| Author | Message | ||
     Razz |
Clutch cable broke today while on vacation in Florida.I was about 5 miles from my hotel in bumper to bumper traffic.I could not get into neutral to push it off the road.I literally dragged it off the road.Naturally as soon as I got off the road it popped right into neutral.I started it in gear and made it home no problem.I had to pull into the bicycle lane a few times when traffic stopped and just barely made it through a few intersections.The cable broke at the lever end right at the ferrule.The ferrule was probably binding and bending the cable back and forth.Ironically lubing the cable was on my to do list when I got home.I am sure I would have seen the wear.My bike has only 13,000 km and I was really surprised it went so early.Any special tips for replacing the cable other than using the old cable to pull the new one through? | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Drill a hole in the lever perch when you install the new cable. Big enough to fit the straw of a can of spray lube. I use dupont chain lube with teflon since it's always around anyway. Spray it in there every once in a while to keep the cable nice and slick.. it'll mean less work from your left hand and less strain on the cable. | ||
| Schwara |
Pk - any chance you could snap a pic of yours so that we can see where you drilled that hole exactly? One close up &another a foot or so away for reference would be great. Thanks | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
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| Schwara |
Thanks, that makes it pretty clear. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Before installing the new cable decide which type you have. The older cables were unlined and needed lube, the newer ones have a plastic(?) liner so if you lube it be careful what you use. Pull off the lever and clean it up well, especially the recess where the barrel of the cable end pivots in the lever. Reassemble the lever with good waterproof grease at the pivot and the barrel recess, and install one of these:   Amazing how much dirt that boot keeps out of there, and keeps the grease working. | ||
| 7873jake |
+1 on that boot. Quite possibly one of the best <$20 upgrades I did on my bike just after getting it, blatantly harvested from the pages of BadWeb. | ||
| Fordhotline |
This is a great idea! I had a cable break on me. Luckly it was before a long trip to Americade. I will be doing this! Thanks (Message edited by fordhotline on March 29, 2012) | ||
| Uly_man |
The cable has a liner, PTFE I think. If it does its self lubs. I have a spare one just in case but this is the first one to go I have heard of in six years. Anyone else? | ||
| Reepicheep |
My 05 9sx cable was worn out at about 25k miles. Not broken yet, but frayed at the top swage and hard to pull. | ||
| Reepicheep |
I got a bottle of "dri-slide", which came with a metal needle, which you can stuff into the cable from the top without removing anything or drilling any holes. Just lean the bike to the right a bit so it drools down instead of up and out. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Great idea with the rubber boot! Just ordered one today from a local shop. $2.95! | ||
| Thesmaz |
I had a clutch cable break on me in Austria, 5 hrs from home!! Luckily a guy on a moto stopped after he saw me trying to push start it up hill at around 5000 ft elevation that had a emergency cable repair kit. The ferule broke on mine as well and his kit a temp ferule. I was able to adjust the cable enough to get it on there and home! I have the newer clutch cable, added the lever boot, lube it regularly AND carry my own emergency cable repair kit! Not going through that crap again!! | ||
| Razz |
Thanks for the great tips.Luckily the cable broke on the last ride of my vacation.Started off riding around Ocala area and did a trip to the Keys.Just trailered it back to Canada today.Now to order a new cable and find a cable repair kit.Never really worried about the cable before knowing how easy it is to ride without the clutch,but this was harder because of the busy stop and go traffic.Years ago I had a 74 Ford pickup and the metal arm that actuated the clutch broke.I drove it for a week like that no problem.It started in gear so easily and shifted great.Downshifts I had to hit neutral first.The Uly really lurches when you hit the starter and moves quite fast.It would probably be easier to start in neutral,push the bike,hop on and put it in gear. | ||
| Thesmaz |
Here's the emergency repair kit that I have: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Venhill-Broken-Motorcycle- Cable-Emergency-Repair-Kit-/110794058200?pt=Motorc ycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19cbd729d8&vxp=mt r Here's another option http://www.ebay.com/itm/EMERGENCY-MOTORCYCLE-INNER -CABLE-REPAIR-KIT-/130543965987?pt=UK_Motorcycle_P arts&hash=item1e6506d723 | ||
| Zac4mac |
Thanks for the link on the Venhill kit. Just ordered one. Z | ||
| Turf_moor |
