Clutch Adjustment

[Fried Chicken Blowout]

I haven't taken a close look year, but this is my first hydraulic clutch... It engages too far out from the grip for my tastes. I've adjusted the clutch lever so it's as far back as it will go but this appears to mostly adjust the resting position of the lever not anything with the engagement. Is there a way to have it start engaging in about half the distance it does now? If there's no adjustment for this, are there aftermarket levers that people are using that offer more adjustment?

Thanks

[ringadingh]

All you can do is try the different settings on the round wheel that are numbered 1-5, Hydraulic clutches don't really have a lot of feel to them like the cable operated clutches.

[Fried Chicken Blowout]

Yeah I've messed with the wheel all I can. The issue I have is that I'm at the tips of my reach when it's almost fully engaged. If I'm not careful with how my hand is placed I get a jerky start because I have to let go of the lever and the clutch is not totally engaged. It was okay with the stock grips but with the ISO grips that are thicker so it would help to have it fully engaged closer in.

And that's a beautiful bike in your signature!

[RACNRAY]

The 1700's do have the issue with the clutch engaging with the lever quite a ways out. Since there is no adjustments to the hydraulic system this is something that you'll have to adapt to.

RACNRAY

[Fried Chicken Blowout]

Thanks Ray, I appreciate the input.

[macmac]

I would think there is a Barnett Spring which will give you plenty of feel and easy feathering. But i ride a 06 Nomad and have no idea what is different.

[RACNRAY]

I would think there is a Barnett Spring which will give you plenty of feel and easy feathering. But i ride a 06 Nomad and have no idea what is different.

Currently there are no springs available for the 1700. All the springs that are listed and available are dead wrong for the 1700's and will not fit or work. I have speced out stock vs these springs and found this out. I even called Barnett with the stock clutch spring dimensions and pressure specs, they had nothing.

RACNRAY

[Gypsy Dragon]

Someone need to tell Barnett they have the wrong thing listed then. Their website shows clutch plates, pressure plates and springs for the 1700's.

http://www.barnettclutches.com/681/kawasaki/0/0/2012-kawasaki-vn1700-vulcan%20vaquero.html

[RACNRAY]

Someone need to tell Barnett they have the wrong thing listed then. Their website shows clutch plates, pressure plates and springs for the 1700's.

http://www.barnettclutches.com/681/kawasaki/0/0/2012-kawasaki-vn1700-vulcan%20vaquero.html

Someone at Barnett knows they have the wrong springs listed due to my conversation with their tech rep, they haven't change the listing. The steel plates fit, I don't know bout the friction plates, and they don't have a pressure plate listed. Maybe someday...

RACNRAY

[Gypsy Dragon]

Gotta love having a bike that no one ever works on...

[Navigator]

Same issue with my 1600. It just feels odd to me. My Rocket clutch did not engage so far out as does my Nomad's. Both have that little adjustment, and totally useless, wheel at the clutch lever.

I was hoping there would be some mechanical adjustment at the clutch itself but apparently thee is not.

[cnc]

Same issue with my 1600. It just feels odd to me. My Rocket clutch did not engage so far out as does my Nomad's. Both have that little adjustment, and totally useless, wheel at the clutch lever.

I was hoping there would be some mechanical adjustment at the clutch itself but apparently thee is not.

There never really is any adjustment on a hydraulic clutch, lever pushs a piston in which forces the fluid to push a piston out at the other end. Engagement point, slack, travel etc is pretty much predetermined by the size of the piston at the lever and the size of the piston at the slave cylinder.
That wheel only gives a minimum adjustment of the lever position I guess to accommodate different hand sizes and what feels comfortable.

[macmac]

While there seems to be no springs for the Vac's there is for the 15's and 16's and while the Barnett will feel stringer to the hand it also gives a feathering feel that is not mush and starts around 1/3rd of the way out on releasing. Both my hands are shot and hurt 24/7, and this is just something I can tolerate because the pain is nothing compared to the feathering ability that spring has.

[Navigator]

There never really is any adjustment on a hydraulic clutch, lever pushs a piston in which forces the fluid to push a piston out at the other end. Engagement point, slack, travel etc is pretty much predetermined by the size of the piston at the lever and the size of the piston at the slave cylinder.
That wheel only gives a minimum adjustment of the lever position I guess to accommodate different hand sizes and what feels comfortable.

The last step in this tutorial refers to a clutch actuating rod, which is what I had in mind, something like on the Harley. What I was hoping for was that the Nomad had a mechanical connection, that is, that the piston pushed a rod which connected to the clutch with some type of adjustment for it's length. Silly me. I just copied the last two steps in the article link.

Some clutches have pins and levers which help adjust the clutch engagement point. For this you have to dismantle the lever body and spend time getting the 'bite' point just right for your preference.
It is also possible to adjust the free play in your motorcycle's hydraulic clutch. You have around 1/6” to adjust at the clutch operating rod end, on the clutch itself. You do this by screwing inwards or outwards, depending on whether you want the clutch engagement to be closer or farther away from the handlebars.

http://www.mademan.com/mm/how-adjust-hydraulic-clutch-motorcycle.html#ixzz3a8XwBBdG