Tight Clutch Cable

[LowRyter]

New clutch cable on my EV.  It's so tight that I have very little slack in it.   Makes the engagement a bit tricky.  I've cycled the clutch handle a few dozen times and it's loosened a little.  Need a little more.  Keep doing it?  Any tricks to help?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Have you made any adjustment at the arm on the back of the transmission? 

[LowRyter]

Have you made any adjustment at the arm on the back of the transmission?

I'll see how much play is in it.  That's my next effort tomorrow when it's cooled off.....98 right now

thanks   

[Scout63]

Also check the routing to make sure the cable isn’t hung up somewhere like around the steering head.

[pehayes]

Also check the routing to make sure the cable isn’t hung up somewhere like around the steering head.

+1

Curves must be as gentle as possible.

Also make sure to stay away from contact with any exhaust header pipes.  The cable has a waterproof outside cover.  The cable has a spring-wound main body.  The cable has a nylon internal liner for smooth action.  The cable has a central wound core that does the work.  If you touch an exhaust header, the exterior coating melts quickly, then the metal spring body can touch the header and gets very hot locally, then the transferred heat melts the internal lubricating core which oozes intimately into the action cable filaments.  When it call cools down the system becomes rock hard and won't move at all.  Ask me how I know all this.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[LowRyter]

I was able to get a couple of turns on the bottom adjuster.  It's more than halfway to my liking and much better than the first ride.

My next issue is that it's reluctant to go from neutral into first.  The bike isn't creeping, the clutch feels like it's fully disengaging when I ride it and engaging start from a stop if a little abrupt to my liking but much better since I've slacked the cable. 

[LowRyter]

Finally coooled off today.  Got it all adjusted, lubed and worked out.  Took a lot of cycles on the clutch lever with all adjustment taken out.  The gear linkage must've been in a bind.    Bike rides good now. 

[Scout63]

Nice work. Add clutch adjustment to your list of known procedures.

[MMRanch]

My clutch got REALLY HARD to pull .   

come to find out ... the rubber dust grommet that the clutch rod rides in - inside the transmission was dry.   When new the slick surface rubber let the metal rod slide ... but as the slickness wore off the rubber ... the rod quit gliding through the rubble. 
So , I pulled the rod out and
A good smear of GREASE on the rod and another smear on the rubber dust cover hole fixed it .

All this stuff is behind the lever at the back of the transmission.   I took the swing arm off to get to it.   It might have come out with only removing the adjustable lever back there ?

There must have been a New Person on the assembly line the day mine got but together ?  There  was ZERO grease on it.

[LowRyter]

Nice work. Add clutch adjustment to your list of known procedures.

work it until it stretches is the key.

@mmranch I've been using some of that spray synthetic lube.

[Tom]

Lubing up the pivot points should also be part of the maintenance program.  Often overlooked are the barrel ends of the cable.  They have to rotate.

[guzzisteve]

Finally coooled off today.  Got it all adjusted, lubed and worked out.  Took a lot of cycles on the clutch lever with all adjustment taken out.  The gear linkage must've been in a bind.    Bike rides good now. 

Finally found it's groove, where it sets in place, outer housing has to get comfortable first. At least you have a lot of adjustment to come later. I have seen new cables w/outer real short for less later, especially on V7 series smallblock.