From:Rohan
E-Mail:<rohan333@@optusnet.com.au>
Subject:RE: 1922 'K Gearbox Clutch Problem
Response to:891
Date:Wed Feb 23 16:45:14 2005
John,
     Congratulations, one handsome cycle. 

My knowledge of K clutches is limited to a quick sqiz inside
a K engine a few years back, so take this advice with a
grain of salt, hopefully someone more versed in them will
chime in. You probably don't want to hear that 4 owners
dread clutch problems...

Have you checked out the rods etc activating the clutch ?.
Any wear anywhere in the clevis's, pins, levers, footpedal,
etc will be lost travel in the clutch, any small amount can
be vital.

Nextly, if it has sat for any length of time the clutch
plates could be glued (or rusted) together. A spin around
the block may free them up - or not.  Can you drain the oil
out of just the clutch compartment in the K ?  In the Ace
and Indian4  you can drain the oil and flush (to a limited
extent) with say kerosene, without affecting the rest of the
motor. Add oil back in. Just changing the oil may help,
longterm.

The final resort is pull the engine, and inspect. 2 of us
had the engine out, sump off, inspected inside and K engine
back in in an afternoon. Delving inside the clutch requires
removing the crankshaft, and replacing the crank requires
the babbit bearings to be redone and the gearbox bevels to
be set, a major major major task. In the Ace and Indian4 the
clutch throwout bearing fingers can be adjusted (locknutted
onto a shaft)(does the Hen have them , it must ?) ,
resetting these with sump off may give slightly more clutch
throwout. 

Finally, its not unknown for the all steel plates in the
clutch to be totally knackered - thin, warped, worn in the
retaining notches etc etc so a full clutch rebuild may be
due. Rob Olson offers clutch plates with carbon fibre
friction material, apparently these can be a big improvement
over a perniketty all steel clutch. Although the all steel
clutch was good enough in its time apparently.

I'd go for the oil change, try to get back any lost travel
and a few trips around the block until it frees up. Don't
tear the gears out if you can't easily select them though...
These bikes are very similar inside to the later Deluxe,
plenty of them around = plenty of folk to help out.

Hopethishelps, aren't old bikes fun !!
Cheers,
Rohan.