Stronger Clutch Cable ?

[catdna]

Hi All

Got my new clutch and springs fitted along with a new clutch cable today - Yay !

Then the clutch cable broke at 50 miles from home ! Boo !

The springs were labelled as '10% stronger than original parts' - is this the problem ? or could I just have bought a duff cable ?

I was wondering if they make stronger cables to go with the stronger springs ? (the cable was very tough to pull... obviously !)

I'm just hoping it isn't a problem in the clutch plates themselves (tried pulling the clutch arm up with a spanner and it was damn hard !)

Cheers
Chris

[motoman]

May want to take cover off and double check make sure springs are correctly positioned in where they belong.........easy oversight............just a thought.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Chris,

When I put in the HD springs on Bigge_Al's XJ the clutch was a bit harder/stiffer to pull, but it would still pull, you could still pry up the clutch lever at the engine with a prybar to put the cable end back into it.

Are you sure you got the basket slid all the way back onto the clutch shaft, mated with the drive gear and oil pump idler gear?? Also, did you make sure you didn't rotate the engine side lever in the clutch case while it was off, it can rotate to a point where one of the 3 ball bearings inside it can fall out, and then it is sitting angled, and won't actuate properly? Also, did you re-adjust the clutch throw out rod as per the tech tip instructions?? The springs would not keep it from being able to compress the pressure plate to release the clutch if it was put together right, would just be a little stiffer!
T.C.

[b.walker5]

As well as all the good advice above, I would also take the clutch cable back to the supplier and say WTF. A new cable shouldnt break that easily, even if your clutch is a bit tight. You'd have to be wrenching on it pretty hard, and you'd know something was wrong long before it broke, right? What broke ? the cable itself or did the ends pull off?

[81xsproject]

Get a Barnett, they are much heavier cables. Snapping cables is what pushed me toward hydro

[catdna]

Hi Guys

I didn't fit the clutch myself - I got my friendly local mechanic to do it (I read through the instructions and got to the bit that said 'be careful with this bit...' (where I thought, I'm a klutz, I'm bound to screw it up !).

I'm sure the guy put it in properly, he's a good mechanic and has been for the past 40 years :-) - I'll be calling him tomorrow though !

The cable itself didn't break - it was the soldered 'nipple' on the end (I think our US brethren call them 'ferrules' ?) - a completely clean break too - no signs of any strands in it (would have thought I'd see some in the solder, but nothing).

It's just the 'wide/knobbly' bit (technical term) that's held in by the arm under the clutch cover - so of course, there was no way of attempting a 'roadside fix' as there wasn't enough cable to pull through

There was no sign of anything going 'wrong' while riding - bike was running very nicely - even if the clutch cable was harder to pull than normal - certainly no 'slippage' like I've been having since I got the bike - the only sign I had was when in a queue of traffic and about to pull away, the bike lurched forward and I slammed on the brakes / hit the kill switch at the same time (to stop me mounting the porsche that was in front of me ! :-)

Managed to knock it into neutral and push it to the side of the road - right next to a pub.... which was a good place to wait while the recovery van turned up.

Anyone know where to get a barnett cable from ? (in the UK preferably, but I can order from the US if necessary) - I'll be buying 2 and carry a spare

Cheers
Chris