CX500 GL500 650 Global

For all small M6 bolts on these bikes I don't think it's worth getting a small torque wrench.I use my,"Tight/Firm Knuckle" setting.
This means I tighten the small M6 usually 8mm hex head bolts using the knuckle of my normal socket wrench but not the handle.This means it would be very hard for me to overtighten the bolts as the force required at the knuckle is way more than away from the fulcrum of the wrench.You could still strip the threads if you wanted to but just nice and firm does the job.It is a,"Feeling" thing but soon learnt IMHO.

These small bolts don't need to apply a lot of pressure as where they are used there is usually a lot of them so they apply even pressure over the mating faces like the 13 on the front casing etc.

So firm is good enough? That's just what I did, held the wrench at the knuckle and tightened until it was firm, but not overly tight. I guess if its too loose it'll leak? I ran out of daylight so tomorrow I'll finish putting the radiator on and fluids in. I noticed today that my oil filter has the spring but no washer, how crucial is that to have? If so, does it have to be whatever the OEM thickness is, or can I run down to the hardware store and get whatever fits?

The spring is more important than the washer but the Washer prevents the srping from going through the rubber grommet in the oil filters so is needed.Yes take an old filter to a hardware store and see if you can get a washer.I made one out of a large washer I had but had to ream out the centre hole as the bolt wouldn't fit trough.

Well, I work extremely slow and still manage to lose all sorts of stuff - ALL THE TIME!

My $ .02:

I see no harm in trimming excess gasket material, I've done it plenty of times will no ill effects. I would recommend waiting until all is dry and everything checks out though. I usually use a new razor blade or exacto knife and carefully trim excess so it's a flush or close as possible.

Torque wremch - I'm in the same boat.
Perhaps my most prized tool is a luscious TW from Mac tools - I always treat it like a jewel. Problem is, being a 1/2 incher, it only goes down to 25 lbs (I think) so it's use is somewhat limited for these bikes. So, at the top of my tool wish list is a pro quality 1/4 or 3/8 drive TW because it seems quite clear that using anything less on these bikes is like playing Roulette - you've (already) paid your money, you take your (slim) chances. To me, it doesn't seem worth it - one boo-boo could easily pay for a decent TW that will last a lifetime with proper care.

I posted on the other site to get a (hopefully) wide range of input, but my next question is: How do you all go about properly adjusting the clutch cable? LRCXed, my clutch arm rests right around 8 oclock w/o the cable attached. With it attached, it's almost horizontal. I know the manual says 1/4 inch freeplay, but what exactly does that mean?

The freeplay they are referring to is at the clutch lever. Get the cable in and turn the adjuster at the lever all the way in. Now go down to the side of the clutch cover, and adjust the nuts so that it pulls up on the slack. If you loosen the bottom nut all the way, you can pull up on the cable housing and then run the top nut down to keep it in that position. Now see how much play you have at the clutch lever. Adjust the remainder with the adjuster at the lever. This is where you want about a 1/4 inch loose freeplay at. That way you don't have it to loose or to tight so that the clutch might slip. It's a balance between the top and bottom of the cable adjusters that your after.

The position of the clutch arm being at 9:00 O-clock is where the inside actuating button touches the bearing in the clutch and pushes in on it while you pull the lever. Adding the shims under the steal clutch plate is what takes so much play out of it, and gets the side arm down to the 8 O-clock position again.

So with the cable attached to the arm it should be around the 8 position? I definitely have it set too tight right now, so the first thing I'll do is go loosen both top and bottom fully. If that brings the arm to near 8, can I be relatively sure it is correct? Are there any other things I should look for to make sure its correct? I've spent so much time on this thing making it work well, I don't want to go out and burn up the clutch or anything.

Does the cable routing make a difference? I think I have it routed the correct way, but I didn't take pictures before taking it apart, so I'm not entirely sure.

The 8 o-clock position is not an adjustment you can do with the cable adjustments. What you have now, is what you have to deal with. Adjust the cable so you end up with a little freeplay at the handle.

I'll try to set up a picture for you some time to show you the idea behind the shims.

Adjust your cable with things the way they are. See how it works and go from there.
Let me know back!

As LRCX says there's no point trying to change the position of the Clutch actuator arm.You can adjust the cable length at the arm to allow adjustment at the lever.Just get a nice balance between the two so you have about an 1/8" to a 1/4" play at the lever.
Age and wear make things a little more giving than they would be on a new bike so it's just a matter of feel for your bike

An oversimplification may help beginners here (I struggled with this too).

I had a similar concern when I went to adjust my clutch cable for the first time two weeks ago.
I was looking for 'play' to develop downstairs at the clutch shaft rather than up top at the clutch lever where it belongs. It took a while for me to figure this out too, as I was thinking something was wrong with the clutch itself.
Eventually I discovered (as the boys mention) that all free play in the cable will show up at the lever, more specifically at the lever pivot.
You should see that as you loosen the cable adjustment, the handle will gradually develop additional 'slop' around the handle pivot bolt. This slop is the 'play' that you should be paying attention to, rather than looking for play downstairs at the clutch lever.

In my opinion, if the cable is not stretched out and the clutch itself is set up properly (8 o'clock @ shaft), you should have a wide range of play adjustment at the lever allowing for proper fit and function for a wide variety of hand sizes or preferences. You should always check your manual though to be sure you don't get things out of range.