hi i have recently had the clutch on my 2008 beta 125 out, so i could sort the water pump. when i tried the clutch after putting the clutch back together their was no resistance in the lever, then as i pumped it, it built pressure but the pressure would not release and the clutch lever was/is now pretty solid.

i have took the clutch casing off and noticed when i try pull the lever their is no movement in the push rod.

i assume when reassembling the clutch i have a made a mistake although i don't know were.

any thoughts or advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks Harry

Did you lose the ball bearing between the rods?http://www.haventrialsport.co.uk/index.php/2008-clutch-c-183_158_191_877

Normally I would say to look at what you just did to see if there is something binding or not assembled correctly. And I think that is still good advice when something that did work before you "fixed" something suddenly does not work after.

As Lineaway points out, the little ball bearing between the pushrod and the top hat sometimes disappear without you realizing it. They don't really disappear, they sometimes roll out and you find them at the bottom of your oil drain pan and wonder where it came from and if it is important. And yes, it is important. The missing ball would explain no movement at the clutch and possibly allowing the push rod to jamb.

The symptoms you describe sound like the master cylinder is not releasing completely. It could be just coincidental timing with your water pump work. The master cylinder has a small internal hole to allow the brake fluid to flow back from the line into the reservoir when you release the clutch. That hole is covered when you pull the clutch in and uncovered when you release the lever. More specifically, when the piston returns to the fully retracted position. That piston is held in by an internal ring that is inside the rubber boot on the master cylinder plunger. Dirt or corrosion can get between the clip and the piston, preventing it from fully retracting. Then the relief hole stays covered and the oil cannot bleed back to the reservoir, making it a one way pump, resulting in a hard lever and no clutch action. This is a much easier thing to check but you probably will want to check the ball bearing as well.

Let us know what you find.

Edited March 9, 201412 yr by thats_a_five

My logic is the ball fell out, the clutch seemed not to work. Lever was re-adjusted to compensate. Now the clutch M/C is bound up exactly as that`s a five describes.

Thanks everyone for the advice, i looked for the ball bearing and checked the oil drain hoping it was on their. turns out Ive been a fool and lost it. I'll order one and let you know if it fixes the problem, which i'm assuming/hoping it will.

thanks again

Great that you found the problem. The ball is a simple metal ball bearing. Measure the ID of the hole the pushrod fits in and find a ball slightly smaller and it will be fine. Your local hardware store or bicycle shop will have them for mere pennies.

Oh, and you are not a fool. Those little balls will wait until you turn your back before they roll slowly out and drop into the drain oil without a sound. Sound like the voice of experience? Yup, and I bet Lineaway learned it the same way.

Cheers all!

Edited March 9, 201412 yr by thats_a_five

Yes, threw my chain on my Yamaha JT1 in `72. That ball drove me crazy!

The desciption of the sneaky ball escape made me smile.

So you see, you can loose your balls and still have a hard lever!

The slave piston will max out and there is nothing to push it back!

Just got the new ball.

I put the new ball in followed by the collar/rod and tried the clutch expecting something to change, the clutch was the same. so i took the clutch pump cover off and tried the clutch again, with the cover of everything would appear to work fine, with the clutch being soft (as expected), and the piston pumping and returning correctly.

I noticed that the collar rod doesn't want to sit flush when i have the new ball in.

any ideas??

When you say the "clutch pump cover" are you referring to the cover on the master cylinder on the bars or the clutch cover on the side of the engine?

When you actuated the clutch without the ball you caused the piston in the slave cylinder to hyper extend. Sometimes the piston gets stuck because it usually won't travel out that far. You might want to open the bleed valve to see if the piston comes back from spring pressure. Unfortunately sometimes the over travel damages the seal in the slave cylinder.

Edited March 14, 201412 yr by dan williams

Did you get it fixed?

After going thru the clutch on a Evo a couple of times, I can suggest looking at the throw out bearing. The manual shows only one spacer but there may be two from the factory.