clutch lever is tight to pull.

[ccrxxx]

hi,my gs550 clutch lever is tight to pull i have just changed the cable because the other one snapped and its just as tight as it was before , are they quite tight or is there a fix??? thanks

[tkent02]

There's something wrong with the clutch mechanism itself, it should be almost light as a feather. What year 550 and which type clutch does it have? Early ones had a pushrod through from the left side, later ones had a lever above the clutch on the right.
Both should work smoothly and easily.

[jbs80106]

Kink and lube...

Since you've broken one alreaady, did you replace the sheath and the cable or just run new cable thru the old sheath?

One IMPORTANT annual ritual stressed in the manuals is to lube all the cables at the start of each season to prevent brakage.

I just lubed:
- Tachometer
- Tachometer cable
- Speedo
- Speedo cable
- Clutch cable
- Front Brake cable

Haven't lubed throttle cable 'cause I haven't yet figured out how to access it.

If you've lubed and there's no kinks in the cable, could be something to do with the clutch itself being hard to engage...that would be outside of my experience/skill.

[ccrxxx]

hi, its on a 1985 dont know what sort of clutch it is.

[basic]

Haven't lubed throttle cable 'cause I haven't yet figured out how to access it.

I find the easiest way is to take the 2 screws out of the right side grip. after that unscrew the holder from the lower half of the grip and take the end out of the actual grip. You can also get to it from the top of the carbs - loosen the nut that holds the bottom of the cable holder on all the way, take the top nut all the way up, and slide it out of the U shaped holder. then take the end out of the throttle valve assembly.

[ccrxxx]

went for a hour odd drive and got to a set of lights and no clutch tightened the cable on grip and its ok untill i come to stop again , no clutch tightened it again and manged to get home , just . i assume a new clutch is required.....?

[nert]

how long have you owned this bike? always have a clutch problem? Install new clutch. Install new clutch springs. I recommend quality OE springs. Avoid "heavy duty" springs. Heavy duty springs will make the clutch pull more difficult.

[chef1366]

Check #30 - 33. This is where you should try to adjust it. It may also be where your trouble is.