Is Your Clutch Inner And Outer Binding When Torqued?

If the clutch on your Honda CR250 is binding when you torque the center bolt, pull the outer and check how far the kickstarter gear is sticking out from the back of the basket.

I want to give a huge shoutout to Brian from Georgia for figuring out a problem I didn’t even know existed!

Brian was experiencing this binding issue, so I asked him to send me a message on Facebook so we could troubleshoot with pictures and video, and we found the thrust washer was worn out, problem solved, right?

A few hours later, Brian sent me a link to a forum post on Oem-Cycle.com with the possible cause beyond a warped washer, and it was something I had never experienced.

The user on the forum goes by Sandblaster, and they found out that the kickstarter gear would work its way out of the clutch basket, forcing the basket forward just enough to bind.

And by “just enough,” I mean less than a millimeter.

There are no specs for the correct height in the Clymer manual, so Sandblaster used a different clutch off a 1999 CR250 as a reference that measured at 10.15mm.

Brian’s clutch basket measured at 10.38mm, he pressed it back to 9.8mm, and now it spins freely.

This would also explain why some older bikes are hard to push or start when in gear and the clutch pulled, even with a fresh clutch and cable.

I pulled my clutch basket to check, and I measured right at 10.15mm, so that does seem like the OEM spec.

Here is the link to the Oem-Cycle.com forum post, as well as a link to Brian’s beautifully restored 1986 CR125 that you should definitely take a look at.

Back To 1997-2001 Honda CR250 Master Repair Index