86 400 XC Clutch adjustment

Just finished putting in a new clutch and was wondering about adjustment options. When I installed the clutch I torqued the spring bolts to about 10lbs (manual calls for 7.5 to 11) and even with the lever adjustment all the way out the clutch is slipping too much once the bike is running.

What are my adjustment options? Pull the cover and losses the spring bolts closer to 7.5? Anything else I can do?

The adjuster in the centre of the clutch

New clutch? Did you soak the fiber plates in fluid? Did you scuff up the metal plates woth scotchbright? Is the adjustment to the book? Chris

Plates got the treatment pre-install. Did not know about center adjust but see reference to specs in book now. Will pull cover and get that right. Just to double check, when they reference 2-5mm of play in the clutch arm the play should be measurable in the external arm that the clutch cable attaches too with the cable detached?

Thank you!

Yes at that arm.
https://hva-factory.com/files/husqvarna-workshop-manual-2-stroke-engine
page 20

Have you checked the "clutch pack adjustment" the Allen screw and 10 mm nut in the middle of the pressure.

The arm had about 10mm of play and I have it down to about 2-3 mm. Anyway to be sure that I have the adjustment right before putting everything back together? When I’m not touching the clutch I can’t move the rear tire in gear but as soon as I pull in the lever I can spin the wheel freely. I know in theory this is how things should work. Should it be that easy with the bike cold? I have never had the benefit of a new clutch and most of my bikes have always been a little hesitant to just roll along in gear when cold.

if there is not enough play in the center clutch pack adjustment screw, the clutch will slip. It should move freely and able to wiggle it up and down.
Grab the center Allen adjustment screw by the lock nut with your fingers, can you move it up and down, side to side ?

I agrre with Jim, but that movement should be miniscule, depending on where you like the clutch to engage with the lever. Then tighten the lock nut.

Once I have the right amount of play in the arm and after I tighten down the lock it for the center rod there is still a tiny bit of wiggle in that rod. Should the wiggle be there after the 10mm nut is tightened down?

Yes, a little wiggle room

Perfect, I think I have it as right as I am going to get it. Should have a little time this afternoon to get it back together and give it a test. Will report out on my success or lack thereof.

Really appreciate all of the help, great set of folks on this forum!

After I re-assembled everything I am now being cued back in to a problem I had the other day when I first tested the new clutch. When I first started the bike the other day everything fired up just fine, bike idled and was responsive when I gave gas. After I had the bike running for a few minutes I noticed that it would bog down when I was giving gas and then cut out.

Today when I went to test the clutch the bike started right up but would die almost immediately. After a few more tries the motor would run for a little less than a minute before eventually cutting out. Additionally, when kicking the bike over the return on the kickstart was particularly swift (to the point where I no longer felt comfortable trying with my penny loafers on for fear that my sole-and foot-would be split). It was dinner time anyway, so I gave up for the day.

(1) What could be causing the bogging issue? bike turns over and starts on almost every kick, fuel comes pouring out of the bottom of the float bowl when I take the plug out and leave the petcock on, and there seems to be gas moving through the fuel line freely.

(2) Why the uber swift return on the kickstart? I honestly did not keep track of whether it happened every kick and I do not recall it happening the other day (but can't be sure as I had actual riding boots on and was laser focused on the clutch issue), but it was happening often enough tonight where it made me think twice about giving it another go.

Is it kicking back? that's fairly common when the ignition timing is to far advanced. Have you checked ignition timing? Does it have a Motoplat ignition? or a SEM?

Yes, kicking back. I have a Motoplat Mini 6. I have not checked the timing and have never performed the procedure. Before the new clutch was installed I had the top end taken apart because the bike seized on me one day. The culprit ended up being a loose bolt behind the flywheel but it did not occur to me that the timing would get thrown off. Full disclosure, this is my first time doing any serious work on a motorcycle and I bought this particular bike as an opportunity to learn some new skills and, as an added bonus, finally own a big bore two stroke.

Any recommendations of where to buy the correct flywheel puller?

In my opinion , before you try kickstarting your bike again you should check out how your kick starter is set up , especially since you say that it is kicking back . Did you remove the kickstarter to remoce the clutch cover ? Or maybe a previous owner did . What some owners tend to do is to rotate the kickstarter to try and get a more complete kick to help it start easier but what that does is remove the play in the kick start mechanism to the point that if it kicks back , the pawl that contacts the starting gear under the clutch cover either can’t or doesn’t have enough time to release . This can result in some expensive broken parts that could include the left (clutch side ) center case . I believe there is a post about ‘timing’ of the kickstarter that you may want to find and watch . You should also check that all your grounds or earths are clean and corrosion free and i would recomend verifying with a good ohm meter .

I went through some growing pains with the kicker when I first acquired the bike. At the time the kicker was not wound at all (just sort of dangled there), not attached to the kicker shaft with a clip (probably because the cover was put on so it was pinching the shifter return spring and was not able to fully close), and the pawl looked liked someone had chewed on it. I replaced the pawl and made sure to follow the procedure outlined in the huskydoggg(?) video when I put it all back together. It worked perfectly for at least two dozen starts before I got into the situation I am in now. I did not remover the kicker mechanism in the cover when I removed it to work on the clutch.

Yes , i believe that’s the video i mentioned . Good that you found it . I might have a mini6 and puller to check the size for you unless someone else beats my to it .

I reached out to Phil at Husqvarna-Parts and supposed to have the right one on the way. Appreciate the help!

Recommendations on the best BTDC setting for this particular bike. I tried to look in the tech reference materials but cannot get any of the links to work.