| Author | Message | ||
     Pso |
I have not read about the clutch cables breaking in the last four years. The 06's had a way of breaking did Buell upgrade or change the cable? | ||
| Hughlysses |
They did upgrade the cable, but I think the main reason was to correct leaks that occurred at the primary case end of the cable. It appears that the central cable in the newer ones is plastic coated to reduce friction. From what I've seen on here, they cables would usually break near the clutch handle. Keeping the little cylinder on the end of the cable that hooks into the clutch lever lubricated so that it can rotate freely is one way to help avoid that. One Badwebber installed a rubber clutch lever boot from a Honda on his to help keep dirt away from that end of the cable which also seems like a pretty good idea. | ||
| Etennuly |
I have an '06. Mine broke about 7000 miles in. Lack of lube at the handle. The cable end did not pivot, it just bent the end of the cable as the clutch was pulled. Not been a problem for the last 40,000 miles since. Just a drop of used engine oil every time I change oil. | ||
| Ratbuell |
UMO works for when you're doing oil changes; I keep a bottle of dri-slide cable lube in the topcase and give every cable (clutch, throttle and idle) a shot of lube after a rain-ride, or whenever they start feeling a little crunchy. 12k, original clutch cable (spare is coiled and zip tied to the inside of the topcase lid, just in case). | ||
| Sharkguy |
Are any of you lubing the entire cable? I know with many cables that have the inner teflon lining such as BMWs you aren't supposed to lube the entire cable. It will actually cause the cable to become stiffer (depending on the type of lube you use). I'm with Etennuly, just a bit of lube on the handle end. I've had a few cables break on other brands, always where they articulate near the handle. Which makes sense, that's where the stress is on the cable. | ||
| Pso |
Hughlysses-I put one of those covers over mine when someone posted the part #. it fits well. I also have aspare in the top case coiled up for emergency like Ratbuell. Reason I am asking these questions is because I am keeping my 06 till it is unsalvagable from wear. | ||
| Ratbuell |
The 06 was an uncoated inner cable; the dri-slide I use has a needle applicator that I use like this: Pull clutch lever, exposing cable at the lever Slide needle into cable sheath Squeeze and shoot lube into cable sheath Remove needle Release clutch lever. So yes, I lube the cable itself. I squeeze the dri-slide bottle for a good three or five seconds (depending on how crunchy it is when I start), so it gets a good way into it. If I'm doing a full service, I also break the cable open at the adjuster and repeat the process for the lower half. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
I'm with the original cable and never lubed it and works fine and i'm on 38k kilometers so around 25/30k miles, maybe CRG lever have something to do with this, also only done 3 rain rides. who knows luck? | ||
| Xbimmer |
Here's the boot:   Just needs a little trimming to clear the clutch switch. Keeps cable pivot cleaner and freer to rotate. I didn't need to trim off the end, hence the zip tie. | ||
| Buellerxt |
Ratbuell, or others, a couple questions on Dri-Slide. A friend uses it on his Harley and loves it, though he says the cables don't stay lubed for a long time. My tech, who is really good but has his own prejudices, buys the Dri-Slide for the needle and tosses the dry lube because he says it eventually gunks up the cables. He uses a liquid cable lubricant that he puts in the Dri-Slide container. He says a lot of techs do that for the same reason. Any thoughts? Ths. (Message edited by buellerxt on April 04, 2010) | ||
| Biffdotorg |
The original question was about newer Buells not breaking cables. I am pretty sure that Buell redesigned the clutch pull about the same time Harley did so that the force needed to pull in the clutch was greatly reduced. This was in the actual clutch, so the entire cable was not stressed as much as previous years. I know my 2004 12s was a bear to pull the clutch in compared to my 2008 xt. In fact, I spent an entire spring rehabing my crushed left hand pulling my clutch in, in the garage while the snow melted. There was no way I was going to miss the first few days of riding once the snow was gone. I blew one clutch cable on that 12s, but I see no reason why my xt should break one as the pressure needed is a fraction. I would bet a Buell technician could chime in and confirm this design change. (Message edited by biffdotorg on April 05, 2010) | ||
| Ratbuell |
No idea on the "washes out fast" part of the dri-slide. I get caught in the rain too often to have any good data, lol. I may, though, hit a bike (bicycle, that is) shop nearby and see what sorts of stuff they have for derailleur cables and stuff. And I might have to get one of those boots...slick. | ||
| Towpro |
