Clutch Won't Disengage, GS850

[zasz62]

Hey y'all,

New rider here--I bought myself a project in the form of a 1982 Suzuki GS850G. It's got a number of... quirks... but the most pressing thing to me right now is the clutch.

 

The bike starts right up and idles fine for a bit (for the most part, I need to clean my carb jets I'm sure because it bogs down and dies after a while). When I bought it, there was a lot of slack in the clutch cable and lever / handle so I bought a new cable and adjusters, and used the stock routing during install to avoid any issues.

Clutch safety switch has been bypassed because I had to clamp down really hard on the clutch lever to start the bike. Side stand safety switch seems irrelevant because the bike starts up with it down or up. When it's off, bike shifts through all gears smoothly (with the occasional rocking backward or forward), but when I start it in neutral and then downshift to first gear with the clutch lever in, the bike lurches forward like I let go of the lever entirely.

 

My experience with cars tells me that somehow the clutch isn't being disengaged at the clutch lever or clutch arm, except both are moving properly and are properly installed and tensioned.

From what I've read about bikes, clutch plates sticking with old or cold oil (shared sump with these bikes?) is another culprit, as well as worn plates or a worn basket.

 

Before I tear open the transmission and mess with the pressure plate lock nut, I was wondering if any of y'all think I should try opening up the throttle a bit more with the rear brake on while shifting into first, to see if that frees up the plates.

 

Any advice would be very appreciated for this newbie!

 

Solidarity.

[TonyGee]

your clutch plates are stuck together,  fire the bike up and push it then jump on, with the clutch lever pulled in put it in gear. then just get on and of the throttle lightly till they break loose, keep the lever pulled in though. 

[cnap504]

41 minutes ago, TonyGee said:

your clutch plates are stuck together,  fire the bike up and push it then jump on, with the clutch lever pulled in put it in gear. then just get on and of the throttle lightly till they break loose, keep the lever pulled in though. 

I learned this method for dirt bikes that weren’t ridden often so the clutch plates would stick.  Start it in neutral push the bike jump on with clutch pulled in put it in gear with clutch lever still pulled in and ride it. The clutch should free up.  Ride it in a no obstacle or no traffic area, if the clutch doesn’t free up quickly, stopping could be awkward 

[TonyGee]

37 minutes ago, cnap504 said:

I learned this method for dirt bikes that weren’t ridden often so the clutch plates would stick.  Start it in neutral push the bike jump on with clutch pulled in put it in gear with clutch lever still pulled in and ride it. The clutch should free up.  Ride it in a no obstacle or no traffic area, if the clutch doesn’t free up quickly, stopping could be awkward 

every time ive done it its worked fine, just don't be to agresive on the throttle   

[zasz62]

1 hour ago, TonyGee said:

every time ive done it its worked fine, just don't be to agresive on the throttle   

Awesome, thanks a bunch--

Will try it out in a few and get back to you with results!

[Poldark]

If the above advice doesn't work, check the clutch release bearing.  Mine failed a few months ago on my GS(X)750 while on a group ride.  By the time I got home, it had worn a groove in the release plate.  Good that I had a spare.  Not a difficult job to do.  Bearing is available from dealer, not expensive.