Clutch / cush drive / chain install

The photo below shows the crownwheel, clutch spider, drive sprocket, dog, spring and cap installed. There are a few things wrong here; if you fit them like this you won't be able to fit the chain, and also the top chain guide is bolted above the bottom and it should be the other way!



So I had to undo the crownwheel and spider to fit the chain:



After stacking up the steel and cork discs of the clutch onto the clutch flange on top of the springs, I compressed it all with my cheap clutch compression tool. I used a socket to spread the load as it was pressing one side further down than the other:




When partially compressed use a screwdriver to nudge the springs into the correct seated position. When fully compressed you can fit the large circlip to hold it all in. Make sure that the end is covered by one of the lips of the spider.



I undid the chain guides after this and placed them correctly (the upper one beneath the lower one). Correct adjustment of the upper guide should give you around 10mm of movement in the chain between the guide and the front sprocket.

Clutch removal

Here's my cheap Indian clutch removal tool installed and in action, compressing the flange down onto the five springs.



This releases the compression on the circlip, allowing it to be removed from its position and freeing up the clutch plates. When the circlip is removed you can unscrew and remove the clutch removal tool and simply lift off the clutch plates, steel plates, flange and springs.

To continue you need to remove the 22mm nut that holds down the clutch spider and crownwheel. It is secured with a tab washer which first needs to be released. To remove the nut you need to prevent the assembly from rotating with your spanner/socket, and the best way to do this is using a clutch holder tool:



When done you can simply lift off the spider. Note that the shaft has a bearing bush on it which is easy to miss - it's just a well-fitted metal sleeve that aids rotation between the spider and crownwheel. You can now tease off the chain and lift off the large crownwheel. Finally, you should find one or more shims beneath the crownwheel on top of the end plate bearing.

This picture shows the gearbox end plate with the layshaft poking through the end plate bearing. On the bearing you can see what are two shims:

Chaincase removal

To remove the chaincase simply undo all the nuts around its circumference and then try pulling it off. If it's pretty stuck you can use the kickstart for leverage, or you can very carefully prise it off with a screwdriver but take care not to damage the casing.

When mine was removed I could clearly see evidence of what looks like a botched clutch replacement. This image shows damage to the kick mechanism and return spring where the clutch assembly has rotated against them:



And this one shows similar wear on the inside of the casing where the gear selector is housed. It is clear the clutch assembly has rotated against it:



Perhaps this only happened for a few kicks after a botch clutch job and then the mechanic dismantled it and started again. I can't believe it would have run particularly well if at all with this kind of contact, and changing gear would presumably have been very difficult. Or perhaps the clutch circlip gave way one day in Bangalore?

Anyway, here's the scene in full with the chaincase removed:



Next step is dismantling the clutch...