You remove the cable from the clutch lever, this clamps over the cable. (the side you can't see only has a small hole where the cable comes out). The black hole you see on the bottom left is where you put the hose, that comes with the can of cable lube. The pressure in the can flushes the lube through the cable. Buell has a cable adjuster in front of the motor, some lube will come out through this joint, but some will also go through the lower 1/2 of the cable. Since the lower end of the Buell cable is in the trans, you can either remove the cable from the trans, or just let some of the cable lube get into the oil (then change the oil?)  I used them all the time on my dirt bikes. But the biggest thing you can do for cable life is lube the barrel on top where it goes into the clutch lever. Every broken cable I have seen broke at the top because the barrel stopped rotating as the clutch lever moves. | ||
| Nobuell |
I just lubed my clutch cable using the lubrication tool and the lube supplied by the manufacturer and noticed a fairly significant reduction of force. The release seemed smoother as well. I also have been using the cable lube tool on my bicycles for years. | ||
| Rr_eater |
No more clutch cable solved all my problems!! Magura Hydraulic clutch set-up from American Sport Bike. Smooth as silk, never changes, never needs lubed, just a couple of drops of fluid used every 6 months or so, total sweetness. Just my .02 Bruce (Message edited by rr_eater on April 06, 2010) | ||
| Towpro |
I have heard about that hydraulic clutch but darned if I can find it on the site. | ||
| Froggy |
The OEM hydraulic clutch on my 1125s is amazing. I will be putting one on the XB. | ||
| Rr_eater |
under engine and transmission on second page, and I think controls second page as well. or just do this http://www.americansportbike.com/shoponline/ccp0-p rodshow/A9154.html Bruce | ||
| Eulysses |
Rr_eater (what is an RR?), The link says that the upgrade will not work with Uly handguards. Wondering about dirt bike handguards anyway. What was the issue? Thanks. | ||
| Rr_eater |
There is no place for the inner 2 "ears" of the handguard to mount. I too am considering bark buster style hand guards as the replacement in the next few weeks, and mounting my CRG bar ends to their copius amounts of aluminum, then hyd clutch and bar ends, what could be better!! But you are right, that is the catch for the hyd clutch, factory guards no bueno... Bruce P.S. Remember the Honda 929 RR?? First Japanese "superbike" my little old M2 cyclone ever spanked in the corners back in the day, friends who were there said I ate him up all day, thus the nickname was born. | ||
| Etennuly |
I lube my clutch cable every time I change the primary oil. I use Mobil 1, what ever weight is on hand. A method I picked up here a couple of years ago, involves a zip lock sandwich bag, a rubber band, a small hose clamp. Unhook your clutch cable from the lever. place the rubber band(twist it to be fairly tight on the housing end, you could just use an "O" ring) and hose clamp on the inlet of the upper cable housing. Poke a hole in the bottom corner of the bag, slide it on the cable end over the end of the housing and the rubber band, then apply the small hose clamp on the bag on the band. I like to drain the primary oil first and form a paper towel in a long "U" shape, pushing it under the bottom of the clutch cable inside the primary housing to catch the crud that will be washed through the housing. Put a couple ounces of new Mobil 1 in the bag, zip it shut with the cable end in the bag. Then lightly squeeze the bag and hold it for a few minutes. I then check the paper towel in the primary hole for black cruddy oil. When about half of the oil is squeezed in, that is good. Remove the bag, hook up the clutch cable, pull out the paper towel, refill the primary with Formula+, covers on and ride. Makes for an amazingly smooth cable operation for a very long time. Riding in rain doesn't bother it. (Message edited by etennuly on April 06, 2010) | ||
| Verdad |
Towpro - I bought that kit from American Sport Bike, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to get the damn thing on the cable to lube it (duh). So I ended up just spraying the lube down the cable guard. Messy (very), but I'm hoping effective. So, overall, is the issue here friction/stiffness resulting from where the cable end fits into the grip, or from the cable inside the guard, or both? I apologize for the ignorance, but still trying to gather all the knowledge I can in order to know our Uly better and work more efficiently/effectively. Thanks. Russ | ||
| Etennuly |
The breakage usually happens at the point the cable end latches into the clutch lever. As you pull the lever the cable does not pivot, it bends the end of the cable. After a number of bending back and forth, the cable snaps off. The lubing of the cable/housing is a matter of making it operate smoothly and more easily. If never lubed they can drag on dirt that gets in there and feel notchy or even stick if contaminated enough. Lubing makes it feel new all of the time. |
