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1978 gs1000 clutch not engaging after rebuild

What about with the engine off? Without even using the clutch lever, does it go into gear?
 
rphillips said:
I'm getting confused... with the end of the little arm, where the cable is attached, pushed in toward the middle of the bike, you should not have power to the rear wheel. With the little arm pulled out, as far as it will go, without the cable holding it at all (needs some slack in there) there should be power to the rear wheel... How are you checking things? Do you have the bike up on the center stand and the rear wheel up off the ground?
Click to expand...

I just have the bike on it’s kickstand with my hand in the brakes haha
 
IMG_4540.jpg I feel like I’ve reached the point where it isn’t the cable and it’s something inside the clutch. I’m going to take the pressure plate off and make sure it’s all good. I used all Suzuki parts for the rebuild. Does anyone have a picture of how this part is supposed to be placed?
 

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Since it was not running when you bought it, we really can't rule anything out. I was going to suggest it might not be the clutch at all. Does the gear shift lever feel proper with the engine on and off?

Are you saying that with the engine running, nothing you do with the gear shift lever makes any difference?
 
Rob S. said:
Since it was not running when you bought it, we really can't rule anything out. I was going to suggest it might not be the clutch at all. Does the gear shift lever feel proper with the engine on and off?

Are you saying that with the engine running, nothing you do with the gear shift lever makes any difference?
Click to expand...

When I first got it I took it to a mechanic for new tires and change the handlebars back to stock. They said it was good to go(they didn’t test ride it). I rode it maybe 100 yards before I heard a clack and grinding noises then the bike stopped moving forward but the grinding sound continued. I shut it off and had it towed back to my house. The mechanic said it was probably two fiber plates stuck together from the bike sitting, but they didn’t have a mechanic that knew how to rebuild the clutch. Took the clutch cover off and found out it was multiple broken friction plates.
The shift lever seems to move between the gears smoothly, there’s an audible click in between each gear and doesn’t seem to hang up. That is correct, when the engine is on the gear shift does not make a difference, there isn’t even a change in RPMs.
 
Wow, I don't know where you brought it too, but doing clutches is really easy. I would not go back there. Disassemble the clutch and plates, take pictures at each step. Get a Factory Manual. Then reassembly the clutch assembly (barring there are no chunks of metal in there. The side cover has to come off.

Normally, I would just say, take the clutch lever off (on the engine), and let it go into it's rest position, the remount, and it should pull back in. Usually the clutches have a set screw for the rod, but this may be different from my bike. Take it apart, fix it right, there's a lot of riding time left. ;)
 
Blue_magician said:
When I first got it I took it to a mechanic for new tires and ……..The mechanic said it was probably two fiber plates stuck together from the bike sitting, but they didn’t have a mechanic that knew how to rebuild the clutch.
Click to expand...

 
Suzukian said:
Wow, I don't know where you brought it too, but doing clutches is really easy. I would not go back there. Disassemble the clutch and plates, take pictures at each step. Get a Factory Manual. Then reassembly the clutch assembly (barring there are no chunks of metal in there. The side cover has to come off.

Normally, I would just say, take the clutch lever off (on the engine), and let it go into its rest position, the remount, and it should pull back in. Usually the clutches have a set screw for the rod, but this may be different from my bike. Take it apart, fix it right, there's a lot of riding time left. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah I’m not going back there, those guys were soup sandwiches. I got all the bits out and rebuild the clutch with new Suzuki clutch hub, springs, steels, and fibers. The problem is I thought that would fix it but the bike doesn’t want to move. Idles like a champ though haha.
 
Blue_magician said:
I feel like I’ve reached the point where it isn’t the cable and it’s something inside the clutch. I’m going to take the pressure plate off and make sure it’s all good. I used all Suzuki parts for the rebuild. Does anyone have a picture of how this part is supposed to be placed?
Click to expand...

No picture, but the bearings face the base (T) of the clutch pull
 
Clack and grinding noises don't sound good, and from what I've been around maybe not clutch. Just wondering, is there room for maybe the front, countershaft, sprocket to slip out enough to disengage, that could make a clunking grinding sound and act if in neutral. Those clutches are so simple, hard to do them wrong enough they won't engage at all.
 
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Did this ever get fixed?

I blow my clutch plates out often on my 1000 - I use cheap ones because of the weak clutch basket and my right wrist :-)
 
Checking the gear side? If you're taking the clutch cover off, the inner and outer clutch hubs should seem glued or locked together. If you can turn either at all, without the other turning the same amount, something in the clutch isn't right. If you have access to a center stand, this stuff would much easier to try to figure out.
 
rphillips said:
Checking the gear side? If you're taking the clutch cover off, the inner and outer clutch hubs should seem glued or locked together. If you can turn either at all, without the other turning the same amount, something in the clutch isn't right. If you have access to a center stand, this stuff would much easier to try to figure out.
Click to expand...

I wish this bike still had its center stand, I have it on a motorcycle table lift. I’ll get a motorcycle jack stand for it tomorrow.
I feel like they were locked together. I remember putting the bike into first gear to torque down the friction plate or else the clutch would rotate, but in first gear the clutch was locked in place allowing me to torque the friction plate bolts. I used that clutch tool to torque down the clutch hub nut.
 
I have run tie down straps off of the rafters in my barn to get the bike hanging at a nice altitude so I don't have to bend over to fix it. Just get one end up, then the other. I used very high quality tie down straps. I had the front end off, and the front of the bike pointing to the ceiling, when I had to drill and tap, then Heli-Coil all the broken exhaust studs out. :)
 
I got the rear tire off the ground yesterday, put it in first and from the resistance of the tire moving it’s in gear. So the bike goes in gear it must be a clutch issue
 
Not necessarily, it means that when the clutch is engaged, the gears aren't moving. When it's in Neutral, the rear wheel should spin, if the clutch is working properly, If you have a bad gear, then the clutch won't move.

If you took it apart, remove the spark plugs, you should be able to turn the whole thing over by spinning the clutch basket. That will tell you if the drive line is O.K.. You could put a wrench on the crank too, that will turn over the engine, and you should see the clutch basket move, and be able to shift through the gears.. I say to remove the spark plugs as that will make it much easier to spin. Once you can, or can't go through all the gears, then you will know where problem is. :).
 
I wonder if the gear pawl behind the clutch basket is aligned correctly or maybe the notches in the back of the clutch basket aren't properly engaged to oil pump drive gear.
 
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