clutch cable end of life ?

[steveg]

Hi
Just adjusted clutch cable , to get correct adjustment , had to adjust lower adjuster ,bottomcable adjuster lock nut is flush with end of thread , I guess thats as much adjustment as its got ?

bike had done 20 k miles , and does a lot of filtering / town riding therefore alot of clutch work , any idea of normal clutch cable life / cost for the sv?

cheers Steve

You probably need to adjust the clutch push rod action as wel, have a look in the manual section.

too may people mistake the cable adjustment for the clutch adjustment

loosen cable completely, take of front sprocket cover, adjust clutch (locknut & rod) then adjust the cable

trying to adjust the clutch with the cable adjusters will only make the clutch go out of adjustment, or prematurely wear the cable

FWIW, my original clutch cable was replaced with 92,000 miles, clutch fibre plates & springs replaced at 102,000 miles. at 135k I still have the original steel clutch plates

[Viney]

Ah but Randy me old fruit, sitting doing considerable milage on highways, you are not exactly changing gear and using the clutch as say, a town only rider. That said, i got 45k out of my clutch plates and steels.

The cable however, a lot less. had 3 cables in 52k

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by RandyO

too may people mistake the cable adjustment for the clutch adjustment

Very true.

To adjust your clutch:

Originally Posted by Me, Several Times Now

Slacken off cable adjusters at top and bottom, loosen lifter locknut, back out screw a bit, ensure that lifter arm is as far down as it will go, gently turn screw in until it contacts pushrod, back it out a bit, (~1/8th of a turn), then nip up the locknut, roughly adjust cable with lower adjuster - not too tight - then with top adjuster ensure that there remains a little slack all the way from lock to lock.

Originally Posted by RandyO

trying to adjust the clutch with the cable adjusters will only make the clutch go out of adjustment, or prematurely wear the cable

Not sure why the cable will wear more if you do this?

As far as I know the only reason to adjust the clutch at the pushrod, then the cable, is to maximise the adjustment available on the cable, which is the easiest to do, and hence reduce effort in the long run.

If the cable gives you enough adjustment to get the desired freeplay at lever, then that is all you need to do. If both the adjusters run out (as the original poster was questioning) then all this means is you need to do the push rod, then the cable, as SidSquid so correctly says.

The cable adjusters reaching end of travel are an indication of cable stretch (and clutch plate wear) but not necessarily an indication that the cable needing changing - look for fraying, especially at the nipples, if it looks OK then just adjust it all properly and keep on using it, give it a regular oil and it should last a very long time.....

Originally Posted by Viney

Ah but Randy me old fruit, sitting doing considerable milage on highways, you are not exactly changing gear and using the clutch as say, a town only rider. That said, i got 45k out of my clutch plates and steels.

The cable however, a lot less. had 3 cables in 52k

less than 5% of my 135k are highway miles , I have more miles using the SV as a dirtbike, 1st & 2nd gear slipping clutch standing on pegs in loose rocks, mud & gravel

Originally Posted by andy

Not sure why the cable will wear more if you do this?

As far as I know the only reason to adjust the clutch at the pushrod, then the cable, is to maximise the adjustment available on the cable, which is the easiest to do, and hence reduce effort in the long run.

If the cable gives you enough adjustment to get the desired freeplay at lever, then that is all you need to do. If both the adjusters run out (as the original poster was questioning) then all this means is you need to do the push rod, then the cable, as SidSquid so correctly says.

The cable adjusters reaching end of travel are an indication of cable stretch (and clutch plate wear) but not necessarily an indication that the cable needing changing - look for fraying, especially at the nipples, if it looks OK then just adjust it all properly and keep on using it, give it a regular oil and it should last a very long time.....

the pushrod IS is the clutch adjustment, if the pushrod is not adjusted correctly, you can't make it correct by adjusting the cable, the most you can do is make the cable wear prematurely, the cable does not stretch significantly, what appears to be cable stretch is clutch plate wear


re-read what SidSquid just posted