clutch... RELEASED!

[bemused]

so... I'm pulling out into a rotary, go to shift to 2nd... clutch lever goes all the way in to the grip. whined around the rotary in first 'til I could get off and into a quiet residential neighborhood, find lotsa slack in the cable... "shit, cable busted".

except-- no can pull outta the sleeve, seems to be intact.

got 'er towed home, pulled the side cover, found that the cable had pulled free of the li'l armature that connects to the release mechanism.

so... new clutch release mechanism o/o from Ron Ayers, as well as new cable (might as well...), question is: is it safe to assume that misadjustment / weakness in the release mechanism is what caused it to fail? or are the odds in favor of serious clutch problems that this was just a symptom of??? right up 'til the moment of truth, I was having no trouble shifting (up or down), this came right outta the blue.

I have next-to-zero experience w/ bike clutches, would welcome any insight... or advice as to how I could test the clutch prior to parts arriving...

thanx!

[legalspeed]

Go to a Suzuki dealership.

Buy a GSXR750.

No problems!

[bemused]

Originally posted by legalspeed
Go to a Suzuki dealership.

Buy a GSXR750.

No problems!

WHAT was I THINKING!!!

thanx, Dan, for setting me straight...

[legalspeed]

You KNOW I own a Katana too.


I think most of the clutch problems are from cables. I've seen people rebuild the clutch only to have to buy a cable after anyways.
I'd say it's just the cable.

[bemused]

Originally posted by legalspeed
You KNOW I own a Katana too.

ayuh... that's why your words of wisdom are especially dear to me...

[bemused]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
FWIW, I've heard that clutches are easy to replace on some bikes... How long has it been, and since it appears you'll be in there..... Then you'll have everything replaced...

doubt it's ever been replaced... but hasn't gotten much abuse in the past 4 yr, and I'd rather not spend much more $$$ on a bike I'm gonna sell than is absolutely necessary.

don't know how difficult it is to swap in the Kat, but I'd hafta go into the other, "wet", side to do it... would rather avoid that, too, unless necessary.

[bemused]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
Fair enough...

Eventually getting another bike????

planned to at the beginning of the season, but the upcoming move forced fiscal adjustments.

still... it's given me the opportunity to play w/ the suspension a bit more on a bike I already know purdy well...

oh, and troubleshoot a clutch problem...

[Degsy]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
Sure as heck ain't nothin' wrong with getting even more use/enjoyment out of an ass...

[bemused]

any chance I can hijack this thread back to my original question???

[twrayinma]

Originally posted by bemused
any chance I can hijack this thread back to my original question???

nope.

[stoinkythepig]

Originally posted by Mystery Squid
You know, it occurred to me that having a legit discussion with bemused is, at this point, downright weird.

You two seem to play "Good post whore/Bad post whore" quite a bit.



About the clutch... I seriously doubt it's anything to do with the internal bits. I would venture a guess that either the stamped steel part the cable end fits into has worn out or (the more likely scenario) the cable sheath has failed. Remember that every pound of tension in the cable is equalled by the same number of pounds of compression in the sheath. If the sheath collapses, the cable will appear to have stretched or broken. The added play in the end could easily allow the cable to become detatched from the release mechanism too.

[bemused]

Originally posted by stoinkythepig

About the clutch... I seriously doubt it's anything to do with the internal bits. I would venture a guess that either the stamped steel part the cable end fits into has worn out or (the more likely scenario) the cable sheath has failed. Remember that every pound of tension in the cable is equalled by the same number of pounds of compression in the sheath. If the sheath collapses, the cable will appear to have stretched or broken. The added play in the end could easily allow the cable to become detatched from the release mechanism too.

thanx... won't worry about the guts until I get 'er back together again-- hopefully, the release mech / cable swap will do the trick.

[Rye]

Hope you didn't have to pay for that tow. Call me next time and I'll pick it up for you (hopefully no more next times).

[bemused]

Originally posted by Rye
Hope you didn't have to pay for that tow. Call me next time and I'll pick it up for you (hopefully no more next times).

yeah, really... for a moment I had a horrible, Harley kinda feeling...

nah, didn't hafta pay: AMA MoTow, $25 per year, free towing w/in 35 mi...

but thanx for the offer, Rye: you da man!