Is my clutch normal?

[Speedo007]

Hey guys,

I bought a 2005 FZ6. Has 43000km on it but was in tip top condition, really like new. Only thing that bothered me was the clutch. Hard for me to explain it in english, but basically when you let go the lever, the clutch engaged in the last cm, before that, was like lever was fully squeezed. Now I had the dealer adjust the cable...didnt do much, then they told they tried the bike and the clutch was starting to slip a bit that changing the clutch would be the only way to make it feel like a "normal" clutch. Changed the clutch, still a bit better, but nowhere near feeling like any clutch I've previously used, still very long with the clutch engaging when the lever is almost completely released, making it hard to modulate precisely (and I have long fingers, thank goodness for that!). Now is this just normal on the FZ6 to have a really long clutch that engages in the last 1-2 cm? I've ridden tons of bikes, from old to new, from sports bike, to dirt bikes, to customs, never had a clutch feel so long and empty...The guy at the Yamaha dealer told me the bike is like new everything is up to specs. Now I'm giving the bike to my brother and want to make sure the clutch is "normal"...

Thanks!

 

[MHS]

That sounds about right to me.

There are things that can improve it, but I'll leave that to the more learned.

 

[deeptekkie]

If I am understanding your problem correctly this doesn't sound normal to me. If you hadn't replaced the clutch I would suggest that some previous owner put something super-slick in the engine like STP or something. Too, I might suspect binding in the clutch cable itself, if the dealer had not said it's okay. (Are you certain the dealer replaced the clutch?)

 

[FizzySix]

Yes that's typical for the bike. Very challenging at first! It makes a quick shift easier later, once you're used to it. Mods to improve on this include dropping a tooth in the front sprocket, and Killernoodle's extended clutch slave lever.

 

[Speedo007]

it shifts fine when in high rpm and your going through the gears quickly, its more at normal pace or in slow speed maneuvers, man that clutch feels far.

If it's normal, I'll just stop worrying about it. It will be my brother's first road bike so it will probably irritate him less then me that has a lot of experience with different bikes.

For that extended clutch slave lever, where can I order this? easy to install? does it improve the clutch a lot? or just a slight improvement?

Thanks!

 

[Erci]

it shifts fine when in high rpm and your going through the gears quickly, its more at normal pace or in slow speed maneuvers, man that clutch feels far.

If it's normal, I'll just stop worrying about it. It will be my brother's first road bike so it will probably irritate him less then me that has a lot of experience with different bikes.

For that extended clutch slave lever, where can I order this? easy to install? does it improve the clutch a lot? or just a slight improvement?

Thanks!

Definitely normal. I've gotten used to it and I actually really like it. I only squeeze the clutch just a bit for shifting.. very quick.

Here's the extended lever thread: http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/35451-clutch-slave-levers-im-making-them-again.html

 

[Speedo007]

Might just try to find a cheap adjustable clutch lever...bringing the clutch lever in would make it much more pleasant...

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

While aftermarket clutch levers will allow you to shorten the reach to the lever, they won't do anything about the friction zone being way out at the end of the lever travel.

Trust me, it's completely normal and it always has been for the FZ6. If you went to SBN, or even on here, and searched "clutch", you'll find threads going back to the introduction of the FZ6 in 2004 complaining about this very issue.

The slave levers Erci linked above would probably be your best bet for trying to remedy the situation, but I can't be certain since I've never had one. As others have said, though, once you get used to it it actually is nice for quick shifts.

If you wanted to go the cheap route and try aftermarket levers, I'd suggest trying the Pazzo knockoffs on eBay. Quite a few members here have got them and they seem to work just as well as the high $$$ Pazzos (which I've got and love).

 

[Speedo007]

Adjustable CNC Clutch Lever For YAMAHA FZ6 FAZER 04-10 | eBay

Found those at just over 30$ shipped it might be worth a try...

I can live with the friction zone being a bit short, I just hate that it's that far, if I can just reduce the distance between the lever and the handlebars I think it would be fine, not perfect...but fine

 

[Speedo007]

Just placed my order, I'll let you guys know if it's worth the 32$

 

[Dandy D]

Not quite sure what you guys are talking about - the lever is adjustable, don't waste money on 'adjustable aftermarket' levers just for that. I have an '05 and adjusted the clutch lever myself so that it engaged about midway out - I have short fingers. The lever was actually loose at the fully out position. The wheel on the lever mount itself adjusts the play on the lever and thus the engagement point. You don't need aftermarket adjustable levers... With that being said, the friction zone is short on this baby.

