Q: I wonder if you could help me regarding my Honda 750 Africa Twin?
I’ve had it since new and covered over 60,000km with hardly any problems besides worn brakes, chain and sprockets, tyres, cables, and stuff like that, which I’m not concerned about.
But what I am concerned about is the problem that’s recently appeared and seems to be getting worse by the day, so this is why I’m writing this letter asking for help.
When I pull away the bike shudders/judders in an annoying manner. Once the bike is on the move it seems to disappear but the gear change doesn’t seem to be as smooth as it used to be either and I’m not sure if this is connected to the pull off issue?
So before I head off to some overpriced dealer who will take as much of my money as possible do you think you can shed any light on this subject and if so will I be able to tackle it from home and in my garage?
Thanks for your time.
Patrick Mitchel
A: I used to own one of these bikes for many years and I agree that they don’t tend to give any major problems or issues, in fact mine did around the same mileage before I let it go.
Anyway, I would say the problem lies within the clutch assembly. Take off the clutch cover and remove all the plates, friction and steel. I bet they’re worn beyond their service levels and need to be replaced, which would certainly cause the juddering effect. It’s best to replace both friction and steel at the same time otherwise its false economy not to do so.
You can easily do this at home with a limited amount of tools and a bit of patience. But don’t forget to soak the friction plates overnight in oil before installing; they’ll last longer if you do.
You’ll also need a new clutch cover gasket and the whole bag of parts shouldn’t be more than 2k.
