Clutch lever play after crash?
  • mustangnut
    Posts: 22
    Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 11:04 am

    Clutch lever play after crash?

    by mustangnut » Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:22 am

    Well his first crash had to happen sooner or later. Just wish it wasn't on his 14th birthday, wasn't on pavement, and WAS while wearing the expensive protective gear I bought for him. Told him 1000 times not to ride in shorts and a tee shirt. Now he believes me. Road rash on knees, elbows, etc. will heal in time.

    As for his bike, it landed on the left side. Foot peg is trashed. The tip of the clutch lever is ground up pretty good, the black rubber boot covering the clutch handle bracket is toast, and the clutch lever now has a huge amount of up and down play. Will I have to replace the clutch lever bracket? Is there another possible source for all the extra play post-crash?
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    JimDirt
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    Re: Clutch lever play after crash?

    by JimDirt » Sun Jun 24, 2018 6:25 pm

    I am assuming that the perch was tight correct ??? , i always do a couple of wraps of the white plumbers tape , then install the perch , that way when the bike falls on the lever it gives and rolls on the bar , what i am guessing has happened is because (i am assuming i am correct with the diagnosis) the perch was tight , the force from the fall on the pavement has spread the gap in the perch where the lever goes into it

    What you could try is to take a pair of flat vice grips (they have rounded jaws and flat jaws , you want the flat one) , and put some tension on it (with the lever out of it) and then squeeze and see if it will close back up some , test the fit of the lever and see if it makes any difference , you might have to squeeze it a few times and go a little more each time , or if you have a bench vice you can do it there and see if it closes better than the vice grips , as it will give more leverage , be careful not to squeeze it too tight as you might snap it off , that is about the only possible way to get the lever tight again , otherwise you will have to either rely on some kind of shims , or as you mentioned , replace the perch ....................... , And hopefully your son learned his lesson about riding and protection , just tell him that you ALWAYS dress to crash , and never ride in shorts or flip-flops , unless he does not need his toes .... #-o .................. ;) , oh yea .... and scars are cool ....... not..... :--/
    2020 CRF450R
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    Weiser , Idaho
  • mustangnut
    Posts: 22
    Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2018 11:04 am

    Re: Clutch lever play after crash?

    by mustangnut » Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:31 am

    Yep, the perch was factory tight. Good idea on the tape! I'll do that this week to prevent this from happening again.

    I had hoped I could give it a little squeeze but wanted advice from others before trying.

    Hard lessons are the best lessons. Tried to tell him from my own painful experiences. But kids are kids (especially teenagers).
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    JimDirt
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    Re: Clutch lever play after crash?

    by JimDirt » Mon Jun 25, 2018 9:24 am

    Yea , we were all young and dumb and thought we knew more than the people telling us to be careful ...... but then again just because you get older , does not mean you learned any lessons , some of us didn't outgrow doing stupid stuff though :-~ , i will be 59 in Aug. , i did this on a MX track practicing for a race 3 days before my 57th B-Day , so age actually has nothing to do with common sense :-# , after doing that , and a heart attack a few months later and lung cancer a few months later , i am back on the bike doing stupid stuff .... so there's that #-o ... .......... Hopefully your son takes away a good lesson from it , and doesn't make the same mistakes , bikes are fun , but like anything "fun" it usually comes at a price ... :( when you make a mistake
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    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
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    Weiser , Idaho
  • mustangnut
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    Re: Clutch lever play after crash?

    by mustangnut » Mon Jun 25, 2018 3:36 pm

    I've ribbed him about it, but tried not to be too hard because I was "that kid" once. I purchased safety gear one piece at a time after a good injury of some sort.

    Wow that's some journey you've had! I've been questioning if I should buy myself a trail bike next year to chase him. Sounds like I'm the perfect age no matter what my age.
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    JimDirt
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    Re: Clutch lever play after crash?

    by JimDirt » Mon Jun 25, 2018 7:06 pm

    At/going on 59 , i still ride motocross , and trail ride , i have no plans on stopping anytime soon , i am still contemplating getting a new R/X after i pay my truck off in 3 years , i will be 62 , so your only limited by your will , i am left handed and that is my left hand that almost got tore off , it was basically a Ken Roczen injury , just he had 12 surgeries and the best Dr.'s , i had 1 surgery and need at least 2 more just to be able to hopefully close my hand all the way so i can hold on better , i take heart meds so i can ride , and a Inhaler so i can breath , and a customized wrist brace so i can hold on .....and my "trail bike" is a 450X :mrgreen: , just ride what your comfortable on , if its a trail bike or a MX bike , as long as your still riding , it doesn't really matter .... ;)

    Funny thing is , i have also broken my back 3 times and my neck is fused from C5-C6-C7 , and my wrist has given me the most trouble with riding of any of my other injuries ... go figure .... :-k , ..... the picture in my Sig (below and to the left) was just taken a few months ago , on my first track ride after cancer surgery
    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
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    Weiser , Idaho

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