Best advise I can give

[danf]

This is the best advise I can give to everyone riding a motorcycle. Carry a extra clutch cable.. Thanksgiving day I took the bike out and was 10 miles from home, and it happened while downshifting it just broke and I rolled into a large parking lot.. The bike died out in gear it broke at the lever it was hopeless, I pulled the cable out of the caseing and manually pulled up the clutch to get the bike into neutral I then started it, rolled down a driveway and jammed it into first gear and rode home without stopping in first gear nice and slow had to burn a few stop signs but was safe about it..So keep an extra one in your box..And remember this trick to get yourself home or down the road.. :grin:

 

[Omega Man]

Pull the jacket off the the cable, great advice LB. I'm not sure I would have thought of that.

~O~

 

[detdrbuzzard]

hyd clutch on 1200 and 1500 wings, no cable to break but the hose ,master or slave cyl can go out leaving you clutchless

 

[fastmover83]

It will save you a lot of time on the side of the road if you run the new cable along side of the old one and tie the ends up out of the way until the new cable is needed, then all you have to do is hook up the ends of the new one and your on your way.

 

[dan filipi]

It will save you a lot of time on the side of the road if you run the new cable along side of the old one and tie the ends up out of the way until the new cable is needed, then all you have to do is hook up the ends of the new one and your on your way.

I likes that idea!!

Could do same with the throttle cables.

 

[Tory]

That is a good idea,and I do keep a few tools as well as my old cables in my trailor for the long hauls.
But I cant help but to think that the reason I ride a honda vs a HD is the reliabilty.If I was to be so prepared for anything that can go wrong,Id have a spare bike in tow.
My point is these are some of the most reliable machines on the road if taken care of.If youre T-belts are old change them,if your tires are old and/or bald replace them,and if you cables are old or things are not working smooth fix it.

Hope I dont sould like a prick.Things happen and theve happen to me to(blown tires,broken cable ect...)but I refuse to ride around waiting for the next breakdown!Thats a harly trait.Not gl1100 :clapping:

 

[danf]

It will save you a lot of time on the side of the road if you run the new cable along side of the old one and tie the ends up out of the way until the new cable is needed, then all you have to do is hook up the ends of the new one and your on your way.

That's brillant :grin:

 

[joedrum]

ahh that is a fastmove.....fastmover k: :rocks: :mrgreen:

 

[carl62cycles]

This is the best advise I can give to everyone riding a motorcycle. Carry a extra clutch cable.. Thanksgiving day I took the bike out and was 10 miles from home, and it happened while downshifting it just broke and I rolled into a large parking lot.. The bike died out in gear it broke at the lever it was hopeless, I pulled the cable out of the caseing and manually pulled up the clutch to get the bike into neutral I then started it, rolled down a driveway and jammed it into first gear and rode home without stopping in first gear nice and slow had to burn a few stop signs but was safe about it..So keep an extra one in your box..And remember this trick to get yourself home or down the road.. :grin:

You could also have pulled the cable out of it's sheath,wrap a circle big enough to fit your hand in.Get the cable to go out of your right leg (always ruin your pants,never scratch the bike.You'll deal with your old lady later)Then pull from it with your left hand....acelerate as usual and you're on your way :yes:

 

[fastmover83]

I wish I could take credit for that bit of information, but it is just one of the things you pick-up over the years like carrying extra points and other parts you may need, but can't get when you venture two weeks from nowhere. Or breaking something on a Saturday afternoon when all the parts suppliers are closed until Tuesday with work and home five hundred miles away, and the boss wants you back on monday.

 

[danf]

I wish I could take credit for that bit of information, but it is just one of the things you pick-up over the years like carrying extra points and other parts you may need, but can't get when you venture two weeks from nowhere. Or breaking something on a Saturday afternoon when all the parts suppliers are closed until Tuesday with work and home five hundred miles away, and the boss wants you back on monday.

I thought of trying to shift it but my guess is the springs on my clutch are really good because I had to pull up pretty hard to get it out of gear, I didn't want to try something like that when I could just stroll home nice and easy on the side of the road I wasn't in any hurry it was Thanksgiving and I was thinking Turkey :yahoo:

 

[fastmover83]

Some bikes are easier to shift without using the clutch then others, but usually it can be done with a little throttle manipulation. In fact it's a good idea to practice those skills now and then, in case you run into a situation where you need them. Just like using engine braking to stop a bike without brakes.

 

[danf]

Some bikes are easier to shift without using the clutch then others, but usually it can be done with a little throttle manipulation. In fact it's a good idea to practice those skills now and then, in case you run into a situation where you need them. Just like using engine braking to stop a bike without brakes.

