Forum bmwbike.com

I have a 1965 r69s that has a dragging clutch. If I attempt to adjust the clutch to avoid the dragging I have no success. I can adjust it to the point at which with the handle bar lever released there is so much tension that the clutch will now slip. But when I pull the handle all the way it is still not enough to prevent the clutch from dragging. A complete overhaul was done on this bike less than a 1000 miles ago and this problem devoloped after a long run. I can't believe that the clutch plates are warping as the clutch never took any abuse. The lever at the base of the transmission gets full throw. Now what? Any ideas? Please write.

Maybe the tapered tip of the clutch actuating rod is worn down so much that it will not push the clutch apart. This is the rod that runs through the hollow center of transmisison's input shaft, and is actuated by the lever behind the transmission.

Or perhaps you have the kind of clutch parts wehre there is no gap between the spacer ring and the backing plate. Without that gap, clutch dust cannot escape and it accumulates behind the diaphragm plate. When enough dust becomes packed behind the plate, the plate cannot flex and the clutch will not disengage.

I think the oldest /2s had their backing plate and spacer ring as separate parts, where the spacer ring was smaller in diameter than the plate and used tabs to attach to the plate. The dust escaped in the gap between the two diameters. Later /2s had separate parts of the same diameter, which trapped dust. And the third and latest design economically incorporated the spacer ring into the backing plate as a raised edge, which also trapped dust.

Peter,

Following on from what Allan rightly says, when the pushrod wears through the pressure plate the release bearing shoulder touches the mainshaft rear bearing, preventing it moving forward. I have come across that problem several times and it can be rectified, but it will mean removing the clutch again.

The pushrod should not protrude through the back of the pressure plate. If it does, drill out the hole, tap it, and screw in an allen-headed bolt. Weld the reverse side to prevent it turning. Use a large diameter drill to form a countersink in the bolt head as a new bearing surface and location for the pushrod tip.

It does seem rather unlikely that enough dust would have built up to cause drag so soon after a rebuild.