Hitchcocks Forum

Dear REOC members,

Apologies for the dramatic subject but I am at my wits end.

it's a 2000 indian bullet 35000 miles.

I have followed every bit of advice regarding clutch slippage, but none seem to work.

Here goes:

I've adjusted the handle and middle cable adjusters incessantly in accordance to the requirements. (slacken cables, turn clutch rod screw in until resistance felt and then 1/2 turn off)
Then, changed clutch plates,
changed oil to ATF
Changed clutch spring to 6 stiffer springs ( hand hurts)
then changed clutch cable

Readjusted everything, still slips on acceleration.

I am reluctant to change to the 5 clutch plate mod as it didn't slip when i fist bought the bike.

What am i missing?

Apologies if this has been covered in a previous article but i couldn't find any new information on it.

I feel im missing a big piece of the puzzle.

Also, when i bought the bike it didn't have the hand lever adjuster. but now has, seems to make little difference without, as i can compensate on the centre cable adjuster.

If i slacken the clutch of considerably or even the point of the 5mm gap between clutch lever and housing, it wont go into fist gear or finding neutral is a nogo.

Any help hugely appreciated.

Louis

When i bought the

Louis the clutch problem has been discussed, actually since they started building Enfields so you must have missed it somewhere. They were borderline from new and as they get older things don't get better.Sometimes on these bastard clutches I spend a million hours trying to get them working and I'm afraid that here I can be of little help because there is no magic bullet fix. 5 plate clutch mod will not improve things, 6 heavy springs will only hurt your hand. In most cases slipping clutch is because the clutch is over adjusted and the rod is starting to lift the plates. Problem is the whole thing is a bad design that should have been binned in the early fifties but we continue to try using them.With the outer cover removed how much rod do you have protuding through the bearing cap? Grind 3mm out of the clutch lever perch for starters. The Hitchcocks bearing push pad also helps, slightly. The outer cover strengthener also helps with reducing cover flex. This also helps slightly but every slight bit of help adds up. They are fixable but they have to be close to the worst clutch ever made. From memory for every 3mm of cable travel you only get .4mm movement on the rod. Hope this helps

Hello LOUISURF}--------- frustrating , aren't they ?? As NORM says, the design dates from the 1950s'and should really have stayed there !! But it didn't, so lets' see if we can isolate the AREA in which this fault is occurring ??... Try this (if it's possible for you to do so)}---------Go to an out-of-the-way road with little or no traffic............Whilst driving in 1st gear use that handlebar adjuster to FULLY SLACKEN OFF the cable so it's all floppy and no possible chance of the clutch push-rod etc. being in contact with the mechanism..... NOW, accelerate hard for a short distance,( do this a couple of times)--- then adjust the cable back to normal -----and come to a safe stop........During that acceleration did the clutch slip ?? YES or NO ?? --- If YES then the problem lies within the clutch assy. itself (as there was no rod etc. pushing on the clutch)--- If NO then the problem is within the actuating system.....In that case you might try adding another ball between the rods inside the mainshaft and reduce one of the rods by that balls diameter...................... The idea of those balls in there is to reduce the length of the actuating rods and thus their tendency to flex or warp......Choose a dry day !!! ps}---When checking old / fitting new clutch plates ALWAYS pop each one on a surface plate and look for FLATNESS on both sides.. Do this with DRY plates.. ( A piece of glass, an engineers surface plate, a granite kitchen chopping block etc. are ideal)

Louis, One thing you need to prove is with the rod adjusted off so it isn't puting any load on the pressure plate, and the cable backed off, try kicking it over and if the clutch doesn't slip it should be ok on the road. If this is the case the problem will be an adjustment problem either with the rod adjuster or the cable. If it does slip there is something wrong in the clutch plate area. How much compression is left on the clutch springs before they bottom out? Are the plates in the correct order. The inner steel plate has the dish facing towards you?

Norm and Alan R are the experts but I can add my own experience with a 2004 4 speed classic. On buying it second hand but only 1000 miles it dragged and slipped. So, in with new 5 plate upgrade, pressure pad, cover stiffener, ATF in the primary case and a new clutch cable that was also lubed. It does not slip at all now and there is some residual drag between 3rd and 2nd but with use it is now nominal. The bastard still delivers a false neutral now and again however firm and purposeful gear engagement helps. AS Norm says every bit does help. I should point out, you should have 3 stiff and 3 softer springs, not 6 stiff ones.

I found my problems were at the fit of the inner cluch hubs fit on the splined shaft , my cluch center was past it's normal point on the shaft so my main shaft nut was not it's end , so the nut felt tight but the clutch center was past it's point , look at this splined shaft fit . I bought a new clutch center with new spring washer and a new nylock nut (they dont grip after a while ) .
My clutch has been transformed and my need for stiffer springs halved so now I only have 3 yellow paint springs , a ball in the middle of the 2 shafts with a new adjuster screw with ball and I de-burred all my steel plated. I now have a very light clutch lever with smooth action that does not slip . When the clutch center goes past it's stop point on the mainshaft you will get problems , by design it's a weak point , genuine clutch centers are not cheap but they Will Work Loose if not checked . When I have the cash I would get the belt drive kit with a dry clutch and be done with all the hassle .

Hello Norm, Alan R, sophiaspin and Phil Ashbrook.

Lots to concentrate on there. Hugely appreciate the feedback, I'm going to work through it with 1950 performance in mind and try to get the best out of the technology with my limited capabilities.

Aside from that, reading your replies fills me with that perverse sort of excitement when i know i have to get stuck back into the nitty gritty. Despite the old technology, it's still great fun to work with.

I will update with my findings.

All the best and a huge thankyou again.