Vicious Bandit clutch & other noob issues

[scary]

Hi peeps, I rode my recently acquired Bandit into work for the first time today and must have stalled a dozen times along the way. Its a long ride from Henderson into Auckland's CBD and I made the home run a bit longer by forgetting summat and having to double back. But even so, that's a lot of stalling! Is there something I can do to make the clutch bite a bit friendlier?

Also, what's the legality of lane splitting? I went past a cop today and am concerned I might be in imminent receipt of a ticket. Same goes for bus lanes on the NW.

Any help would be most gratefully received.
SC

[tigertim20]

hi.
yes, on the handlebars where the clutch lever is, you will see a large bolt type thing, you can wind that in and out to take up slack on the clutch lever.
If you follow the cable down to where it goes into the engine, you will see another adjuster - youll need two 12mm spanners to adjust this one, but the adjuster at the lever should be turnable with your fingers.
dont adjust it too much, or you might cause the clutch to slip.

Basically, yes, lane splitting is legal within certain parameters, but if you are still having that much difficulty in mastering smooth, consistent use of a function as basic as the clutch, I would suggest you focus on just riding the thing for now, and worry about that kinda stuff later on.

Good pics of your new steed?

[numbersixteen16]

Just ride the clutch excessively until you "know" your bike, same goes for cars. You need to know exactly where the biting point is, and every bike is different. Just dont ride the clutch for ages, I doubt it will last very long

[Tigadee]

Sounds like you let your clutch out too fast - God knows I've done it enough times in my first few [10?] rides!

Do this exercise:
Sit with your bike on level ground in first gear.
Leave off the throttle and just let the clutch out smoothly and slowly.
When the bike wants to start moving on its own, that's where you know you should be for any clutch work. It's called the 'Friction Zone'.
Do that at least ten times - you'll soon understand and get the hang of it.

[FJRider]

If there is no "slip" ... chances are good the clutch needs work. New clutch plates needed.

[scary]

Awesome, thanks for the input. Particularly TigerTim20. The clutch has virtually no room for slip at all to my {admittedly inexperienced) feel. There's a little bit where you haven't got enough traction to actually pull away and then its pretty much fully engaged!

I'll get my spanners and camera out & have a fettle.

[scary]

Okay, that is a million times better. Its still not as progressive as I'd have it if I designed the bike myself but at least I don't stall any more. The only problem is that the clutch lever has ~3cm of slack now. The adjuster on the handlebars doesn't help as it moves the bite point away from where I want it. I think the cable must have stretched. Can I shorten it?

Pic of my Steel Horse:

[tigertim20]

easier to just get a new cable altogether, they arent usually very much. normally a bit of fettling gets you pretty much the feeling you are after.
Have someone a bit more experienced take it round the block a few times and ask what they think before spending the coins though

[scary]

Okay dude, thanks for your help.

[tigertim20]

no problem!!!

[Coldrider]

Just make sure the clutch cable hasn't got a kink in it, and is well lubed, a free moving cable makes a world of difference.

[scary]

Just to follow up on this I took the bike in to Cycletreads at Takapuna to get it checked over professionally. New front brake pads and some expert clutch adjustment plus the check over cost me ~$200. I'm more than happy to fork out for the peace of mind I now have. The guys said the clutch cable looked fine and although the plates may be getting worn they still seem to be working okay so not to worry for the moment. Since then I've stalled on a couple of hill starts but I'm content that this is just a n00b issue that I am working on!