Breva 750 2004 - clutch issues.

[Cliff]

Hi all and thanks in advance for your help.

The third clutch cable has just failed me and the bike has only 20K (kilometres) on it.

The first cable failed at 15K. There was fraying at the hand lever end and I put that down to my shoddy maintenance.

The replacement cable lasted only about 1K before it failed. I was continually taking up slack and the cable was cleanly pulled out of the lead anchor at the hand lever end. I put this down to a defect cable.

The third cable I put some marker on so I could see if it was slipping and looked to be holding out. Then all of a sudden it let go.

There has to be some issue behind this. Usually the clutch action is smooth but sometimes it feels there is something binding and not allow a clean separation while changing gears.

Has anyone heard of similar issues or know what is going wrong?

Regards
Cliff

[pete roper]

The lever and arm on the back of the box aren't binding are they Cliff? Have you still got the Corsa? That's a pretty bike!

Pete

[malik]

Just groping in the dark, but if the operating at the gearbox end is fine (& the spring is still there), I'd be tempted to try a new clutch perch & lever, with the new OEM cable (which now comes with 2 rubber blocks to keep the cable off the fins). Also try routing the cable so that the 90 degree sheath at the lever end points down rather than horizontally.

Let us know how it works out.

[Cliff]

Thanks Malik and Pete.

I was thinking the same Pete. There is some screw adjustment there and that could be incorrect. At least that is easy to get to.

Yes I still have the Corsa, my favourite of the 3. The other two are the Breva 750, a nice commuter, and a 94 Cali 1100i, that I always ride with a smile.
The 3 allow me to cover the first generations of the ECU with MyECU. It's come a long way since I showed it to you 10 years ago.

Cliff

[TimmyTheHog]

Curious, is the lever aftermarket or bone stock?

Also, check how the cable is travelling thru the perch slot when you pull the lever.

Edit: looks like Malik beat me to it.

[Muzz]

I'd be tempted to try a new clutch perch & lever, with the new OEM cable (which now comes with 2 rubber blocks to keep the cable off the fins).

The cable on my 03 goes down the centre of the V, nowhere near the fins. Perhaps the later one is slightly different Mal.

I suspect it could be the lever. When I broke mine after doing a slide on a big patch of oil I fitted an aftermarket one I had lying around that had the same centres and pivot point, it fitted perfectly. What I didn't see was that the slot in the lever was slightly narrower, and although the cable went through fine it was tight enough that the nipple was not rotating in the lever. The result was the cable broke.

Just check that the nipple in yours is rotating freely in your set-up Cliff.

[rodekyll]

Assuming it's not a burr fraying the end, it could be electrical.

Try running the bike with all accessories on -- headlight, everything -- while a voltmeter is clipped between the handlebar and the broken cable.  If you get voltage, the stuff on the handlebar is using the cable for a ground, and it's burning at the solder joint.  It's a common problem on the old VWs when the ground strap at the nose of the transaxle fails.  All the engine grounding (including charging system) has to run through the throttle and clutch cables.  Burns them within a thousand miles or less.

[sign216]

Since two earlier cables failed at the hand lever, I agree with the other posters (Muzz and TimmyH).  Take a look at the lever for binding or another issue.

[Cliff]

Thanks for your suggestion all. Rodekyl, thats really out of the box thinking but I don't think that's the issue here.

This is a photo of the 2nd cable that only lasted about about 1K. This one was slipping bit by bit from the start. As you can see it was cleanly pulled out and there is little wear on the plastic.
MG Cycles provided excellent service with replacing the cable.

Today I'm going to install cable #4 and get under the bike to look at the lever there.

[TimmyTheHog]

Thanks for your suggestion all. Rodekyl, thats really out of the box thinking but I don't think that's the issue here.

This is a photo of the 2nd cable that only lasted about about 1K. This one was slipping bit by bit from the start. As you can see it was cleanly pulled out and there is little wear on the plastic.
MG Cycles provided excellent service with replacing the cable.

Today I'm going to install cable #4 and get under the bike to look at the lever there.

