The symptoms are subtle at first.
A rurring noise coming from the rear drive or engine stalls or sudden surges at throttle.
Then, the most obvious, your scooter starts but won't move.
The variable rate clutch shoes may be worn or pulley drive bearings bad and may be at fault.

Major rebuild or expense? Not really if a few things are kept in mind.
There's no rhyme or reason when the clutch can go bad.
Some as early as 300 miles.
Some still going strong at 30,000 miles.

Regardless, Honda's clutch/driven pulley is more time consuming to get to and take off than to repair.
Once you have removed the left side panel, floor rail, passenger foot peg, brake cable holder, left side crankcase cover, drive pulley face and drive belt, the clutch/driven pulley sits at the rear wheel.

At the front is the drive pulley with the weight rollers.
The drive belt connects the two.
For the clutch, Honda special tool drive pulley holder #07923-KM10000 or any automotive universal holder will allow you to grip the outer clutch and remove the driven pulley nut.
Once done, the outer clutch separates from the driven pulley and both slide out for bench
repair.

Check the three spring-loaded clutch shoes for wear.
The service limit is 0.08 inches.
Usually, if your scooter won't move, the fiber shoes are worn down to the metal and/or the outer clutch lining scored.
Hopefully, you will only have to replace the clutch shoes and not the outer clutch plate.
The hard part is removing the 41mm nut and releasing tension on the driven face spring.

The Honda special tool clutch spring compressor is no longer available in the USA.
You don't need it, anyway.
You can remove the 41mm clutch nut by obtaining a 41mm socket (#84741 SK Tools) and use your impact wrench on medium torque setting to spin the clutch nut off.

Note: To re-assemble, push down the clutch shoe assembly into the spring while an associate threads the nut and tighten nut with torque wrench.

The clutch shoes, P/N 22535-KS4-306 (about $40), are held in place by a circlip and springs and are easily removable.
It is much easier to install the springs on the shoes prior to assembling the shoes on the base plate.
Install the springs on the shoes, place the shoes on the pins and slowly seat the shoes onto the pins by tapping them lightly with a hammer.
It’s a good idea to place a scrap piece of wood between the shoe and the hammer to avoid damaging the hole in the shoe.

The replacement OEM Honda shoes are green and are smaller in area than the OEM brown type.
If you have the OEM brown shoes, they burn easily especially in two-up riding.
If you have to replace the shoes and do lots of two-up riding, or go off-road, cut two diagonal vent lines about 1/16 inch deep into the top of the new shoes to dissipate heat.

For bearing replacement, remove the spring and seal collar, pull out the four guide rollers and pins and lift off the movable driven face.
The driven faces are where the drive belt lies.
The driven pulley face has an inner and outer bearing with dust seals and each is removable for bearing replacement.

Better than individually removing and replacing each bearing and seal, Honda has done the work for you by providing a complete replacement driven face P/N 23205-KM1-315 for about $70 which even includes a tube of grease to lubricate the inside pulley cavity.

Assemble the driven pulley and clutch in reverse order and install on the scooter.

Another roadblock: You'll find that when it comes time to install the belt, it will be difficult to separate the clutch/driven pulley faces with your hands as the service manual says so the belt rests near the center because that face spring is quite strong.
Being careful not to gouge the driven face, I have always used a wheel puller with rubber protected arms attached to the outside moveable face to pull it toward me enough that the belt slides down inside the driven faces.
It will be easier now to put the other belt end over the drive pulley collar, install the drive face and nut to finish the process.

Hopefully, you have also disassembled the front drive pulley and inspected the weight rollers for wear and re-greasing prior to assembly (see Tech Tip #2).
Once done, you will be amazed at the smooth performance your CH250 now has.

Randy Pozzi (Rev. 5/2006)