| Author | Message | ||
     Dr_greg |
On my commute home last Friday evening, I noticed that the clearance in the clutch lever seemed to be increasing. As I turned into my driveway it had definitely increased. Once in the garage, I couldn't get into neutral until I shut the engine off. After I dismounted it became apparent that the clutch cable (after 30,000 miles) was fraying. Over the weekend I removed it, and here's what I found:  Hey, it got me home! One more pull and it would probably have completely broken. | ||
| Mike_dinger |
Yikes, Doc! Gonna have to keep an eye on that in the future. Glad you made it home safe. | ||
| Strokizator |
Did you lube it regularly? I recently replaced the 12 year old cable on my '95 FLHR with 45K miles "just because". I took it apart expecting it to look like yours and it looked good to go another 12 years. I use a good oil & graphite mixture that seems to do a good job. | ||
| Jlnance |
Which end frayed? | ||
| Adamd |
ever drop the bike? might want to check the lever. | ||
| Dr_greg |
It frayed at the lever end. No, I confess I didn't lube it regularly. Having a clutch cable on a street bike is still a novel concept for me...even my '86 VFR had a hydraulic clutch. And of course I've dropped the bike (many times in fact; I'm only 5-9), but the lever assembly is all fine. I'll have to go into my "dirt bike" mode; all my dirt bikes have cable-actuated clutches. P.S. Ever try to find a clutch cable? Appleton had one, but Andy's promise of overnight shipping got, um, a little mixed up. So Mrs. Greg is still driving me around. | ||
| Maximum |
That's what you get for writing "At 29,500 miles not a thing!!" in the Problems section of your profile!  | ||
| Adamd |
It's very hard to detect a slight bend where the cable rolls over, but if the new one breaks quickly, replace the lever. | ||
| Brad1445 |
my clutch cable snapped this week, zero warning. | ||
| Jackbequick |
I forget, doesn't that cable end have a small teflon or plastic cup around it where it fits in the lever? I think that is intended to rotate easily and keep the strands from being stressed where the cable enters the cylindrical piece on the end. Or am I thinking of another motorcycle? Jack | ||
| Bearly |
From the picture it looks like they all snapped off right at the anchor. Looks like the anchor possibly stopped rotating in the lever and it was bending every time the lever was pulled. My dirt bike does that frequently if I don't take the lever off once in a while and clean out the cavity where that anchor goes and give it shot of lithium grease or something. That way it can rotate in the lever and keep a straight pull. Thanks for the picture and heads up! | ||
| Xbimmer |
Like Bearly said. I use that Permatex synth brake lube, lasts quite awhile, apply it every clutch adjust which really isn't that frequently. That little plastic sleeve around the ferrule at the lever end might work on the showroom floor but seizes up pretty quickly in the real world. | ||
| Dano_12s |
Just replaced my '06 cable w/the '07 cable[12,000mi.].Much better cable, smooth pull in,+doesn't have the metal guide on the lever end. | ||
| Bosh |
"From the picture it looks like they all snapped off right at the anchor. Looks like the anchor possibly stopped rotating in the lever and it was bending every time the lever was pulled. This is exactly what happened on my Uly. It's well worth checking every once in a while to make sure your cable anchor is pivoting like it should. It's a bitch to ride home with a broken clutch cable. |