Ya, with the picture, I seriously think the cable is rubbing along the inside of the barrel of the adjuster.

I had to changed my levers out before because of this due to the cable latching point was a bit too high up.

Also, the knob part of the cable could be binding and causing the cable path to change ever so slightly...

[Cliff]

Interesting theory TimmyTheHog. There is some up and down movement in the lever but it doesn't seem to be much more than my other bikes.

Here is the third cable after failure. You can see the pink nail varnish I put on to check for slippage about 1/2 inch from where it was.

[Huzo]

Is the clutch unusually heavy to pull ?
ie, Heavy/smooth or light/binding ? If the issue was at the engine end it would be an issue of excessive force breaking your cable @ the handlebar end, not fatigue.

[TimmyTheHog]

Interesting theory TimmyTheHog. There is some up and down movement in the lever but it doesn't seem to be much more than my other bikes.

Here is the third cable after failure. You can see the pink nail varnish I put on to check for slippage about 1/2 inch from where it was.

Well, my cable was running and some surface was quite shiny comparing to other portion of the cable that were somewhat dull color from the dust and crud.

hmm..your varnish doesn't seem to be worn...perhaps it is not touching...

Checkout Huzo's method too as possibly that too....hmmmmmmmmmmm mm

[malik]

If #4 doesn't work as well as it should, Cliff, perhaps we can arrange to meet up at the Shed in Hornsby sometime to play with Breva/Nevada/V7 levers & cables. I've a few there, used and unused. You could PM me for contact details, or get them from Bruce Walker of the Hills Ulysses. BTW expect to be up there next Sunday.

[Cliff]

Thanks for that offer. It would be good just to see if it feels right as the Corsa 1100 might have given me super human powers in the left hand.

[Cliff]

Sadly the last clutch cable has also failed me, after 4 months and probably less than 1000km.

This time my dab of nail varnish showed no sign of any give until this morning where it took about 4 pulls of the clutch to become unrideable.
The feel of the clutch was always smooth and light. I do have a Sport 1100 with a heavy clutch but I'm sure I haven't developed super human strength with my clutch hand.

Anyway big thumbs up to Ghostriders for the quick pick up.

[Muzz]

Cliff, the only time I had a clutch cable fail was when I replaced the lever (which hadf broken when we went down in oil) with an after market lever I had lying around. Everything seemed okay until the cable broke exactly at that point. I carefully checked it when I put the new cable in and found that when the lever was about 1/2 in the ferrule jammed in the handle, causing the cable to bend rather than the nipple turning in the handle.

I modified it by increasing the clearances between the ferrule and the handle, but bought a genuine lever asap and have had no problems since.

By the break I have a suspicion that you are having the same problem.

[jacksonracingcomau]

Sadly the last clutch cable has also failed me, after 4 months and probably less than 1000km.

This time my dab of nail varnish showed no sign of any give until this morning where it took about 4 pulls of the clutch to become unrideable.
The feel of the clutch was always smooth and light. I do have a Sport 1100 with a heavy clutch but I'm sure I haven't developed super human strength with my clutch hand.

Anyway big thumbs up to Ghostriders for the quick pick up.

Cliff
I did see this before but assumed as everyone else, that fit or lube the problem
Is a real possibility that cable supplier is at fault but really odd no one on forum has issue.
Are they all exactly same to look at ?

If me, I would push sleeve nipple back on, flare wires a bit and solder it on.
Looks from pics like it was only ever crimped.

If other side is blind, you can buy Venhill nipples (and blank cables, option #2) from kenma in Sydney
Tip
Push nylon sleeve away from joint before you solder

Only because
25 odd years agi I bought 100 cables from (other) reputable Sydney people, failed for basic reason, I ended up Venhill importer, I recalled all, made replacements myself, loads still running.

Making new from universal better than anyone else’s

[Cliff]

I can't say I've noticed any bending at the handle and it is the original lever.

All but the original cable have been sourced from the same retailer. I'll see what other alternatives are out there.