Clutch pull difficult; cable breaking at least once a year

[80GS850GBob]

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]

Mine were egg shaped too...and the barrel had actually started cutting thru the bushing...starting with a fresh one will make a difference. My lever pulls harder than it should - I haven't gotten to pulling the cover yet and checking the clutch springs, but I'd be they're aftermarket. Hard pulling isn't the end of the world in regular long stretch riding...but you certainly feel it when your stuck in stop and go traffic. When/if you pull the clutch cover to check the springs, check the steels and fibers too to make sure they're not worn....I've seen where folks try to cheat and just replace springs to compensate for a slightly slipping clutch.

[jdvorchak]

One final thought. There is a difference between hard clutch pull and hard clutch pull that feels "gravely" or rough. I had a GS750E that drove me nuts for a week or so. New OEM cable and pull was so hard even my 25 year old son complained. It felt scratchy or gravely and very hard. I must have pulled the clutch cover 5 or 6 times trying to find out what was hanging up. Then I pulled the cable completely out of the bike and ran it in a big arc from the lever to the clutch actuator level. NO HELP! So I decided it must be the brand new OEM Suzuki cable. Bought a Motion pro and no matter how I routed it the clutch was easy to pull. Sometimes even new parts are defective. And I lubed that new OEM and the Replacement cable just as I outlined above.