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every once and a while my 78 gs550 will have trouble getting into 1st. Is this the signs of a clutch gone bad? I just put drag bars on it and did not change the clutch cable could that just be the problem? It could use a shorter cable. also when i turn the bike off and leave it in first and pull the clutch in and try to push it forward i incure resistance. Almost as though it is not completely disengaging. once again this did not happen untill i installed the lower handlebars.

Check the cable routing, chances are it's being pinched somewhere. By putting shorter bars on without changing to a shorter cable you're forcing the original one into a tighter curve. Re-check the free play adjustment, too, as it sounds like the clutch may not be fully disengaging like you suspected.