Yes sir, I drove a concrete truck some time ago that shifted just off rpm's I could have if I wanted to but I wasn't going try to down shift, I didn't want to screw up my gears so didn't, I thought about it though..I was just happy to make it home..What was weird was I came to a four way stop about the same time as a cop did, I saw him far enough ahead to slow down and time it right and he turned right while I burned the sign just after he turned..

 

[skiri251]

There seems to be an emergency cable repair kit which is a ferrule with a set screw. You insert the broken cable end into it and tighten the set screw and good to go.
I searched on the web but only found the ones for Harleys. They appear to be bigger than the ones for Japanese motorcycles.

 

[danf]

There seems to be an emergency cable repair kit which is a ferrule with a set screw. You insert the broken cable end into it and tighten the set screw and good to go.
I searched on the web but only found the ones for Harleys. They appear to be bigger than the ones for Japanese motorcycles.

Wow' how cool is that, first I ever heard of that... pretty neat.. :grin:

 

[toytender01]

:hi:If I go through my old dirt bike parts I may be able to find a few of those trail repair parts from the 70's and 80's....used to carry extra parts such as levers ...carried a small set of vice grips to use for clutch ,break or throttle ... used screws through side of rim to keep tire on rim...used safety wire on all nuts and bolts ...put a glob of grease over spark plug cap to keep water out for (crossing streams)...and all kinds of other things to make sure you got back to the finish line... (too bad I never finished that often) Guess I Should have carries spunge rubber padding so when I fell down I could bounce bach up.. :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: any way you used to be able to buy those cable repair parts in the bike shops anywhere.... I made one trip from Sacramento to Modesto on a KZ-750 without a clutch during rush hour..to buy a cable as that was the nearest place with the cable....Boy was that fun :sensored: :sensored: :heat: :whistling: :whistling: Bob

 

[skiri251]

Nowadays even dirt bikes have hydraulic clutches?
Throttles must be operated by the cables, right? Or are they becoming fly-by-wire also?

Several months ago my XS750's clutch cable went. I could have ridden home with make-shift clutch repair but it was a sidecar rig and my son was with me so I didn't want to stall suddenly and get rear-ended so I called my wife to pick us up.

Yet I still don't carry spare clutch cables. With my XT500 on fire trails, yes but not for street bikes. I guess I never learn.

 

[fastmover83]

The last clutch cable I broke was on a Lamberetta scooter in 1966 so i would say, a person could probably good their whole life without breaking a cable if they took the time to maintain them properly, especially now that the cables are plastic sheathed inside. Unless they are damaged by being smashed or badly kinked, the main place they break is next to the lever where it is somewhat exposed to the weather, but if you coat that area with a good waterproof grease every time you lube the cables they won't rust up the first few inches down inside the housing, and yes you do need to lube sheathed cables, lubing also cuts down on cable stretching. Another cause of cable breakage is not allowing enough slack when changing levers and stretching the cable. This is a big problem when people work on throttle cables they are to lazy to disconnect the cables at both ends, so they pull and twist the cables until they are all kinked next to the barrels, which breaks strands and creates a weak spot.

 

[carl62cycles]

The last clutch cable I broke was on a Lamberetta scooter in 1966 so i would say, a person could probably good their whole life without breaking a cable if they took the time to maintain them properly, especially now that the cables are plastic sheathed inside. Unless they are damaged by being smashed or badly kinked, the main place they break is next to the lever where it is somewhat exposed to the weather, but if you coat that area with a good waterproof grease every time you lube the cables they won't rust up the first few inches down inside the housing, and yes you do need to lube sheathed cables, lubing also cuts down on cable stretching. Another cause of cable breakage is not allowing enough slack when changing levers and stretching the cable. This is a big problem when people work on throttle cables they are to lazy to disconnect the cables at both ends, so they pull and twist the cables until they are all kinked next to the barrels, which breaks strands and creates a weak spot.

What I have heard over the years is that a sheathed cable does not necessarly needs to be lubricated,Quite the contrary it could damage it.It dependes on the quality of the material being used to cover the strands.Have bought bad quality clutch cables and have gone bad(hard)to press impresibly quick and lubed them to try to make them softer too often till having to buy much more expesive oem one and never had to lube them at all.But I know that there are many new parts these days from different manufacturers with different opinions as to how maintain its products. :yes:

 

[skiri251]

In my case (XS750), the cable was 3 years old or so. I bought it on eBay. It wasn't rusted at all. I don't think I ever lubricated it entirely (though I do have cable lube tool). I just put grease around the ferrule and exposed portion. The lever and the purch had a rubber dust cover similar to GL. I have never ridden it in a rain. I think for some reason the ferrule didn't rotate freely in the lever and that caused repeated bending and breakage. Or maybe the one I got was low quality..