Much better control over the engagement . I myself like a close reach to the levers so I normally put adjustable levers on all my bikes I have owned. I have noticed the tracer has a very short engagement that is by design I believe. Doesn't require much movement to disengage and with very light lever pull. One of the first things I ordered was new adjustable levers to move them closer to the bars for easier reach and not effect the actual engagement at all . Just my preference in riding comfort and ease of use .Still  waiting on the levers coming from France actually.

MIKE

Whose levers, linky?  Thx

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Did a search and didn’t see any info regarding Gilles Tooling adjustable levers. 
 

I acquired a set from Performance Parts Limited in the UK for $210 USD shipped, arrived in a week. 
 

My reason for ordering was the non-adjustable clutch lever.
 

With the Gilles lever at the minimum reach adjustment, and clutch slack in the middle of the book spec, the final clutch switch engages when the flat portion on the lever is parallel and about 1/2” from the face of the factory heated grip. Initial clutch engagement starts at about this same point releasing the lever.

Pretty much exactly where I wanted it.

The palm of my hand is 3 1/2” wide, and with my slightly out from the inboard rim on the grip, they are primarily 3-finger+ levers-are substantially shorter than the OEM levers, but are definitely not 2-finger length shorty levers.

Took a little tweaking, but readily found the sweet spot for the brake lever also, is adjusted “out” slightly from the shortest reach. 

Black finish looks great, there are some visible machining marks present.

Regards;

Mark

 

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  • 11 months later...
On 7/29/2020 at 7:22 AM, kilo3 said:

Cheapest of the cheap mods proof of concept. Clutch is faster and there is minimal additional pull resistance.
With the added benefit of being able to have the clutch release right off the bars, and yet still have full disengagement.
I'm almost tempted to go a tad shorter but that would require a different spring solution that I'm not interested in dealing with.

50164371121_da61d85be0_c.jpg

50164141123_2d0c7288f4_c.jpg

Also you might consider the lower cable stay alignment? Looks like the cable may wear a bit more. I would elongate a hole on one of bolt holes to allow it to swivel into alignment. 
 

this looks like a good solution to the clutch throw issue. I just picked up a 19 GT and have the same complaint about where the clutch engauges.

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