She Dun Shredded the Clutch Cable in 5th!

[Anonymous]

Yes, I was going down the freeway, slowing for my exit, and went to pull in the clutch to downshift and...LOOKY! NO RESISTENCE! clutch ofcourse didn't engage, so I reached forword and tightened the cable all the way... just enough to engage the clutch. I exit and stop, and notice that every time I pull in on the clutch, I here a little metal wire brake... I look at the handle, and, sure enough, about 3/4 of the cable is no longer attached to the handle, so now I get to replace the cable... (it's Orig. Equip anyways, it was time for it to go) It seems fairly straight forword, but are there any tips you guys can give me to speed the process? I will probably do this Wednesday. Thank you, Ben Reilly 78 GS750EC

[Anonymous]

Re: She Dun Shredded the Clutch Cable in 5th!

are there any tips you guys can give me to speed the process? I will probably do this Wednesday. Thank you, Ben Reilly 78 GS750EC

Doing it on Tuesday should speed the process up by about 24 hours.

And a tip for delaying the next replacement.
Get a cable with:
1. the plastic/teflon tube over the first inch or so as it leaves the lever.
2. the metal "bearing sleeve" surrounding the bullet end that the lever holds on to. Give this sleeve, inside and out, a smear of molybdenum grease when fitting.

Cables mainly break at this point - it is the place where friction of the lever on both the cable and bullet loads up the stress levels in the cable/bullet joint.

In my old dirt bike racing days we could buy replacement bolted bullets, and would sometimes repair busted cables. But we were all "el cheapo" in those days.

Kim

[Anonymous]

clutch cable

Years ago I read in Cycle guide a tip that at the very least lets you handle this on a trip or where ever with out it handling you . Buy a cable lube kit so the lub. will be forced in to it and buy two cables use plastic ties to run it right along side of the cable in use . And in my next story I will tell you about going camping while in college on the Blue Ridge Parkway two up fullloaded and the bike falls over while parked at a overlook . Not to bad you might say until its picked up and I found the clutch leaver broken off at the piviot point !! Now I dont know about you but I did not think it would be necessary to carry an extra leaver. Any way such is life.

[Anonymous]

Re: She Dun Shredded the Clutch Cable in 5th!

In my old dirt bike racing days we could buy replacement bolted bullets, and would sometimes repair busted cables. But we were all "el cheapo" in those days.

Kim

Wow... I did not know anyone would be cheap enough to dodge the 9 dollar cable price.... although I was pretty shocked at how cheap the cable is

[Hap Call]

Re: She Dun Shredded the Clutch Cable in 5th!

In my old dirt bike racing days we could buy replacement bolted bullets, and would sometimes repair busted cables. But we were all "el cheapo" in those days.

Kim

Wow... I did not know anyone would be cheap enough to dodge the 9 dollar cable price.... although I was pretty shocked at how cheap the cable is

Be careful..I bought one of the cheap cables to replace the stock one which had lasted 21 years. It lasted about a month before it died. I next purchased a Motion Pro cable for $12, plus S&H. It had lasted much longer.

Look at your clutch lever and make sure that the hole that the lead bullet goes in is not wobbled out (for lack of a better term). If it is make sure that when you engage the clutch that the bullet rotates slightly in that hole. If it binds and does not rotate you could be flexing the cable there at the bullet and the cable will fail prematurely. It is kind of like when you take a metal coat hanger and bend it back and forth until it snaps in two. I noticed this on my bike and had to replace the clutch lever, which cost $6.

Hap

[Anonymous]

Re: She Dun Shredded the Clutch Cable in 5th!

In my old dirt bike racing days we could buy replacement bolted bullets, and would sometimes repair busted cables. But we were all "el cheapo" in those days.

Kim

Wow... I did not know anyone would be cheap enough to dodge the 9 dollar cable price.... although I was pretty shocked at how cheap the cable is

I got heaps of ways of being cheap.

However, $9 now doesn't translate to equally cheap back then as parts like this are generally cheaper these days due to better production methods. Then double the price for conversion to Aus $, then factor in the low incomes we had in those days (not much changed there), then ....

Kim
we were so poor we couldn't even afford to dodge prices. Or is that to dodge Ford prices? These days I can hardly afford to pay my memory bill each month.

[Anonymous]

Hap

hap where did you buy motion pro cable at?

[Hap Call]

Re: Hap

hap where did you buy motion pro cable at?