Referring to the original post, there also could be the problem of the clutch cable housing being too long. There is an adjustment nut on the housing just under the gas tank. You can make the housing shorter allowing more cable length to be available for adjustments. But this thing is a bit hard to get at. Well darn hard to get at really. I know because I just replaced my clutch cable today! Had to pull the tank off to get the old cable out and the new one in. Plus there's a clip under the air box holding the cable in place. It does a great job too - read.. hard to get the cable out of the clip. Lift up with a flathead screwdriver and pry it up.

I thought the cable was bad because when pulling the clutch lever, it wasn't a smooth pull. If I tried to feather the clutch, it would stick and grab. Well the new cable is on now but it didn't improve the pull at all. So now I think the problem is in the clutch in the pull lever bearings. Oh, and even though I laid the two cable side by side to compare the length of the adjustment nuts on each to make sure they were set the same, the new cable is shorter by a couple of mm's. Doesn't sound like much but now the clutch engages farther out than I am used to and there's not enough adjustment in the wheel on the lever mount to get it back to where it was. I may have to pull the cable out again and shorten the cable housing to give more cable length to work with. But I still have to find out why the bloody thing is grabbing and sticking.

Anyone got an idea about that? Could it be the bearings? I did lube the cable with 'cable life' so its not the cable.

 

[Speedo007]

I had my clutch cable adjusted in every way it could be by the dealer (including the adjustment near the air box). What the new adjustable clutch lever should improve is making it closer to the handle bar. Yes there's some adjustment possible with the stock lever by turning the knob, but it has it's limits, and the lever is not supposed to be tight when you let it go, there's supposed to be a bit of loose in it. So by adjusting both the knob and setting the lever as close to the handlebar as possible, then it should grip at a more normal distance...should at least...

 

[Dandy D]

That's interesting. I wonder if you had a shorter cable than what it should have been or maybe the old cable I had was too long.. ?!
I could set so much slack in the lever with my old cable in place it was ridiculous - the lever would literally flop around and I could not do a 2 finger pull because, before disengaging, the lever would hit my other fingers that were holding the bar. *shrug*
I'm starting to get the feeling that the spec tolerance for the length of the actual cable is not that tight, leaving it to the owner to make final adjustments - sometimes they work sometime not.

 

[Speedo007]

Ill post pictures of before and after and give my impressions as soon as it's installed.

 

[DownrangeFuture]

Mine's real close to fully extended. I kind of like it though. It means I can just use two fingers without crushing my other fingers. And all my shifts are quick, even the 90% of the time I use the clutch.

 

[joe1971]

Sounds pretty normal to me. Also sounds like your biggest problem is your used to the clutch on everything else. You get used to the clutch on the FZ and everything else will irritate the H311 out of you

 

[Speedo007]

Still mind buggling that a company would want to have a clutch setting that is different from everything else and not by a minuscule difference...

and curiously on my Fz8, the clutch is PERFECT, guess they got tired of the critics and "fixed" the darn thing

 

[FIZZER6]

I also agree it's normal as this is my experience as well.

You will learn to live with it and actually it makes for very controlled shifts as you only have to pull in the clutch a bit to make a smooth shift. The only shift that will be rough is 1-2 but that can be overcome by pulling in the clutch a bit more and shifting slower for the 1-2 shift.

 

[FinalImpact]

Mine's real close to fully extended. I kind of like it though. It means I can just use two fingers without crushing my other fingers. And all my shifts are quick, even the 90% of the time I use the clutch.

^ +1
Same! I like it that way for those reasons. Would I be disappointed if it engaged at 50% travel. I doubt it!

If our perspective was all in (equal 0%) to all out and fully engaged being 100% travel, mines fully disengaged by 50% in and grabs around 65% and full engaged by 85% of travel. blah blah blah. . .

As long as it doesn't slip when hammering the gears (like the 2 > 3 at 12k, its fine!

DownrangeFuture, you downshifty w/out the clutch too or just uppity? I took my own advice and practiced both just incase I break a lever or cable I can still get home. Its pretty easy to intentinally pick N too for short coast too.

That'll double as my rider tip... Bikes fall over for reasons beyond our control. Learn how to take off and shift without just in-case you need too!