Written by Anil Verma and Wily Coyote

When to adjust your motorcycle’s clutch cable?

• Clutch cable inner has snapped or is about to snap and you want to replace it.
• Cable worn out and has slipped
• Gear change is not smooth
• Motorcycle keeps moving despite full declutch
• Pick up/ acceleration inexplicably drops
• etc

Tools and accessories you will require:

• Yezdi clutch (inner) cable.
• Large screw driver
• About 10 ml engine oil in a bottle
• Pliers
• Brush
• Waste cloth

Step 1 –Starting up

Park your motorcycle on centre stand in a well lit and convenient place, lay out your tools on a sheet of paper. Open the magneto cover by first loosening the center bolt, then the side bolt, remove the side bolt first and then the center bolt. (Hold the magneto cover firmly in place while working the bolt.) Now the open magneto case is revealed and you are ready to get to work. Place the magneto case facing upwards and use it to drop the bolts in.

Step 2- Removing the old cable

1. Clamp screw (which holds the cable); 2. Swinging arm; 3. Roller; 4. Auto clutch cam; 5. Clutch adjuster mechanism (a.k.a clutch "samosa" in India); 6. Clutch adjustor screw.

Now depress the clutch lever on the handle bar and use the screw driver to pull it out gently but firmly, from the clutch adjuster screw. Once you’ve got it out release it from the clutch lever socket. Now remove the cable completely by pulling it through the outer cable casing. If it gets stuck anywhere, push and pull alternately from both ends till it frees itself.

Step 3- Checks and balances

Clean the auto clutch cam and roller (the little ball on the arm of the clutch adjustment mechanism which touches the concave bowl of the auto clutch cam.) Check if the roller rotates freely and also check the distance from the auto clutch cam. It should maintain a minute hairs breadth distance from the cam without actually touching it. To adjust this distance, make minute ½ turn adjustments on the clutch adjustor screw (indicated in the illustration.) While you are at it, check it for play by yanking it slightly from side to side. It should not move.

If you like, you can clean the auto clutch cam and roller with kerosene and grease the spot, but it is not mandatory unless really fouled with dirty grease.

Step 4- Putting in the new cable

Now unscrew the clutch adjuster from the handle bar, feed a few inches of the cable through it and fit it into the socket provided on the lever. Take the engine oil in the palm of your hand, and holding the adjuster screw with the same hand, start feeding the cable through so that all the wire (barring the few inches initially fed in) are well oiled. Once done, push the lever forward to closed position.
Now returning to the rear end, wipe the open end of the wire clean with the cloth; feed it through the appropriate hole below the clutch adjuster mechanism and through the clamp screw fitted, in the swinging arm of the mechanism.

Step 5- Adjusting the clutch

Push the large screw driver, behind the swinging arm, between the front sprocket to get a firm purchase and push the swinging arm forward as much as you can (do this a couple of times till you get free movement.) Now holding the cable in place so the arm doesn’t slip, tighten the clamp screw and release your hold on the cable. Work the clutch lever a few times and get the feel of it.

Step 6- Testing your results

Now is the crucial moment when you check for the fruits of your labor. Working the rear wheel slightly, without working the clutch lever, shift gently to fourth gear. In fourth gear, without declutching you should be able to move the rear wheel without much effort.  Now in the same way, shift to first. You should not be able to move the rear wheel. If your findings match mine, your clutch is perfectly adjusted and you won’t even need to test ride your bike.

Step 7- Finishing up:

Tighten the clamp screw as much as you can. Coil the free end of the cable and hook it over the adjuster screw as shown in the picture, close the magneto cover, tighten the screws. The center bolt should be tightened to max while the side bolt is largely for balance. Wipe the cover clean, collect your tools and go in peace.

Note: In principle, one can follow the same process for the Yezdi 350 (Jawa type 634) as well, but remember the clutch adjusting mechanism in the 350 is of steel while in the 250, the mechanism is of aluminium.

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