Uly man, mine has done 18000 miles. On the original. It's a 2006 so would this be a cable without a liner. I do have a spare cable but these things never break when it's convenient. I understand you have to be really careful not to overtighten it at the gearbox end when you install a replacement. True? | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Hey Thesmaz, I think the boys over at Venhill owe you a tee shirt or something. Like Zac I ordered one of those cables right after reading your post. I got an email stating that there'd be a 'sudden run' on the cables and they're out of stock until next week. | ||
| Thesmaz |
HAHAHA!! Too Funny!! I guess I need to show them this post then  | ||
| Thesmaz |
Looks like the folks at the other ebay link have sold a bunch in the last few days too. I'm just happy to pass the info along. I know what its like to be stuck on the side of the road with a broken cable. This had been my 2nd breakdown of that trip! I also lost a belt about 2hrs from my destination in the middle of Switzerland. I had to pay a tow company to transport the bike 2 hours in a van to the nearest dealer and then the dealer had to get the Uly belt from another dealer in Zurich. I got it fixed right before I was supposed to start a 24hr non-stop ridding event! Needless to say that it was a good and bad trip. | ||
| Ratbuell |
1 - never overtighten the cable into the primary cover. Right when you start to think the thought "I hope I don't break this"...it breaks. 2 - if you have the newer cable with the white teflon liner...DO NOT LUBE IT. You can still lube the ferrule at the lever, but do not lube the cable inside the sleeve. | ||
| Schwara |
Stupid question (sorry), but for those who ordered the boots mentioned previously ... did you actually order 2 of the part# shown? The reason I ask is because there are separate part#s for the left & right & I want to make sure there aren't any strange issues with fit since I know nothing about the original bike these are for. For those interested the 53177-430-000 is the left (BikeBandit# 681502) and the right is BikeBandit# 681473 ... I don't know the OEM# for that one. I'm trying to bullet proof as much as possible after my issues on: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/384 2/675482.html?1334870609 | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
For most bikes, there is no boot for the right side. If it's new enough to have disc brakes, there's no front brake cable, and no need for a boot. I didn't order the boot in this thread, but I did order a similar universal fit boot. I don't think you'll have serious fitment issues regardless of what you get. There is no boot specifically designed for the Uly and it's particular combination of cable diameter/adjuster diameter/lever perch dimensions/etc. The universal piece I'm using now fits just fine, but anyone who knows jack about bikes can see that it's not an original part. | ||
| Schwara |
Thanks for the reply Pk. Do you mind me asking what it was that you put on? | ||
| Schwara |
Does anyone know how to visually check to see if my current cable is the old design or the new one with the teflon cable liner. I want to make sure that I lubricate correctly? I don't recall seeing that this had been replaced in the maintenance history when I bought the bike so I assume that mine is the original 09 XT part ... whichever version of the cable that is. Thanks | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
i believe the boot I used was a Parts Unlimited part.. can't remember for sure. It was just the first thing I saw that looked like it would fit when flipping through the catalog at the local dirt bike shop. Only cost $2.99, and it's just there to keep dirt out of the cable - not to look pretty. I have an 09 XT as well, original cable should be lined with teflon. You should be able to see the liner if you remove the lever and pull the cable out of the perch. | ||
| Schwara |
Thanks again Pk. So the Dupont w Teflon works OK with our cable even with the liner? Have you been using it for a little while with good success? Sorry for all the questions. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
I've been using it for a while with no ill effects. Rat's warning is the first I've heard against lubing the lined cable. I think I'll hold off on lubing it any more to do some research and find out what, if any, are the negative effects of teflon lube on a teflon liner. | ||
| Xbimmer |
The Honda part applies to several smaller dirt bikes, I simply went to a local dealer and looked around on the showroom floor for something that might work. The top pic is of the underside of the left boot showing the "weep" hole. If you look closely you can see in the bottom pic where I trimmed it to fit around the clutch lever switch. I also trimmed the cable end which wasn't necessary hence the zip tie. Does anyone know how to visually check to see if my current cable is the old design or the new one with the teflon cable liner. I think I still have my old cables, one of each type. I'll post pics later if so. | ||
| Schwara |
Thanks Xbimmer, I would appreciate the pics. For the time being I went ahead and just got the Harley lube mentioned in my manual although the part number has changed. Hopefully the replacement will work OK with whichever version of the cable I have. |
