Well, the title is self-explanatory. I got it up and running today and put it on the road. The clutch drags even when warm, and it's tough finding neutral. Tough call I'll have enough adjustment to get the drag out of it.

What do you think? Break in? Rod length? Something else?

I'm not familiar with a clutch that has too short of a rod in it.
I'm gonna be shocked if the adjustment at the lever is too loose.

I'm betting it's either the installation on the pedestal down on the motor or an assembly error in the clutch.

First,
Grab the clutch arm on the motor and see how much you can move it before it hits something.
How much do you have to move the lever before you feel the load of the clutch?
And, yes, as noted above, see where you are with the marks on the case,
Then, where the cable housing is mounted on the engine, if the nuts are allowing the cable housing to be as far into the mount as possible, that is not right.
You're gonna have to know How to set it up. I can't explain it.

And, in other news,


I rode it to work today, and when I got back, I was worried. I heard some noise... maybe valve train noise???

There's a new hole in the muffler, and when I'm going at high speed, it really seems to make a racket... sounding eerily like mechanical noise... unless it's mechanical noise.

Dad thought it sounded the same as it always has, but I got worried that maybe the valves were noisy, and I just adjusted them slightly tighter than they were. I worried that maybe the adjusters stripped or came loose or the top end got starved of oil or something else really bad.


These videos were not taken immediately after coming home, but after a little while, so the engine cooled a little.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2SI0ZYKi2c&feature=youtu.be



I noticed just then that pulling the clutch in neutral actually puts a slight load on the engine. Normal? Or is something not quite right?

(Never mind the end... I was just putting up the bike).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL_08cddE14&feature=youtu.be



Listen with some good earphones or something. I know my laptop speakers suck.

I listened to the videos... It makes me wonder if my mind isn't just playing tricks on me. It was dark, and the oil looked ugly and cloudy in the light of a flashlight. Maybe it's just an illusion from the light source. It's got fresh Rotella in it with a cap or two of ZDDP MAXX.

I read that Savages tend to clatter when warm. Maybe it's just mind tricks? It didn't seem to do this till I got back from my highway commute.   I don't know...

It always seemed to run differently after the repair.

Maybe it never ran right before and what you are hearing now is a good running, properly tuned bike??????

Different doesn't necessarily equal bad.

That o-ring that turns (or stays stationary) with the release bearing and throwout rod... Could it have slipped out of place during installation, causing some drag and loss of lube pressure to the clutch plates?

Could a little drag from the throwout be normal?

Anybody have their valves come loose after adjusting them?

Well... I'm screwed. Or am I?

Checked the valves, and the clearance was over double the allowed clearance on the exhaust. If I recall, I could slip in at least .011 inch. That's .007 over where I put it. The intake increased as well, but not as much... maybe a few thousandths. I don't remember whether the .006 went in or the .008.

The only thing I can think of would be that I adjusted it on the exhaust stroke by mistake, and it was already friggin' loose, so it fooled me into thinking it was in the right place. However, I tried to gauge it on the exhaust stroke, and the results didn't give me much confidence.

Before I put the engine in the frame, it appeared to be slightly out of spec, at .005-.007, at the most. I brought them all to .004. Now they're a mess.

If I had done it on the exhaust stroke and loosened it, the problem would be simple. That's the common screw up, I reckon. But I didn't: I actually tightened the clearances.

The oil color is unsettling. It has a semi-opaque look like very fine graphite or metal. Can't say for sure... I know Rotella is dark, but after 50 miles, it turned into this mess.

Sorry it's hard to see anything from the oil video. I may have to make another one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY55fSQkRVM&feature=youtu.be


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJbzc8Kgw-w&feature=youtu.be


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSUcfA8F4Es&feature=youtu.be

1

ment, I would have figured it out by now? Do you think I'm that dumb?


Why would I Ever question your abilities? Are you Dumb? No, I have read some things you've said. BETWEEN those lucid moments, however, you can misfire something awful..
IF the adjustments changed on their own, they would not be snugged with the jam nut.
Get it on compression, see the mark on the crank?
Rotate the nut CCW, or, Botward, or Left.
If you screw up, go around, not CW, or JoGward, or Right.