Rekluse on 2001 yz426 Working as Intended?

[unliketea]

Just bought my first dirtbike a few days ago. Some neighbors of mine have been riding for a while and I finally decided I needed to get in on the action.

Found a 2001 yz426f with rekluse z-start pro and high compression piston (13:1) for $1400. My buddies have never used a rekluse clutch before so weren't sure about how it should act. So hopefully you guys do!

- When not running I have some drag (not a whole lot) while in gear, I can still roll it pretty easily. Neutral rolls freely

- When running I can brake to a stop in 1st without stalling, however, it will pull away (pretty quickly) if I release the brake.

- When running Won't shift from 1st to neutral when stopped

- When running or not running, Clutch lever is still attached, it doesn't appear to disengage the clutch ... ever (this one I'm pretty sure is NOT working as intended).

On the third point, I've tried adjusting the clutch cable and lever to provide more "pull" on the clutch (hoping it would disengage) to no avail.

Any ideas? Is this working as intended?

Edited April 29, 2011 by unliketea

[Gunner354]

Just bought my first dirtbike a few days ago. Some neighbors of mine have been riding for a while and I finally decided I needed to get in on the action.

Found a 2001 yz426f with rekluse z-start pro and high compression piston (13:1) for $1400. My buddies have never used a rekluse clutch before so weren't sure about how it should act. So hopefully you guys do!

- When not running I have some drag (not a whole lot) while in gear, I can still roll it pretty easily. Neutral rolls freely

- When running I can brake to a stop in 1st without stalling, however, it will pull away (pretty quickly) if I release the brake.

- When running Won't shift from 1st to neutral when stopped

- When running or not running, Clutch lever is still attached, it doesn't appear to disengage the clutch ... ever (this one I'm pretty sure is NOT working as intended).

On the third point, I've tried adjusting the clutch cable and lever to provide more "pull" on the clutch (hoping it would disengage) to no avail.

Any ideas? Is this working as intended?

-it is normal to have some slight drag while in gear and not running.

- The clutch lever should disengage when pulled in. It is critical that you adjust the clutch lever while the motor is running and in neutral and the motor is revved to about 5k rpm's. This is all on the Rekluse website. If you don't do it this way and you will not have slack in cable and you will fry the clutch quickly. Another problem is that the installed gap appears to be to be to tight. I would check the gap as per Rekluse. Should not be below 30 k.

[unliketea]

Thanks!

Since I'm hoping to ride it tomorrow, If I removed the clutch cable all together before riding would I be safe from hurting the clutch?

I'll look into adjusting the gap ...but again I don't think I'll have time before our planned outting ... is not adjusting the gap going to hurt things short term?

Really appreciate the insight here.

[grayracer513]

1. - When not running I have some drag (not a whole lot) while in gear, I can still roll it pretty easily. Neutral rolls freely
   
2. - When running I can brake to a stop in 1st without stalling, however, it will pull away (pretty quickly) if I release the brake.
   
3. - When running Won't shift from 1st to neutral when stopped
   
4. - When running or not running, Clutch lever is still attached, it doesn't appear to disengage the clutch ... ever (this one I'm pretty sure is NOT working as intended).
   

1 is pretty normal

On 2, if you mean that you simply release the brake without touching the gas, then either your idle speed is too high, or your engagement point is too low. More on that in a second.

3 is being caused by whatever is causing 2. You can't expect to find neutral with that kind of drag happening.

4 is a little weird, even when it's right. The Z-Start Pro at idle or at rest is disengaged already, so there is an almost complete lack of tension on the lever. When the engine is revved up to around 3000, the clutch should be completely engaged, and you are supposed to adjust it so that the cable has about 3/8" of play at that speed. At speed, the clutch should feel more like normal, but it will still be pretty light. Your release arm/push rods could be incorrectly assembled, and the installed gap (see the Rekluse manual) could be wrong.

The Rekluse ZSP allows you to adjust two facets of its operation; the speed at which it engages (engagement point) and how smoothly or abruptly it engages (engagement rate). The engagement point is controlled by the springs you choose to install, and the rate is controlled by the number of balls installed on the centrifugal pressure plate.

Rekluse has manuals available for download at: http://rekluse.com/ormanuals.shtml . Be sure to select your 426 from the list and choose the manual or tuning chart for the Z-Start Pro, and not the Z-Start.

Bear in mind that it's possible there could be a more basic reason for the clutch to drag that hard, like warped plates, etc., that would affect a normal clutch, but if it rolls OK in gear with the engine off, I don't think I'd start there.

[unliketea]

Thanks for the link to the manuals ... I was just looking for them.

[unliketea]

Thanks for the advice. It turned out to be that the idle was just too high which was causing it to pull in gear.

After some fiddling with the clutch cable ... I'm also able to disengage the clutch as per norm while leaving some slack (1/2") as Rekluse requires... Things seem in pretty good shape for my first ride tomorrow! Thanks for the help!

[Gunner354]

Thanks for the advice. It turned out to be that the idle was just too high which was causing it to pull in gear.

After some fiddling with the clutch cable ... I'm also able to disengage the clutch as per norm while leaving some slack (1/2") as Rekluse requires... Things seem in pretty good shape for my first ride tomorrow! Thanks for the help!

Glad you got it figured out. If your like 99.99% of people that have a Rekluse you will never again own a dirtbike without one.