Yamaha YBR Clutch Issue

PsychoPigeon

PsychoPigeon

PsychoPigeon

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20 Dec 2008
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1,380
On my Yamaha YBR I replaced the clutch clamp that holds the lever on to the handlebar, it was a bit tricky and I had to pull on the cable to get enough slack in order to get it through the new clamp and back into the lever, I wasn't too rough but it did require using all available slack which I assume was already being used. The cable is only 2 months old.

I get the lever back on the handlebar and tightened and what's happening is when I hold in the clutch the back wheel does not freely spin, it's very stiff but not completely locked so using the clutch does do something. I'm not sure if this is normal but I have not noticed before.
In first gear with the clutch held in engine on the back wheel spins pretty fast, I can't stop it with my hand. I've loosened the clutch cable and tightened it but neither makes a difference. Have I knackered the cable do you think, or is the back wheel not supposed to move too freely while holding the clutch?
 
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I don't know if it's a coincidence but the lights come on and when I press the ignition key the engine cranks really slow then eventually just gives up, like the battery is dead. Could this be clutch related too? (I took the bike out yesterday before working on the clutch and it was fine no warning signs that the battery was about to give up.)
 
brand new cable put on a month ago, but like I said to get the cable to go through the new clamp and into the lever again I did have to apply a little force
 
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I read up more on the back wheel not freely spinning while holding in the clutch and in gear, and it seems that it's common when the engine is cold because the oil hasn't been warmed up and flung off the clutch plates yet so there will be resistance. Tbh I can't remember the last time I moved the bike while it was cold and still in gear lol. I always leave it in neutral.

I've tightened up the cable quite a bit and haven't seen any difference so I presume the above is factual? Either that or the cable is completely done but to me I can see/feel the slack increase and decrease still.

If that is the case then it's the starting issue and figuring out if it's related to the clutch. Could it really be that the battery decided to pack up right after I had done work on the clutch but the day before showed no telltale signs? I did find some posts talking about the clutch switch, and if it isn't fully pushed into the lever that could be an issue but how would that effect whether the bike engine cranks or not? The bike engine won't crack even if it's in neutral.

*I just ordered a charger in the event the battery being flat is a coincidence
 
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Munchies said:
The clutch switch will stop it cranking if it's in gear, but shouldn't if the bike is in neutral, unless you've always had to pull the clutch in to get it to crank. Are you getting any noise or anything when you press the starter? Like a click from the starter relay or anything? Are the lights working, and do you have a multimeter to check the voltage across the battery terminals? Have you checked you haven't inadvertantly knocked the kill switch? Easy thing to do and miss / forget.

You starting issue sounds imo to not be related to your clutch thing, I would treat them as seperate issues.
Click to expand...

It won't start even if in neutral so I guess that is an indication that it is separate from the clutch. There's no kill switch on this YBR (2016). Lights come and stay on. When I push the starter the noise is a very slow crank which fades and then it gives up, it's not continuous like it was trying to spark (spark plug also quite new.) I did a 1500 mile trip a little over 2 weeks ago had no issues, and I've ridden the bike for 10 minute trips twice a week, so I guess it is plausible this 5 year old battery is struggling to stay active through periods of inactivity?
 
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Since my current battery is 5 years old I ordered a new one they're only £30, and the charger will help keep this new battery topped up through winter and beyond. I'll post if I run into further issues with the clutch once I get the bike running.

I'm a bit annoyed because before I went on my roadtrip I took the bike to my mechanic and mentioned to him to check the battery as it is relatively old, but he said there would be warning signs if it started to fail, but it just cut out so suddenly.
 
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My charger arrived, it was close to this number when I first hooked it up, maybe at 12.4v with 4 bars. Supposedly the YBR should be at 14v for optimal use but would being at 12.4v not be enough to crank over the engine?



I just got the bike started once it got to 13.4v. However there is a definite issue with the clutch it isn't engaging the engine I can switch into gear without using the throttle and it doesn't stall, it's like the clutch doesn't exist.
 
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I've tried tightening and loosening up from near the engine and by the lever and neither results in any bite coming from the clutch when in first gear. I can see the cable moving the mechanism and there is a slight change in engine noise when the clutch is held in, but there is no bite and the back wheel changes speed depending on what gear I'm in. So if I go into 2nd the wheel moves faster etc, but there is no slow down if I hold in the clutch.
 
The lever on the gearbox seems to be moving fine, there's no extra slack that the cable isn't picking up and it resets into its default position the cable isn't tugging on it. Is it possible I need to adjust the clutch from within the gearbox itself?
 
When you say lever you're talking about this gear shaft that the cable pulls right?


If so then yes, or at least it won't budge any further than where the cable is pulling it. And then I make sure it's back at its default position and not still slightly forward.
 
I'm a novice really, and the garage installed the current cable. And yes if I tighten the cable I do notice the gear lever moving further, and I've tried tightening the cable as much as I can just to test.

I've also tried to manually push the gearbox lever but as you say it's tough as nails. I think I may have to order a new clutch cable because I have nothing to compare it with, but before I do that I'm going to undo the cable from the handlebar lever since that's where the problem originated and I will check what effect that has on the gearbox.

Likewise with the cable feeling tuned and the clutch in the back wheel spins faster if I use the throttle, I don't know if that's normal either (on the centre stand)
 
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I got the clutch to stop engaging the engine to the point it does stall and there is bite (endlessly playing with the cable) but it still feels and sounds like the clutch isn't working correctly it needs a deeper look and hopefully just a new cable but if I keep using it as is my gut says I will damage the clutch plates.
Incidentally I took the bike out for a test run once I got it going, there's a small section of dual carriageway through town that has a roundabout, the car in the outside lane cut across the whole exit in a panic because their GPS was telling them to take the next exit and I went straight into their driver door and got dragged along his side until me and the bike got pushed over. I couldn't believe it, all I want to do is get the bike back to normal and it's one thing after another! So I'm booking it in with a garage I'll tell them about the clutch issues too while they assess and fix other damage.
 
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