Clutch cable rubbing

[krussell]

If I did this right, you should see a rough video of the route I used for the clutch cable.

You did it right. Thanks for posting.

 

[ebrake]

If I did this right, you should see a rough video of the route I used for the clutch cable.

Wow thanks a ton for going out of your way to make a video, I get exactly that you did and why. That was really helpful, thank you!

 

[TerraCzar]

Thanks for the video, yet another reason to get rid of the excessive environmental controls, eg. canisterectomy.

 

[MadDogTR]

I would imagine you're not doing clockwise donuts all day long and the cable would be touching only for moments at a time, so probably okay as far as heat goes. Check it in a 1000 miles and let us know!

Wouldn't you be doing counter-clockwise donuts if your handlebars were full-lock right? I would.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

When I got home from work today I rerouted my clutch cable behind the frame. Much more relaxed, but there are a couple of spots where it will rub against the radiator hose when the bars are on full right lock. Does anyone foresee that being a problem when the hose gets hot ?

FYI, I realized that the clutch cable runs in between and against the coolant hoses on the left of the engine where the cable attaches to the transmission. Clearly the heat is not a problem.

 

[Lekolite]

Was checking the cable after being in its new position for a while now. Looks like it must have contacted the exhaust once or twice so I suspect I will need to wrap the melted section and use a cable tie to keep it from touching again.

 

[chris1261]

I Ended up putting an electrical harness sleeve that i purchased from Lowes for around $2.00. It seems as though the cable slides through it quite easily now, with a minimum of friction. Time will tell if it gets worn out or not, and I'll add it to the list of things to check periodically.

 

[Lekolite]

I really think most of the cable damage was due to pinching, at the top and bottom of the radiator, along its original route. I just rerouted mine and didn't cross over then back again but simply ran it down the left side of the frame, behind the radiator. Seems good and avoids the hot parts.

 

[pkplex]

I just routed it on the right hand side of the radiator mount so it's not being forced up and down, it just moves sideways left and right.

 

[Ignaciob]

I went to a local hardware store and tried to find some of those metal brackets that are vinyl covered, but found only some plastic ones. I bought them and tried to use them, but the bases were too small for the Husky fastener and when I tried to drill them out realized there wasn't enough material. Faced with putting back in the fastener that's been sawing away at my cable (I have moderate wear at 2500 miles) I decided to at least reverse the little doohickey and expose the cable to the side that hadn't worn away. A little mind logic later I couldn't find any reason to not just keep bending the bracket and fashion a clamp out of it.

I'll check it after I ride home tonight to see if it's moved any, but if it hasn't....I'll probably keep it until I do a canisterectomy and/or reoroute the cable.

 

[Chuffa]

I decided to at least reverse the little doohickey and expose the cable to the side that hadn't worn away. A little mind logic later I couldn't find any reason to not just keep bending the bracket and fashion a clamp out of it.

That picture makes me cringe. Much better to be loose than tight in my opinion. At my 20,000km service it looks like the dealer put a new oem cable guide on my bike & had it sitting 'un-bent' like the 2nd generation TR's went out with (mine was bent around the cable when I bought the bike). Maybe a memo went out to dealers about this issue?

 

[Ignaciob]

That picture makes me cringe. Much better to be loose than tight in my opinion. At my 20,000km service it looks like the dealer put a new oem cable guide on my bike & had it sitting 'un-bent' like the 2nd generation TR's went out with (mine was bent around the cable when I bought the bike). Maybe a memo went out to dealers about this issue?

It's just a rehash of various other similar ideas including:

Based on my experience, you will not have any problems with steering. When you turn right, the cable will want to move downward. When you turn left, the cable will want to move upward. I chose to install a clamp that holds the cable firmly at the top of the radiator to prevent the cable from moving at that point. This also prevents the cable from moving significantly at the bottom of the radiator, another wear point. The cable still has to move somewhere when you turn right and left, however. By clamping it at the radiator, the cable will now bend and move towards the headlight above the radiator. There seems to be plenty of room on my stock bike for this and it does not impede steering. It is your choice whether you put on a tight clamp or loose one, but either would be better than the stock guide, IMO.

