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Clutch cable broke, now can't shift

  • Thread starter Thread starter konicaman
  • Start date Start date
K

konicaman

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My clutch cable broke recently. I was able to get it home by starting it in 3rd gear.

When I got home, I tried to shift it by pushing in on the lever at the bottom. I think I shifted it several times without the clutch engaged.

My bike is an 850 GSL. It has never had transmission or shifting problems, so nothing is stuck due to age. It is something that I have done to it since the cable broke.

I've now put the new cable on. It is very loose which I don't know what to do about.

The main problem though is that I can't shift gears at all. The gears just seem stuck or frozen. Have I messed up the transmission? Is is possible to screw up the transmission if you change gears when the engine is off and the clutch is not engaged? If so, what damaged have I done, and what can I do to fix it?

Any suggestions about how tight the clutch release should be and how I fix that?

Thanks.
 
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As long as you didn't force anything, it is unlikely you damaged the tranny. Try rolling your bike forward a little as you move the shifter, it will probably shift as the gears start to spin.

Welcome to the GSR!
 
Force

Force

I didn't really force anything. At least not enough to hear any crunching or anything.

I will go outside and try it again.

Would it be hard to break it? I know that I pushed and pulled with my foot, so I don't know if you would say that I forced it or not.
 
konicaman said:
I didn't really force anything. At least not enough to hear any crunching or anything.

I will go outside and try it again.

Would it be hard to break it? I know that I pushed and pulled with my foot, so I don't know if you would say that I forced it or not.
Click to expand...
You can damage it by forcing it (you can bend shift forks, among other things), but it would take some pretty good stomping, IMO. Normal pushing and pulling shouldn't cause a problem.
 
Are you sure you adjusted the cable correctly? Do you have a normal clutch lever feel?

I figure the cable needs sinching(?) up.
 
What a novice I am, now what?

What a novice I am, now what?

I went outside, pushed the cycle, held the shifting lever at the bottom to the left, then tried to shift. Sometimes it would work, sometimes it wouldn't. At least it is not stuck or frozen.

I am not a mechanic by any means. I had someone work on my bike recently and I felt confident to take off the cable, the tank, and try to put it back together again.

When I hooked it up, I started by putting the nipple and end at the shifting lever, (sorry that I don't know any of the technical terms), I pulled so that I got the wire to go through the long shaft area. I threaded the long screw through and tightened it.

I then threaded it through everything, placed the metal cap in the hole at the hand lever, threaded it through the metal screw that was slotted on one side to allow the wire to go through, then screwed that tight. It is all hooked up albeit very loose.

Now I know that I sound like the biggest novice here and I apologize for that. I will probably end up calling the guy to come back and fix it, but I would be proud of myself if I could do this myself.

Thanks for your quick responses.
 
How do you synch the cable?

How do you synch the cable?

How do you synch the cable?
 
You need to use the cable adjusters to remove more of the freeplay out of the cable. I suggest using the large adjuster in the center of the cable. Lengthen the cable until you get the proper feel at the hand lever and then tighten down the lock nut.
 
I think I understand, but need clarification

I think I understand, but need clarification

Okay, then you are suggesting to leave things alone at both ends and adjust the cable near the tank area right?
 
You can adjust it anywhere you want but it's generally recommended to take the majority of the slack out with the middle adjuster and use the end adjusters for fine tuning.
 
Thanks. How much movement in normal?

Thanks. How much movement in normal?

Thank you all for your quick responses. I will try these things tomorrow.

Hopefully, everything will work.

I am still worried about the shifting, but I hope that it is just because the cable isn't pulling hard enough.

I noticed even when I push the bottom lever by hand, it only moves perhaps betwen an 1/8 to a 1/4 (closer to 1/8) of a revolution. Is that normal?
 
It sounds like you're trying to shift without the engine running. You can do it, but you have to move the rear wheel back and forth and it won't be smooth. Using the clutch also won't have much effect without the engine running.
 
Thank you all!

Thank you all!

I appreciate all of the responses. You were all very helpful and none of you made me feel stupid!

Thank you very, very much!
 
konicaman said:
I appreciate all of the responses. You were all very helpful and none of you made me feel stupid!

Thank you very, very much!
Click to expand...
There are absolutely no stupid questions brother, except the one you don't ask! Have fun with your new bike my friend.
 
Greetings and Salutations!

Greetings and Salutations!

Hi Mr. konicaman,

You can't go wrong with a GS850G! Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of suggestions and links to vendors and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website for lots of GS lovin'. Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

We like pictures. Not you, your bike! :D

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

P.S. Here's some clutch cable adjustment pictures:

clutch1.jpg


clutch2.jpg


P.P.S. You can download a manual for your bike from my site.
 
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