| Author | Message | ||
     Electraglider_1997 |
Last week I had to park my ULY to wait for a new $60 clutch cable. Turned out that only one strand of cable was all that was left before probable disaster. Close call. I think a hydraulic actuated clutch would be better on the EBR AX. No cable to oil or stretch or break. Any thoughts on this? That original clutch cable lasted over 35K miles which isn't so bad. Changing it out was no great effort either. I'm certainly glad that I visited the American Sportbike site and read Al's warning concerning the installation. Because of that I avoided potentially screwing up the threads where the cable ferrule screws into the primary cover. Thanks Al. I had already ordered the cable from my local dealer. Torn between supporting the local dealer/economy or showing my appreciation to American Sportbike. Dealer won out this time, but American Sport Bike has delivered on two 2010 wheels and a drive belt. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Oh, you won't screw up the threads. That cable end will snap RIGHT off at the threads with just a little too much torque. I found that out the hard way the first time I installed a cable on my S3. Al used to sell a hydraulic conversion kit for XB's (he may still sell them), but I believe it still used a short section of cable down at the primary. I'd imagine the AX will have a hydraulic clutch since the 1190RS which it's reported to be based on has one, and that's derived from the 1125 which had one. I owned an 1125CR for about a year, and I didn't care for the clutch action on it, though I don't think that's necessarily inherit to hydraulic clutches. It had a very short friction zone and of course there were lots of problems with leaking slave cylinders on 1125's, although they eventually worked them out. Cables have their drawbacks, but so do hydraulics. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I remember back when I owned a 1300cc Yamaha Venture Royale and it had a hydraulic actuated clutch. Every time I'd go out to Sturgis the altitude played havoc with it. Wouldn't totally disengage. Either it was air expanding in the line or it was the cheap hydraulic lines. As soon as I'd get to lower altitudes the clutch would be just fine. | ||
| Buewulf |
I have experienced crappy examples of both, and great examples of both. Either one can fail, though I am sure cables snap much more often than hydraulics go out. It is a lot easier to replace a cable if you need to, though. I'll take reliability over ease of repair any day so long as the margin is significant. | ||
| Tootal |
Your new cable has a plastic (teflon?) coating on it that works real well. I think it will last a lot longer than the original. Seems to be the case on most replacement parts for the early Uly's! | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Tootal, So the original cable that broke has been updated? Hope so. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Yes, the new cable has a white teflon liner. DO NOT use Dri-Slide or other lubes on this cable - run it DRY, the white liner lubricates it (and lubricants can damage / deteriorate it). Hydraulic clutches typically have a more vague feel than a cable clutch...but my CR actually has one of the best feels I've encountered on a hydraulic. Nice thing about a cable? Adjustability. Put the friction point where you want it. Nice thing about hydraulic? Light pull, easy use, durable. |
