2000 750 -- Engine or clutch issues?

[Londob5]

Ok, so heres the latest from the 750 from NYC (its a 2000 750 w/10k miles on it):

I checked the plugs and realized that they were fouled so I replaced them.
I ran half a tankful of gas with a little seafoam through it.
I got it to finally idle between about 1100-1200.

However, the issues are as follows:
When I put it into 1st gear, I need to let the clutch out almost the entire way before it grabs. Also, when I go to shift gears, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Also, it gives a weird chugging and then stalls sometimes...as if it were misfiring.
Are all of these issues from the clutch possibly not being set up properly; i.e. do I need to change the settings on the clutch cable?
If that is the correct answer, can someone point me to where I can find how to do that, as I have never set up a clutch cable myself, and don't want to F it up worse than it is...

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanx!

[md86]

Clutch should have just a few mm's of play . Look where the base of the lever contacts the mounting bracket . That little gap that opens when you start to pull the lever . Catching at almost all the way out is fine , so long as the clutch ain't slippin . There's a write-up on how to adjust the clutch SOMEWHERE . Not just from the lever , but at the sprocket cover end as well .

[Londob5]

Thanks dude. I'll check it out tomorrow!

[steves]

I would adjust the cable.

[Cheriff]

I believe it is HS2020 that wrote the how-to instructions for the clutch cable (in case that helps you find it).

[GregS]

I would suspect that the "weird chugging" and "stalling" is not related to your clutch.

[The CyberPoet]

I got it to finally idle between about 1100-1200.

Set the idle to 1250-1300, warm, once you get it warmed up.

The chugging could be from old fuel (even new fuel partially evaporated from a bike parked off hot) and engine temp, if it clears up after about 5 minutes and a mile of running. A higher idle will help clear it faster, as will more turns on the pilot jets (2-5/8ths is a good setting).

When I put it into 1st gear, I need to let the clutch out almost the entire way before it grabs.

Turn the adjuster at the clutch lever pivot to change the interaction zone. The only time you need to adjust it at the other end is if this end doesn't provide you enough adjustment or you're replacing the cable.

Also, when I go to shift gears, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't.

Are you giving it hard, fast "snicks" into gear? Unlike cars, bikes reward fast, clean shifting action with your foot -- shifting slowly, like you might in a car, can damage the transmission by allowing the gears to dance across each other (tearing up their metals and potentially bending the shift-forks as you put more pressure on the fork after the gears are already dancing like that).

Also, it gives a weird chugging and then stalls sometimes...as if it were misfiring.

Does it do this if the bike is warm and has been ridden for a mile or so? A cold engine with cold oil and partially evaporated fuel needs to burn through the gas in the carbs (in order to get "fresh gas" from the tank); if the problem disappears once it gets to the fresh gas, it's not a transmission issue in general (not to say you don't have tranny/clutch issues, just to say that the chugging isn't specifically related to it).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Londob5]

It happened about 1/4 - 1/2 mile into the trip. I was just going around the block basically. It must have stalled about 8-9 times before I could get it to run reasonably well in gear. It was like there was water in the gas tank, but I thought I took care of that with seafoam. I'm trying to do whatever I can to keep from having to take the carbs out and clean them.

As for the choke cable, I'll look at it tonight and see what I can figure out.

btw, thanks for the hint on the clutch adjustment writeup...this is it!!!!

http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=64698&highlight=clutch+adjustment

[The CyberPoet]

It happened about 1/4 - 1/2 mile into the trip. I was just going around the block basically. It must have stalled about 8-9 times before I could get it to run reasonably well in gear. It was like there was water in the gas tank, but I thought I took care of that with seafoam.

OK, as far as I am aware, seafoam does not clear water in any sense. To clear water, you need a specific dryer, such as EthanolRx, etc.

If the bike hasn't run in a while, my procedure is to put it on the centerstand, get it started, then as soon as I can get it to run without choke, put it in gear (still on the centerstand) and let the chain/rear wheel act as an additional flywheel to help it keep turning over until it burns through all the garbage (four to five minutes, typically for an bike with good fuel but bad fuel in the carbs).

If you don't want to clean the carbs manually, you need to start with known-good high detergent fuel (Chevron, Shell, BP), and a cleaning regiment of additives that make sense to your particular situation. Techron for dried fuel residues in the carbs is my particular recommendation, as always.

Start by draining the old fuel+water manually -- take a long bit of fuel line, put one end on the bike's petcock, the other into a gas container, then move the petcock to prime and let the tank drain out. You can examine the drained product for water content...
At this point, you can manually empty the rest of the tank (unbolt the tank & petcock, rotate the tank to get what's left as viable), and/or use chemistry to do the same job (fresh fuel with a water-remover/dryer agent added to it to get the water out or change it into a burnable compound).

Fresh fuel with the techron, and miles on the bike to run it through the carbs continuously -- you're not going to clear months of fuel residues in a matter of minutes; it going to take an hour or two of driving at minimum (couple tankfuls for a bike that's been sitting 6 months+ to really clear it).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet