Clutch Cable Lube

[EvilBetty]

I've noticed after riding several other bikes, including a new Tiger that my Girly clutch cable doesn't move as freely as they do.  Not only does it take more effort, but it feels more sluggish.

Being my first clutch issue I thought I'd start by lubing it before I did anything else.  How do you do that exactly?

[Mustang]

Buy a new cable . .....seriously that is the only thing that will fix it

lubing it won't do much except make a mess
new cable is 35 bucks

[Timbox2]

Mustangs probably right, but for info anyway.


There are a couple of ways, one involves buying a cable oiler which clamps around one end of the cable and has a little port for you to inject your favourite lube, I use spray silicon grease.



Or the old fashion way of making a sort of funnel out of a plastic bag which you attach around one end and pour lube into it while holding the end vertical

[walker]

I'll look around - I removed a stock 2006 cable and swapped with a 2007 (because I retrofitted the adjustable lever from a 2007 - direct swap for the entire perch, only your handguard isn't compatible, but gives you a better adjustable lever, current mirror bolts right up, and the adjuster I like a lot better.... whole assembly is $68 from bike bandit)

if I have that old cable around, you can have it (well, I might need $5 for priority mail, but basically free).

Let me look when I get home..... I had stuck it in a discard pile, hopefully it never made it out of the garage...

[EvilBetty]

Thanks!

[Bixxer Bob]

Haven't been out to the shed to loook, but isn't the cable PTFE lined?  Most are these days, in which case lubing isn't going to help much.

[Mustang]

Haven't been out to the shed to loook, but isn't the cable PTFE lined?  Most are these days, in which case lubing isn't going to help much.

DING DING DING we have a winner!

[jsingraham]

Another thing to check is side of the motor where the cable terminates...make sure your cable isn't rubbing on the edge of the cable shield.  Many of the girlies have brackets that hold the cable at an odd angle that allows it to  rub where it exits the shielding and therefore causes unnecessary friction and leads to prematue failures.  I had to bend  my bracket out a bit to straighten it.

Jason

[Mustang]

have seen this on a lot of em .............

[walker]

I checked for that cable - I'm too efficient, I tossed it last friday   :(

Good points on the alignment - I have usually used a pair of pliers to bend the bracket a little so that the cable goes straight into the sleeve and has minimum contact with the sides as it moves through the range of motion.

[outrunner]

Last weekend I felt my clutch action very stiff, so much so that after a 240 mile ride to the Lake District and back my left hand was aching. I put this down to what I was up to the previous weekend, which was doing this.

Playing in the sand riding to and from Piel Island off the coast at Barrow. I reckoned that the cable had picked up some sand/salt with all the splashing about so this week I oiled it.
Went out today for a little run of about 80 miles and the clutch is nice and light again so for me oiling the cable works.  :?

PS I won't post the pic of me lying in a heap in the sand and mud. :oops:


Andy.

[EvilBetty]

Thanks guys, I'll go have a look today.  I do seem to remember that cable exiting the tube crooked.

Thanks for checking Walker!

[tett]

Dirty wet sandy sheepskin!  
Please post the pic!

tett

Last weekend I felt my clutch action very stiff, so much so that after a 240 mile ride to the Lake District and back my left hand was aching. I put this down to what I was up to the previous weekend, which was doing this.

Playing in the sand riding to and from Piel Island off the coast at Barrow. I reckoned that the cable had picked up some sand/salt with all the splashing about so this week I oiled it.
Went out today for a little run of about 80 miles and the clutch is nice and light again so for me oiling the cable works.  :?

PS I won't post the pic of me lying in a heap in the sand and mud. :oops:


Andy.

[outrunner]

Dirty wet sandy sheepskin!  
Please post the pic!

tett

Actually the picture is not that clear.


But this one shows how dirty I got.
:D

Andy.

[tett]

Looks like you had a hoot!

Thanks,

tett



Actually the picture is not that clear.


But this one shows how dirty I got.
:D

Andy.[/quote]