more than the cable

[Jisatsu]

Hey guys. So I'm starting to think this bike doesn't like me very much. I pulled it around front (at work after I put my cart away) and right as I was parking her the clutch cable snapped. Well, I was going to rig it so I could drive it home (I only live a bit over a mile away) but I quickly realized it wasn't just the cable. I had the bike on the center stand, put it in gear, pulled the lever (on top of the clutch case), and then tried to spin the wheel by hand. Wouldn't move more than the little free play the gear gives you. The clutch lever (on the handle bars) had been way tight before this (easy to pull, but wouldn't fully engage the clutch unless I had the bar all the way against the grip). I'd been meaning to adjust it but hadn't thought it anything serious.

So my question is three parts:
1) Would I be safe to drive it home clutch-less? (More worried about something internally getting jammed than the process itself)

2) What am I going to need to replace (other than the clutch cable)? I've heard springs give out... anything else I should be looking at ordering or should I pop it open first and see how everything looks?

3) I just barely (less than 100 miles) put fresh oil in her. Can I get that cover off without draining the oil if I lean her to the other side (I don't have a (side) kick stand yet)?

Thanks for any info guys.

[shinzon1]

3) I just barely (less than 100 miles) put fresh oil in her. Can I get that cover off without draining the oil if I lean her to the other side (I don't have a (side) kick stand yet)?

Thanks for any info guys.

I have 79 GS750L and i can take the clutch cover off if i have it on the side stand and not lose any oil except for a few drips from where the oil is still on the side of the cover. I've seen some people put 2x4s under the wheels and put the bike on the side stand also. Can't speak to the other stuff though.

[koolaid_kid]

I'm going to take a shot here, bear with me:
First, the cable probably snapped at the clutch handle, correct?
What happens over time is this: Where the stranded inner cable meets the barrel at the end, the strands start to break. This is very gradual, so it is difficult to spot without removing the cable.
When some, but not all, of the strands are broken the cable will still work. However, it begins to stretch as the clutch lever is pulled in, which is what you were describing. Eventually it will snap off, which is where you are now. Just replace it and you should be fine.
You can ride it home without a clutch. I rode my GS from the center of the Smoky Mountain Forest to Robinsville NC, a distance of no less than 20-30 miles. Then all the way through town to the motorcycle repair shop where Walker repaired my cable so I could continue my vacation.
If you did periodic maintenance on your cables, removing them to clean and lube them, you would have spotted this much earlier and avoided your current situation. Just a thought for future reference.

[Jisatsu]

You are correct on the cable snapping close to the clutch handle (about 2" down from the end piece). That makes sense why it broke; I'll keep the periodic maintenance on the cables in mind when I set-up my maintenance schedule (though to point out, I just bought the bike so it couldn't have been spotted too much earlier... though I'll also admit I didn't even think about the cables needing to be inspected/cleaned/lubed).

I ended up driving her home and got the new clutch cable in today. A few problems have arose from this. Well, I should say 'were realized'. I can't seem to get the clutch to fully engage. Had it on the center stand, started it, and put it in gear to test it. The back wheel kept moving (and accelerated with throttle application too) whether I have the clutch lever pulled or not. I got it set so that the engine wouldn't die when I applied the back brake, but it still wasn't fully in neutral. Another thing I realized is that the bike will not shift into 6th. Once it's in 5th it feels like that's the last gear. I also found that my back brakes are catching. The engine would be on, fully in gear, and the back tire would be stationary (with throttle application as well). I'll deal with this in another thread (after I look around for info on it).

So right now I'm curious what you guys think:
1) What would cause the lack of clutch engagement; springs or something else?
2) What could keep the bike from shifting into 6th and how hard will it be to check/fix?
3) How much damage could be sustained already to allow the back tire to be stationary while the bike is in gear and how Would I even check?

[tkent02]

You didn't mention which bike it is, but your wife's 650 does not have six gears.

[tom203]

Jisatsu..... when the cable snapped, the relationship of clutch pivot arm to rack gear (inside clutch cover ) changed. You might have to reposition pivot arm on shaft- do this first with slack in cable, then adjust cable itself.

[Jisatsu]

My apologies, I should have clarified that I was talking about the 650. Thanks Kent. I was hoping that that was the case. Is it normal for these bikes to have a #6 on the gear indicator even though there isn't a gear?

Thanks Tom. I was hoping I was just missing a step. I'll go through it again today and check that first. My limited mechanical knowledge sometimes leaves me worrying its something out of my current realm of ability.