The Hodaka Club Forum

When it comes to clutch engagement, if it is slipping & not going fully into gear, does that mean it needs more, or less spacers? I’m thinking Less, right? Victor

Have you checked your free play before digging into the shim stack? Fresh rebuild? Thinned out, worn plates/steels -> less shims.

Matt's advice is "spot on". If you find that you have even a trace of clutch lever freeplay at the engine (clutch cable removed) - then the shims are NOT causing the slipping (something else is). If you have NO freeplay at the lever on the engine, a prime symptom is indeed clutch slipping.

On another note, gear selection is dictated by the shifter mechanism and the control shaft and its components and the balls and gears of the countershaft, the clutch is not involved. Example, with the bike sitting on a box with the rear tire off the ground. You can shift through all gears IF you hand power rotate the rear wheel backward and forward - without operating the clutch. Indeed, this is one of the ways to diagnose shifter adjustment or wear issues.

Ed

PS: Of course, IF the clutch is dragging (not fully disengaging) and you are trying to shift with engine engine running and bike not moving . . . things can be difficult. That is because a dragging clutch never does relieve all of the "load" from the gears - so shifting is made difficult . . . and finding neutral is almost impossible.
Ed

Hey Captain, this reminds me of something I have meant to post but never did and it firs with this thread. This is an Ace 90/100 concern. While idling at a stop light, I find it difficult to "find neutral" with the engine running. Is this something that can be adjusted out, a natural tendency of the Hodaka transmission, or user error? It is not that big a deal having to maintain the clutch disengaged but it does occupy the left hand.

As mentioned, a dragging clutch will make it very hard to find neutral when the bike is not moving. A good oil made for motorcycle wet clutches can really help to reduce clutch drag. Finally, a semi-universal tip for motorcycle riders is to find neutral while still rolling (which is much easier to do), then when you do stop, you won't have to be pulling in the clutch lever for the duration of the stop.
Ed

No feel-able dragging, Captain, and the rolling into N maneuver is SOP here. I have to roll the bike back and forth a little bit and "search" to find N after I've braked to a stop with the clutch disengaged. Thank you, by the way.

side note ... its recommended that you keep your bike in gear at stop lights For safety, it is advisable to leave your bike in gear at the lights, at least until you have a couple of cars pulled up behind you to avoid a rear-ender.
The reasoning is that you are ready to take off in case the driver behind you (and sometimes the driver behind them!) doesn’t pull up in time.
Leaving the bike in gear in this crucial stage means you are ready to move away and avoid a rear-ender, which is one of the most common types of motorcycle accidents at intersections. Keep an eye on your mirrors for a vehicle about to rear-end you and plan where you can go in an emergency.
You should have your right foot on the rear brake and your left foot on the ground for a quick getaway.
Once the line-up of cars behind you is stationary, you can pop the bike into neutral if the traffic light sequence is long.

Great point!

I almost died that way on the Pasadena freeway. No, I wasn't on my Hodaka but a borrowed Honda 450. I had come to a sudden stop behind a backup in traffic, right behind a bumper. I heard the squealing tires behind me and banged the bike into first and lifted the front end up and launched it at the banking. I never looked back but could hear the mess unfolding where I had just been.

When I got back to Pasadena I found the bike wouldn't shift down. I had broken the shift finger claw. The owner was stoked that it was simple fix and that I was alive and his bike was not eight inches thick.

So, not only keep it in first but keep enough distance to the vehicle ahead to make a Plan B manoeuvre. Being on the best side to leave is another consideration.

Plan A is to have a Plan B.

Plan "A" is riding in the dirt. Plan "B" is not riding on pavement to the maximum extent possible.
(But that is only my plot. It may not fit the needs of others.)
Ed