Vintage Privateer Smoker (RD350 Race Bike)
- Thread starter TurdFurguson
- Start date
CarbsAndCylinders
Careful With That Axe Eugene
Gorgeous!
Alright, still need some help, this damn clutch... Take a look at this video, my clutch just isn't disengaging all the way. It's pretty stiff even after lubeing the cable well. This is all the movement it has, it's not fully engaged, but it's enough that it pulls forward and it can't idle. Think the bushing could be bad? It's been this way for awhile but i figured once it was full of oil it would be fine. Any other ideas? Needs to be on a trailer tomorrow!https://vimeo.com/185738736
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You need to thread it in at a certain spot, otherwise it won't work. Try taking it out and running it in one thread back from where you are now. So like if you start it in at 12 o'clock go to 11 o'clock and start there.
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clem said:
The lever is in there in the right position, was talking with Neil last night and he things there's an extra clutch plate or something in the basket. Gonna drain it and pull the side of the motor off this morning and take a third look
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Can you hear the clutch pressure plate hitting the cover when you actuate it? I had this same issue but mine was hitting on the o ring chain that was on an offset sprocket haha. Definitely not what you have going on.
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There is not enough rotation of the throw out mechanism in your video. Take the cover off or loosen it up a lot and see that the cable and lever will actually rotate the crank arm I'd guess nearly 30 degrees. You should be able to take the cover off the engine and see the amount of horizontal motion the throw out mechanism has. Hold the cover so you are looking at the mechanism from the bottom (like you were looking straight up from the floor if it was installed) and while holding the cable in place manually operate the clutch lever. You should plainly see the throw out move about 1/8" straight toward where the push rod would align. If it doesn't, you'll have to figure out why. The spiral cam can wear, but your video looks like the cable is not turning the crank far enough. That could be because there is a mechanical problem with the clutch itself, but pull the cover off first and make sure the throw out mechanism has enough travel first because it is easier to check. It is unlikely that you have extra plates in your clutch, but it could cause the springs to bind if there were. I think there are 7 friction plates and 6 steel plates, but that is just from memory. Regardless, I don't think it is possible to have the wrong number unless it is a single steel plate because one pair less and the stack will obviously be loose, and an extra pair will not allow the pressure plate to go on without binding the springs. The first and last plates are friction plates and the steel plates only go in between two friction plates. If you think the lever, cable, and throw out mechanism are ok, put all that back together and take off the right side cover and watch the pressure plate as you operate the clutch lever. If you don't see something like an obvious 1/16" ish motion, try loosening all the pressure plate bolts (the ones with the springs under them). Loosen them up evenly. If that allows more motion, the plate stack is too thick for some reason causing the springs to bind when you try to engage the clutch.
+1. Start under the left cover and see if it rotates enough and lifts enough when it's off. Or just loosen all the mounting screws on that side by 6mm or so and see if it now rotates enough.
Excessive force on the clutch lever could be poor routing or is could be an indication of excessive spring pressure. Pop the clutch cover off and check the springs as a well as number of plates. Are they stock or aftermarket?
Excessive force on the clutch lever could be poor routing or is could be an indication of excessive spring pressure. Pop the clutch cover off and check the springs as a well as number of plates. Are they stock or aftermarket?
So, seems everything is working fairly well, it's getting hot and the pipes have already blued. I've got a 37.5 slow jet in there, with the needle on the 5th clip and the air screw only 1 turn out. Unfortunately I never thought I would need bigger than a 37.5. No one around has one, hopefully I can find one down at barber and try swapping it. Clutch is great now too.
https://vimeo.com/185846723
I did some mild porting on it myself, the bottom rpm range is smooth and normal feeling, once you hit about the top 2/3 it hits quick and takes off like a crazy fuck. Honestly scared the shit out of me.
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https://vimeo.com/185846723
I did some mild porting on it myself, the bottom rpm range is smooth and normal feeling, once you hit about the top 2/3 it hits quick and takes off like a crazy fuck. Honestly scared the shit out of me.
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Damn that's big, it's got 200s in there right now. Think I have sizes up to 250
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jpmobius said:
Think I should go to like a 240 and up the needle 2 slots and maybe start from there? Maybe even 250 to be safe
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Unless you are in the same location as JP going by his specs may be off with altitude, humidity and temperature. I know that my bike will run slightly different up at Barbers this weekend.
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Yeah, but 200 vs 260 isn't just tuning for altitude/temp. If it needs to be close to that big I'm going to burn my up tuning it until I get there is my concern.
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Right, that's what I thought - pretty big for the degree of alterations to the motor. I think IIRC I started with #230's thinking it would be way rich but it turned out to be anything but. I kept going bigger and was quite surprised how much fuel it needed, but - just when you think you know what you're doing . . . Anyway the thing ran great - very smooth and fast considering the tune. Really like those pipes both for looks and power - I got the stainless more horizontal version - those pipes make the big power at a higher rpm than I would have preferred. Very hard on the crank. I always have the same process for jetting. If it starts and idles without a lot of trouble I leave it as is and go straight to the mains. Always start high (well at least that is the intent) on the mains and work down until the thing runs fast and doesn't get too hot. I leave the needle in the middle clip position unless it's drivability is so bad I just have to do something. The needle doesn't impact the max wide open power so there is no sense in fooling with it until you get the mains right. Sometimes I'll tinker with the ignition timing. I usually do some plug chops just to verify - I always cut up my plugs to get a really good look. Once the mains are good and I like the timing I forget about both. Depending on where the air screw is and off idle rev up I set the pilot jet. Once I get that working I start fooling around with needles and needle jets. I personally have not found a need to change the slide cut away on RD's. It is a pretty common sense process. I can not over state the absolute necessity of working on the mains and spark advance at wide open max power rpm to the exclusion of all else FIRST!!! Once the mains are right, NEVER CHANGE THEM AGAIN!! It is all too easy to want to improve drivability by adjusting the mains. DON"T DO IT! You'll get you bike to drive along great, but the first time you try keeping up with a faster bike you might find yourself shopping for a new top end because the mains were too small and/or you have too much advance. Fix your drivability issues with the needles and needle jets and pilot system.
clem said:
I totally agree, but two years ago when I took one of my RD's up to Deals Gap and Barber, it ran fine - a little rich, but not as bad as I thought it might. I brought jets but didn't fool around with them. That bike has 34mm carbs, VERY wide ports along with a lot of pretty much everything for an air cooled RD motor and needs every bit of the #270 (#280 in winter - FLorida sea level = lots of oxygen) main jets. Always err on the rich side and conservative advance. Just a little too warm and . . . .
