Clutch woes

[Conquistahore]

Hey all,

I've been reading up on a couple of the clutch threads and have some questions in regards to my bike. Today while out riding with some Distinguished Gentlemen, I had a hard time shifting into gear. A couple of times I locked up at traffic lights and the bike stalled. Eventually I was able to limp it home (and I mean LIMP) not really able to get out of 3rd and fourth gear. The clutch cable is a little loose also. The smell was pretty similar to burning bacon and I hope I didn't wreck anything else. The engine seems to run fine, it just won't shift. I generally work on the bike myself, but am not really sure where to begin with this project. Should I try replacing the friction plates first and go from there? I've thought about taking it to a shop, but if I can save some dough I'd be much happier.  Thanks,

Marc

[baird4444]

some will tell you you MUST have warped plates; some will say you MUST get the Barnett plates.....
start with the simple....
don't overlook the obvious....
is your riding habit to hold the clutch in at stop signs and signals???

adjust the clutch rod on the right side and then re-adjust the cable.
     - Mike

[mustangdave]

WE have a HALLAYLEWYAH moment here on the CLASSIC MODEL board...the clutch & friction plates were replaced...just about everything that could be thought of was checked out...cable slack was adjusted...push rod checked. ITS OFFICIAL!!! I can now drop it into NEUTRAL without stomping or bashing the gear lever. Changed out ALL internal fluids...will be ordering the UPGRADED clutch cable for the next "clutch event"... will be pondering the oil breather/catch can fix that Justin and I talked about for a project in the near future...the RE runs like a dream now.

[ace.cafe]

Congrats!

Baird444 has a good point above. If you want it to stay good, don't hold the clutch in during stoplights or at stop signs. Drop it into neutral at any stop, and just use the clutch for the shortest possible times to get it into gear, or shift.
These clutches do not hold up to having them held open for any length of time at all. Typical Brit clutch.

[mustangdave]

I've LEARNED the bit of wisdom...and now that it will consistently go into neutral all should be happiness. Will head out for a ride this afternoon.

[barenekd]

Rolling up to a light in neutral an actually be a lifesaver.
I was rolling up to a red light splitting traffic to the front of the line. I havea habit of shifting into neutral as I'm rolling up to the stop. As it were the roll was downhill and I shifted into neutral earlier than usual. When I was about halfway up between the front two cars, the light changed, so I grabbed a handful of throttle. The bike was in neutral and went nowhere. Had it been in gear, I would've out in the middle of the intersection getting creamed by the car that ran the red light at 60+ mph! 
Bare