I actually got it from Motion Pro directly, but they normally do not sell direct. I ordered that first cable from Dennis Kirk and when it failed they gave me Motion Pro's number to get it replaced. I called them and they asked for the part number off the cable. It was not their part number, but the guy I talked to said thatwhile they normally don't do it they would sell it to me direct. I ordered one and then called Dennis Kirk and they sent me another one of the cheap ones. I keep it as a spare in case the one I have now fails.

I can get you the Motion Pro part number if you want it.

Hap

[Anonymous]

hap

cool ill take that part number, how much did you pay for it? and the cable on the control on my bike looks like its at the end of adjustment, could that mean the clutch is shot? i tested it in 2nd from a dead stop taking off it wants to die so i think the clutch is ok . i just want to replace it to be on the safe side.

[argonsagas]

clutch cable

BT-DT.
There are times and places that you can't get a cable at any price, but you gotta have one right now. (You just can't get bike parts on July 4 in Kansas City)

I keep a pair of vice grips in the tool kit and can attest they may be awkward to use, but they do work.


Ron Martin
82 GS1100G

[Hap Call]

Re: clutch cable

I keep a pair of vice grips in the tool kit and can attest they may be awkward to use, but they do work.


Ron Martin
82 GS1100G

Yes, Vice-Grip, the meanest, nastiest, but most useful tool in an emergency...I have used them as a shift lever on one of my dirt bikes when I endo-ed and broke the shift lever off! 8O

Hap

[Hap Call]

Re: hap

cool ill take that part number, how much did you pay for it? and the cable on the control on my bike looks like its at the end of adjustment, could that mean the clutch is shot? i tested it in 2nd from a dead stop taking off it wants to die so i think the clutch is ok . i just want to replace it to be on the safe side.

I will check when I get home. I bet your cable is just stretched due to years of use...indicates that you have taken care of it . Not much you can do about cable stretch.

Hap

[Anonymous]

All Finished

Well, yesterday I went to Dennis Kirk Scratch And Dent and found a Motion Pro Cable for 7 dollars, in it's un-opened but once returned packaging. I then limped my bike 6 miles from my residence to the shop I work at, and as I pulled in the lot, the cable snapped the rest of the way, so I turn it off and ride the beast to a stop, right in the stall I'm using to repair it... talk about perfect timing. About the only thing that I had troubles with was adjusting the clutch afterwords... here's where I through my clymers out the window... it said "loosen the locknut 2-3 turns, then back out the clutch adjustment screw 1-2 turns then turn back in until you start to feel resistence, then 1/4 turn further" well, this left me with one hell of a hard shift, so I took the cover off and tightened it a little further... perfect....on the center stand. I put the cover back on and left for home, and as I hit the street she began to slip... so basically, I spent another 2 hours getting the clutch where I want it, now she's smooth and beautiful... no slack in the cable, grips like no ones business all the way out, and the tire doesn't even spin while starting on a centerstand in gear w/ clutch in.

[argonsagas]

Re: clutch cable

I keep a pair of vice grips in the tool kit and can attest they may be awkward to use, but they do work.


Ron Martin
82 GS1100G

Yes, Vice-Grip, the meanest, nastiest, but most useful tool in an emergency...I have used them as a shift lever on one of my dirt bikes when I endo-ed and broke the shift lever off! 8O

Hap

Hap:

You're right. They are mean and nasty to everything you use them on. t. But in an emergency.......they work when even a hammer fails.


I may have been one of the first buyers when they came on the market and I can't even guess how many strange uses I have found for them. I think the best example was on an old British sports car (Although it wasn't that old at the time) They had fenders that were welded across the top and mine split...I think it was November and we just had first snow.

I got someone to push the two fender parts together and climbed in over the tire and locked on the Vice Grips. Forgot about it completely, and found them when changing a tire sometime in the following summer. . They survived snow, mud, salt and several thousand miles of hard driving,
and a bit of steel wool and oil had them cleaned up and back to work.

[Hap Call]

Re: hap

cool ill take that part number, how much did you pay for it? and the cable on the control on my bike looks like its at the end of adjustment, could that mean the clutch is shot? i tested it in 2nd from a dead stop taking off it wants to die so i think the clutch is ok . i just want to replace it to be on the safe side.

Rick,

The Motion Pro part number for the clutch cable is 04-0023 and the part number for the tach cable is 04-0025. I hope this helps!

Hap