Clutch lever, excessive vertical play

[Gillie76]

As per title of post, my clutch lever is significantly wobbly on the vertical axis. I've seen a fix where you can use a brass shim washer to take up some of the play. My question is, is this a safe way to minimise the wobble? I presume you don't want to eliminate the play altogether as it may cause the clutch lever to stick? Has anybody else had this issue or do you just put up with it?
Cheers 🙂

[Upt North]

It would drive me nuts.
OK....more nuts.
Check for wear on the pin and bushing too. They should be a honeymoon fit.
If all good, a shim and a bit of lube it is.
Upt.

[Gillie76]

Thanks Upt, sounds like a plan 👍

[Rusty Nuts]

Honeymoon and lube in the same post. 

[Upt North]

  I knew someone would notice and I wasn't surprised it was Rusty Nuts. More lube required.
Upt.

[Gillie76]

 

[Rusty Nuts]

You just had to slip it in there, didn't you.

[Gillie76]

Sorted today with a 0.5mm shim, what a difference 👍😀

[Brockett]

I was told: lubricate with oil and not grease. Grease will hold dust and micro grit in the gubbins and act as grinding paste whereas oil will drip, rinse. wash out, etc. taking the dust with it. All levers that pivot on steel pins, like footrests, are oiled and not greased.

[Gillie76]

Thanks for the info Brockett. I just presumed it was to be greased as it was when I removed the pin in the first place 🙄

[Gert]

Did you snap a pix of your mod?

[Gillie76]

Gert, no I didn't. I didn't think it warranted a pic to be honest! Just a case of slipping the shim in the space between the clutch lever and the holder/bracket

[Gert]

My reason for asking for a pix, is so that there is no confusion to anyone, who may in the future be look at this thread for guidance on a similar complaint.

To me, a pix will clarify exactly how and where the shim / spacer was inserted.
As we all know, both the clutch lever, and the gearshift levers are prone to lever slop. The solution / fix to both is either to add a shim / spacer, insert a bushing in the lever, buy a replacement lever or to replace the pivot pin (gearshift) / bolt (clutch lever).

I trust that you can see where I'm going with my request for this additional info...

[Gillie76]

No worries Gert. Once this persistent rain decides to go away, I'll go back to the bike and provide some pics with an explanation 👍

[Upt North]

We'll expect a picture by October then!
 
God yesterday was wet. At the moment it's worse than last year and that was dire.
 
Upt.

[Gillie76]

How I fixed my wobbly clutch lever...please note this is for vertical play and not actual clutch cable adjustment.

1. Remove the 10mm nut and washer from the top of the clutch lever and take off the hand guard if you have one.

2. Using a 10mm socket on the top of the pivot bolt and a 10mm ring spanner on the bottom nut, remove the bottom nut, washer and spacer, being careful not to drop any parts!

3. Remove the pivot bolt upwards, inspect and clean all parts and lever. You should see space between the lever and the bracket which is causing the vertical slop.

4. Using an appropriate M8 shim washer (mine took a 0.5mm) insert at top of lever and move lever back into place to check the tightness of fit. The shim has to take up enough slack to reduce unwanted movement, but crucially, not too thick in order to allow the lever to return to its original position.

5. Once you have determined the correct thickness of shim, lubricate all parts and refit, always checking the lever has free play back to its original position. Enjoy your non-wobbly clutch lever 😀

[Ambergnat]

Nicely done sir, well explained and excellent pics.

This might end up being moved to the Top Technical Posts because it is a perennial issue and is soooo easy to solve if you know how.

Cheers.

[Gert]

Cheers for your write-up and your posted pix.
While the grip / knuckle / hand guard anchoring point may differ for various reasons, depending on the type / brand of grip guard installed or absence of a grip guard, the clutch lever shimming process would mirror the steps in your guide.
Your post is a good reference / guide for anyone wanting a solution for their clutch lever slop.