Cheap, easy, fix for clutch lever switch

[frankd]

Since I've owned my 89 (5 years) I've been putting up with the clutch lever not returning all the way, so I've had to manually push it all the way out to get the cruise control to work. Then I had to hold it out with my finger to keep the cruise control working when I hit a bump (and in Illinois there are a lot of bumps!) I'd replaced the brass insert, but that only helped slightly. Then I noticed that there was a small spring that was supposed to push the lever out after the clutch cylinder got to the full released position, but that the spring was pretty well collapsed. I stretched it back out, and that helped a little bit, but only for a little while. I pulled the spring again, and it was completely collapsed again. I was leaving on a trip, so I didn't have time to order the correct Yamaha spring. I went up to the local ACE hardware, and started looking through their spring cabinets. Of course since they were on the bottom shelve, I had to kneel on the floor to get to them. I found that their '90XA' spring looked like a good canidate. It was the same diameter (verified with a micrometer) and although it appeared to be twice as long as the original spring (remember, the original was collapsed) but when I installed it, it worked perfectly. We just got home from a 1500 mile trip and it works great.

[bongobobny]

Hey, Ace is the place!!

 

Good find, is the clutch lever any stiffer now??

[PGunn]

I have an 06 that the cruise keeps turning off when I hit bumps in the road I'll have to check and see if it has a return spring and if not look into seeing if it needs one. Thanks for the info.

[ragtop69gs]

I have an 06 that the cruise keeps turning off when I hit bumps in the road I'll have to check and see if it has a return spring and if not look into seeing if it needs one. Thanks for the info.

 

There is a small screw near the pivot point to adjust free play, give it a turn or two to remove the free play and that should fix it. Do the same for both the clutch & brake levers.

[Neil86]

There is an external spring on the front brake lever, but nothing on the clutch side...the springs are inside the master cylinder/dust boot.

It sounds like a previous owner did a fix.

[dacheedah]

nice Frank:clap2:

[frankd]

Bobby,

 

No, the the spring is only for the lever free play. When the master cylinder plunger gets to the full released position, the spring I replaced pushes the clutch lever all the way out to the stop, holding the cruise and cranking switch fully depressed. Lever effort is the same, it's just the lever has some free play when you start to pull it in.

 

PGun,

 

This is 1st Gen only, it sounds like 2nd Gens are different

 

 

Neil,

 

You can't see this spring unless you pull the clutch lever, and then this spring goes on the rod that pushes the master cylinder. The spring I replaced is only available (from Yammie) if you buy the clutch rebuild kit, which I did when I first started fighting with this problem. The spring that collapsed is the new Yamaha one. It looks like the brake lever has a similiar spring (P/N 90501-10510-00) that probably holds the brake lever all the way out.

 

Frank

[Neil86]

Frank....

 

but the factory spring is covered by the rubber dust seal of the master.

Nothing external on clutch side...on brake, different lever with a spring external, and of

course the screw/locknut for free play setting.

[Prairiehammer]

I too found that spring OUTSIDE of the rubber boot on my clutch switch. It appears as if the spring worked itself through the end of the boot. Or perhaps, the PO reinstalled it incorrectly.

I also thought it was a 'work around' to keep the clutch lever pushed free of the switch.

A whole new take on 'spring migration'.

[frankd]

On mine, the spring was in the boot opening that the actuator pin pushes through. That's why the diameter is important. I had to reach into the boot opening with a pair of small needle nosed pliers to pull the collapsed spring out.