 

[Coffee]

I just got done experimenting, and the solution that worked best for me was to keep the standard clutch cable routing/positioning, and to simply clamp the cable as others have done near the top of the radiator.

I got some UV resistant clamps from a hardware store, and yes I needed to drill out the holes slightly, but do not see any major downsides if that clamp does not hold up long term because it would then ride up/down like it did from the factory until another clamp was put on.

I tried re-routing the cables many different ways, as did someone else. Every combination tried seemed to have a less friendly feel to the clutch, as if the cable was not as free to move.

 

[Dinosan]

I just routed it on the right hand side of the radiator mount so it's not being forced up and down, it just moves sideways left and right.

I did the same, ran it on the right side along with some electrical loom.. Couldn't make it work routed as described by others... Have 2 inch risers so it was extra tight in there... At 1200 miles my cable is showing some wear at the top but is cut pretty deep where it was in contact at the bottom of the radiator.. Patched it with some shrink tube and electrical loom and a few zip ties then ran the whole thing on the right side behind the radiator. Will ride it this way until I get a new longer cable.

 

[Dinosan]

anyone found a longer replacement clutch cable?

 

[MotoFan]

There are pros and cons to the different clutch cable routings. After exploring options I also chose to use the factory routing in front of the frame and behind the radiator, but I pulled the engine side of the cable and slipped a couple pieces of 1/2" ID clear tubing around the cable and then positioned them at the two points where they rub on the radiator and clip. Now the cable can move freely inside the tubing without any wear on the sheathing. Everything works well and there is no binding or extra clutch tension.

 

[Tigrebleau]

I've done similar fixes with other bikes (BMW X-Challenge, KLR650, TE250, DRZ400, DR650) where clutch or throttle cable routing caused wear on the outer sheath. I just cut some clear heavy duty fuel line lengthwise, fit it over the cable's friction points and safety-wired the "cover" to the cable. Any wear was to the covering fuel line and not the cable.

 

[drzcharlie]

I just checked my Terra. The cable was rubbed significantly after only 140 miles on the bike. This is my fix.

 

[kiwiape]

I am really glad I saw this thread, after 400k's my factory clamp has worn the rubber off and the sharp metal edge was having a good old nor at my cable outer. Seeing what others had done I decided clamping/locking the cable is the wrong thing to do as the cable floats/slides up and down about 2" from lock to lock. If you fix it it pushes into the back of the headlight and other cables and is just yuk. I also re-routed the clutch cable under the headlight wires ...this puts less strain on both and is how it should have been.


Visiting the local chandlery store I got a SS staple which is shaped so the edges won't cut, I reshaped it a little and cut off one end and bingo, job done. The bottom of the radiator is next as it will cause problems given time.

 

[Mark_H]

Whilst carrying out the Cannisterectomy last week and moving the radiator forwards, I discovered that my clutch cable has been worn through the outer casing, similar to others here.
My Clutch Cable was not rubbing at the top of the radiator like some, but at the bottom where the original cable route causes it to be tightly fitted in the space between the radiator and the frame. The cable is IMHO too tightly fitted and was rubbing on the base of the radiator and the steel inner had begun to damage the radiator while itself being worn away.
I decided to look at re-routing the cable and found that it will fit perfectly well if allowed to exit the base of the radiator and pass behind the vertical frame member instead of in front of it. The cable then passes over the top of the starter motor but under the water hose to exit perfectly aligned with the fitting on the engine casing. Everything held in place with a decent sized zip-tie and all appears to be good now.



New cable route behind frame - Note Damage to Cable casing from contact with base of radiator.



Cable neatly re-routed and everything held in place with a Zip-Tie (Black)
(The other blue zips are from when I replaced the silly little horn which you can see is missing from the left of the picture)

I will continue to monitor my clutch cable for any further signs of wear against the frame or radiator.

Cheers, MH