Clutch pull difficult; cable breaking at least once a year

[Guest]

I am the second owner of a 1978 GS1000. For the past three years, squeezing my clutch has become increasingly difficult and I break at least one cable a year. What might cause this issue? Thanks in advance!

[Steve]

Too-tight clutch springs will certainly make it hard to pull, but should not break the cable that often.

I would look into proper routing of the cable to make sure it is not making abrupt changes in direction.
Biggest suspect there would be right out of the lever/adjuster on the handlbars.

Unless you have really built up your bike with some serious go-fast parts, the stock springs from Suzuki are quite up to the task of power delivery.
With OEM springs and an OEM cable (yes, it makes a difference), you should have no problems for several years.

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[TxGSrider]

I was going to suggest that the PO had installed heavy duty clutch springs... but you say its been getting worse. If it was the HD springs it shouldn't be getting worse.

[bobgroger]

Have you been lubing the cables before putting them in? +1 for OEM cable. It's about $2 more and lasts 30 years.

[Steve]

The only way the clutch pull will get "worse" is when the lining on the inside of the cable wears. When the cable is new, the inner cable slides on the plastic liner, using a very small 'footprint'. As the liner wears with constant sawing of the cable, the groove gets deeper, which also increases the surface area that is contacting the cable. That is the increased pull that is experienced. The difference with the OEM cable is that it takes a lot longer for that groove to form, leading to longer cable life with easier pull.

When you pull on the lever, the inner cable is doing its best to stretch into a straight line. The outer sheath is preventing that, so the cable saws away at the inner lining on the inside of every curve in the way. The tighter the curve, the stronger the sawing action, so keep the curves as gentle as possible. As the groove gets worn into the liner, the cable has a shorter path to travel. This makes it look like the cable has 'stretched'. The cable is the same length, it's just taking a shorter path, so needs to be adjusted.

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[Brendan W]

Where do the cables break and where are the replacements coming from ?

[Redman]

If cable is fraying and breaking up right next to the lever..... check to see if the little cyclindrical thing on the cable end is rotating in the lever. It should, if it is not, that is the problem and will be flexing/bending the cable. Lubricate the cylindrical thing there.

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[bwringer]

Replace the lever along with the cable. If the hole in the lever wears into an egg shape, it will bind and twist the barrel on the end of the cable and break in no time.

That clutch should be like buttuh.

And, of course, check the clutch cable routing for sharp bends, or getting pinched or melted.

Even with the too-heavy springs that always seem to get slapped into these things, you should NOT be breaking cables.



There could be something funky going on with the bearing at the top of the clutch release shaft, but that would be a pretty exotic low-percentage sort of thing. You should be able to move the release shaft and lever a little with your fingers.

[Zero5360]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I replaced the cable, checking all of my routing, and the lever. Here is the old one compared to the new one. I'm hoping this was the root cause of the issue. You guys are awesome!
20170327_105617.jpg

[Brendan W]

That won't have been helping. Presume the pull is much lighter now?
I wonder how easy it would be to put a bush in the old lever

[mrbill5491]

Thanks everyone for your replies! I replaced the cable, checking all of my routing, and the lever. Here is the old one compared to the new one. I'm hoping this was the root cause of the issue. You guys are awesome!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]50419[/ATTACH]

What brand of cables are you using? If they are Motion Pros, bad choice, go back to OEM.

[bwringer]

Let's see the other side -- the hole where the cable rides is the important part. Bet it's worn as well.

And yeah, don't install the craptastic imitation cheesy levers and cables from Motion Pro or whoever. Order up OEM parts -- they're MUUUUUCH better quality and closer than you'd think in price.

On my 850G, I found that the whole OEM clutch lever, perch, hardware, and adjuster assembly was quite reasonably priced. Fresh bits feel soooooooooooooo nice.

[jdvorchak]

Most people forget to lube the cable and the lever parts where the cable fits into the lever. I use Moly grease but anything is better than nothing. The egg shaped old lever tells me it was seriously neglected when it came to lube. Use cable lube on the cable before installing. Put a dab of grease on the barrel when it connects to the lever. Lube the inside of the pivot pin hole and the pivot pin with a little grease. Repeat at least once a year.

[Zero5360]

Thanks! I hadn't been doing that.

There has been some serious work done to the bike according to the last owner. He said he had the engine rebuilt and bored over with work done to the clutch. I assume it has some heavy-duty springs as a result. I will definitely grease up the lines.

This is the cable and lever I bought. Wasn't sure where the best place to find them would be, so I just looked on Amazon :/

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054N6EEY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006924JDM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[JTGS850GL]

Thanks! I hadn't been doing that.

There has been some serious work done to the bike according to the last owner. He said he had the engine rebuilt and bored over with work done to the clutch. I assume it has some heavy-duty springs as a result. I will definitely grease up the lines.

This is the cable and lever I bought. Wasn't sure where the best place to find them would be, so I just looked on Amazon :/

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0054N6EEY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You might want to consider replacing the clutch springs with new OEM. If he did use "heavy duty" clutch springs then they're more trouble then they're worth. They're not expensive and still available from Suzuki. Some will replace only 3 with OEM and 3 with heavy duty alternating OEM and HD around the basket. In most cases, new OEM are plenty strong enough.