Motorcycle Repair: ttr 225 clutch problem, yamaha ttr 225, triumph bonneville

Question
Dear Lenard I hope you can help.  I just put a clutch kit in a 2000 Yamaha TTR 225, I started bike put in gear and the bike lurched forward, when you pull in the clutch lever nothing happens.  Clutch cable does pull the release on top of crankcase.  I inadvertenly forgot to lubricate clutch plates and disks prior to installation.  Could this be part of the sticking problem or should I look somewhere else.  Any help would be apperciated.   Sincerly Robert

Answer
You can smoke unlubricated plates pretty quickly. I always soak mine for a few hours before reassembly but I realize this is not always possible. You have to lube them on a wet clutch though. If you are sure you have proper free play in cable and it feels like everything is actuating properly then I would want to take it back apart and have a look inside. If you are in a bind and want to try something instead of pulling it apart.. (I had a similar problem once on a triumph bonneville that a friend worked on - we pulled in the clutch cable and put zip tie around bars to keep it pulled in overnight. In the morning it stopped binding and was working fine. Problem reappeared and eventually had to replace entire clutch about a 6 months later.) Nothing beats doing the job right the first time of course - and a manual sure helps avoid errors like this.

See: http://www.motocom.com/motorcycles/2000/1/1/3954

Make sure you don't operate your TTR if it continues to bind. I know you want to ride but no fun if you can't stop in an emergency.