Broken Clutch Cable

[wilbur-t]

My clutch cable broke Saturday. Broke right at the lever on the engine block. Looks like the slot that it pivots in has sharp edges and they sawed right through it. Got a new cable coming, and I'm going to bevel those sharp edges off the clutch lever before installing it.

 

[Hondax]

My clutch cable broke Saturday. Broke right at the lever on the engine block. Looks like the slot that it pivots in has sharp edges and they sawed right through it. Got a new cable coming, and I'm going to bevel those sharp edges off the clutch lever before installing it.

Thanks. I'll check mine for sure.

 

[rusty]

That goes for me too. Thanks for sharing the info wilbur-t. That's what this sight is all about.

I ran home at noon & Rocket-ed back to work thru the blustery conditions this afternoon. It's worth is though. Winter will be in the Midwest tomorrow. Gotta get home & put the Rocket chains on tonight so the ride tomorrow isn't too slick. Ha Ha.

 

[bigern2300]

Hey Wilbur-T, One thing you also want to watch out for is the cable end binding at the barrel end instead of pivoting/rotating in the lever end...same also at the hand lever. What happens is when you wash your bike, you wash away lubrication on the barrel ends of the cable and they can eventually bind and break because the cable is having to do all the flexing instead of the barrel end rotating. I learned this the hard way years ago on my Harley. It would snap clutch cables right where the cable meets the end barrel. I've gotten into the habit of spraying some lubricant on every thing that moves such as folding footrest, handlever pivots, brake and shifter mechanisims...after washing my bikes. Waiting till the service manual says to do so is inviting problems. Good luck Will.
Bigern

 

[Sidecar Flip]

If all you guys look in a Dennis Kirk catalog, you'll find a cable luber that fits over the cable end and has a hole in it that the stick end of a WD40 can (or other lube) fits in. You can lube your cables really easily and all the way to the other end. I have one. It's cheap too. Couple of bucks.

Triumph uses cheap cables and crappy ferrules. They are even more crappy on my T100. The ferrule on the lever end of the clutch cable parted company with the cable jacket so I got a teflon lined aftermarket cable but I still lube that. Bigern2300 is right. Repeated washings wash away the lube and the water drying in there leaves dry calcium deposits that makes everything worse.

I'll check the clutch bellcrank for burrs tonight.

 

[wilbur-t]

Thanks for the info, guys. That cable luber sounds very interesting.

 

[vonbonds]

At around 20K miles I purchased a spare set of throttle and clutch cables just in case this happened to me while on a trip. Just get an extra set and keep them in a tail/saddle bag for peace of mind.

 

[wilbur-t]

Jury-Rigged Repair

Took a ferrell off a manual choke cable, drilled out the hole where the cable goes through to fit the clutch cable, slipped it over the end of my broken cable and tightened the set screw. Had to loosen the bottom adjustment all the way to make up for shortening the cable, but I'm up and running. Able to take advantage of the warm weather the last couple of days here in N.C.

 

[Sidecar Flip]

Wilbur:

When all else fails....POWERSHIFT.....

 

[Baggage1]

Good show wilber-t,I like a guy who can get the job done using the talents called for.It isn't always possible to get the parts when you need them or when they decide to fail.And it is a good idea to have spares at hand but we are learning what it is that goes and I will keep an eye out.