clutch cable disconnect

[sportwing]

out riding saturday, bike wasrunning great , stopped to pick up some food, came out, started bike, put it in first, let out clutch and the bike lurched forward and stalled. thought the cable broke but it actually was disconnected from the clutch adapter on the crankcase. any ideas how that could have happened? it doe's have 1" up plus 1" back risers the previous owner installed. possible cable too tight or loose. bike is still under 30 day warranty i'll let the dealer figure it out. good thing it didn't happen on 195 braga bridge

 

[mikesim]

out riding saturday, bike wasrunning great , stopped to pick up some food, came out, started bike, put it in first, let out clutch and the bike lurched forward and stalled. thought the cable broke but it actually was disconnected from the clutch adapter on the crankcase. any ideas how that could have happened? it doe's have 1" up plus 1" back risers the previous owner installed. possible cable too tight or loose. bike is still under 30 day warranty i'll let the dealer figure it out. good thing it didn't happen on 195 braga bridge

My "guess" is that the cable was grossly out of adjustment.

Mike

 

[junglejim]

Way out of adjustment or not properly installed.

 

[DirtFlier]

The threaded end of the clutch cable on the engine side has about 2" of threads and it fits into a metal bracket that is secured to the clutch cover. The top of that bracket is formed into a socket with the threaded end being captured inside and held in place by the two locknuts which serve as adjusters. Even if both nuts were removed, it seems almost impossible that the threaded end could come out of the socket. My guess is that someone rigged it up in a non-kosher fashion to get more length.

 

[Rich]

Here's how it may have happened. I replaced my NT stock clutch cable with one from another model (I don't recall which) that is longer because the risers I added caused the stock clutch cable to be a bit too tight. This cable was recommended on this site for such a condition. Since you say your bike has risers (up and back) I speculate that you have this same alternative clutch cable (or perhaps a similar replacement).

When I went to install it I discovered this replacement cable had something the stock cable did not: a clear plastic sheath incorporated on the cable itself, all the way to abut against the swaged fitting that hooks onto the lever at the engine end. This sheath had too large a diameter to allow the cable to be properly slipped through the slot on the end of that arm so the fitting would be properly seated into it. I carefully trimmed about 1/4" of that plastic sheath off so it would fit properly. Not doing so left the cable in a position where it would clearly work its way out of that fitting. When doing so, be careful not to nick any of the strands comprising the cable, as you don't want to introduce a fatigue point.

 

[DirtFlier]

The most popular clutch cable when adding risers is from a '89 Trans-Alp. When my bike had 1" up/1" back risers I used a Trans-Alp cable but never had to trim the plastic sheath. The clutch actuating arm on the clutch cover of the Trans-Alp is pretty much what we have on the NT700V. Maybe you had something other than a cable from a Trans-Alp?

 

[Warren]

I agree. The Transalp cable I used was identical to the NT cable other than it was 2" longer. I wonder if the sheath that is being described got pulled out of the cable housing and could have been pushed back in. Most of the plastic sheaths I have seen were located inside the cable housing not on the outside.

 

[Rich]

I agree. The Transalp cable I used was identical to the NT cable other than it was 2" longer. I wonder if the sheath that is being described got pulled out of the cable housing and could have been pushed back in. Most of the plastic sheaths I have seen were located inside the cable housing not on the outside.

This cable was what I received from Bike Bandit, having ordered a Trans-Alp cable, though I do not recall the model year. This sheath was part and parcel of the internal cable portion and protruded from both ends, all the way to the swaged fittings on each end. The upper end was no factor, though.

 

[DirtFlier]

I wonder if Bike Bandit had that cable made by a supplier so it wasn't a genuine Honda cable?

Did it come in a long plastic bag with a Honda sticker & part number affixed? That's the way almost all Honda cables and hoses are packaged.

 

[Rich]

I wonder if Bike Bandit had that cable made by a supplier so it wasn't a genuine Honda cable?

Did it come in a long plastic bag with a Honda sticker & part number affixed? That's the way almost all Honda cables and hoses are packaged.

I don't recall if it actually had a Honda sticker but it did come in such a plastic bag with a Honda-looking part number on it. It's been two years and I no longer have the bike (though it might still be sitting at Lynnwood Powersports).

 

[junglejim]

There are a few outfits that make custom cables. And some put on plastic sheaths or Kevlar linings in the housings for less friction. Maybe that is what Rich had.

The one I used was a Transalp cable that I got from Honda. Although the parts clerk didn't know what a Transalp was until I told him it was an XL650, then he could look up the part number (which is on the forum here somewhere).

Anyway, for Sprotwing, you should use a longer clutch cable if you have up-and-back bar risers.