i have avoided another a65 for 30 years but here i am again with a thunderbolt with the same old problems.
firstly, the new gearlever i bought only contacts about half the width of spline area due to the centre bolt locating on the non spline section of the gear shaft. surely a wider gearlever would help avoid the wear and tear issue with both splines ?
also the clutch. you think you have set it up correctly but go round the block and the clutch is dragging.
i have the clutch cover off. its standard 4 spring but there is hardly any lift. i am going to have to play around with the plates and maybe leave one out.
Hi Eddie,
I feel your pain. I suspect that you have the later mechanism with the 3 balls. This seems to have less lift than the earlier type. The only thing I can suggest is to make sure that all the movement of whichever lift mechanism is available to lift the plates and that there is none that needs to be taken up when adjusting the cable and that the adjuster on the pressure plate is only just backed off from engaged with the push rod. 1/2 a turn max.
Dave.
Hi Eddie, can you post some photos of the bike, and tell us what year etc it is?
hi allan,
its no oil painting.
dave is right about the clutch mech as its a 72 engine in a 65 frame from the usa.
Following on from Dave's comment, I would disconnect the cable at the handle bar lever, then remove the inspection cover on the timing case and whilst adjusting the pushrod adjustment on the pressure plate, screw it in until you can stop feeling moment on the 3-ball ramp (put your finger in the hole and check for play). When you're feeling that the play has only just been taken up. Unscrew the pushrod adjustment by 1/2 turn if it's the standard bsa pressure plate (these have a fine thread) and about 1/4 turn if it has the srm pressure plate as these have a coarse screw.
Then reconnect the cable and adjust at the case until you have some play at the handlebar lever.
thanks for all the advise.
managed to clear most of the clutch drag by adjusting the springs. i had used the wrong springs before also. the a65 ones are shorter than pre unit types. lastly my clutch cable which looks original but in poor condition takes a lot of outer cable compression before clutch lift. a shame to bin it.
Hi Eddie,
I would use the original cable as an ornament. Even the new ones seem a bit flimsy but should be better. An unused original would be ideal as they seem to be far more substantial and will not have the stretch of the inner and compression of the outer.
The Venhill universal clutch kit looks more beefy so long as you can do a good solder job on the nipple.
Dave.
The Venhill kits are brilliant. However I suggest making a solder pot with a roll of solder and a stainless measuring cup, use it on a gas or electric stove and it will last you years. Venhill also sell a bird cage tool which seems expensive but is worth the cost.
Once you start using them you'll never buy an aftermarket cable again.
hello alan and dave,
i wouldnt mind making my own cables but unsure what solder to use. i have some plumbers solder and flux somewhere.
I've always used plumbers solder. Silver solder would probably be better but plumbers with the highest silver content you can find. If you use the bird cage tool, the bird cage does all the work.. leaving the solder to just keep it all in one place. If you just flare the wire (as I did for years) and use plumbers solder, it will eventually pull through.
Allan, further up the thread I noticed you gave some advice re setting up the 3 ball clutch.
I am having trouble adjusting my 1970 A50 clutch with the SRM plate. SRM were a bit vague and I fear I may have shortened the push rod too far. I would appreciate some advice re this. Would you please get in touch via email editor@bsaownersclub.co.uk?
Chris
if you take off the srm end cover and with a vernier compare the rod from the cover with the depth of the hole you would know if the pushrod length is correct. careful set up with shorter standard springs cured my lack of clutch lift but a poor clutch cable also eats into the lift action as the outer cable compresses.
Hi,
I must admit that I found getting the pushrod just right to be a bit of a pain. It is better to err on the side of caution and leave it a bit longer when cutting, esp. with a hacksaw, so that there is scope to get the end square and if needed grind the last bit off.
If inadvertently the rod ends up a bit short then and old trick is shorten it a bit more to accommodate a ball bearing to fill the gap.
Don't forget to harden the new end.
Dave.
Hi Chris, I would follow Dave's advice with this.
If you're not sure about the length required. The minimum you want is measured by disconnecting the cable (to ensure there is no external influence to the measurement) put the pushrod and the adaptor in from the mainshaft clutch end and you should see about 1mm behind the top hat of the adaptor piece. This allows for wear on the rod. If the mainshaft adaptor is all the way in, then any wear is not easily measured and then assumed. The adjuster on the srm item is top hatted also, so that it rides against the thrust bearing supplied. You may find that this is screwed almost all the way out. This should not be an issue. The thread on this adjuster is coarse (the factory ones were fine thread) so set the free play on the rod to about 1/4 turn instead of the 1/2 turn described in the WSM. Reattach the cable and all should be fine.
If you shorten any pushrod, radius the end before heat treating it. This allows any mushrooming of the mainshaft to not spread as far outwards and potential dragging of the shaft in the mainshaft.
I can still message you privately but often information shared on the forum gives the opportunity for others to benefit too.