Clutch lever getting stiff

[PaulSmith]

I am looking for some ideas about what to check.  My clutch lever has been slowly getting stiffer and stiffer. I didn't really notice until I sat on someone elses bike and their lever felt light as a feather. Gear changes and so on seem fine so any ideas would be appreciated.

[ghostbiker]

Lube ya pivots and the cable up.

[Falcon 269]

What he said.

Pay attention to the cable ... it does need lube all along its length.

[ddtwelve]

hydraulic cable oiler ,ptfe spray oil 15 mins work  bobs ya uncle

[AyJay]

Funny you should mention that. My throttle was getting stiffer until eventually the cable snapped. Looks like it had been fraying for a while. They're cheap, so if I were you, I'd just replace it if it isn't the pivot point on the lever, otherwise you might enjoy a lovely 2 mile ride on tickover at walking pace whilst all the cars you'd overtaken over the previous 5 miles tootle past you! It was raining when it happened to me. Of course......

[unfazed]

Sounds like a cable issues. Could be the cable needs oiling or it is starting to fray. Remove the cable from the clutch lever side and check around the end for signs of frayng. If all checks out remove the cable from the clutch end and see if it pulls cleanly through by hand (it should be very easy to pull/push) if not put a bit of tape around the clutch lever end of the cable to create a bit of a funnel and fill it with WD40 and pull/push the cable,  repeat until the WD40 comes out the other end. Grease the pivot at the lever side before you put it all back together..

[red98]

Sounds like a cable issues. Could be the cable needs oiling or it is starting to fray. Remove the cable from the clutch lever side and check around the end for signs of frayng. If all checks out remove the cable from the clutch end and see if it pulls cleanly through by hand (it should be very easy to pull/push) if not put a bit of tape around the clutch lever end of the cable to create a bit of a funnel and fill it with WD40 and pull/push the cable,  repeat until the WD40 comes out the other end. Grease the pivot at the lever side before you put it all back together..

yes,me too,as above........might be worth fitting a new cable they dont last forever and are cheap to buy and easy to fit 

[PaulSmith]

Thanks guys, new cable on order.

[richiomtt]

Same happened to mine. I forked out for a new OEM (not cheap), but the transformation was amazing. Not only easy to pull in but the gear selection was so much smoother too. Definitely worth the investment I would say. Not too bad after 27,000 miles.


Rich

[manuel32]

Yes it is a wise maintenance move to oil all the cables, exept my new toyota , the throttle is fly by wire,no cable,


Billy

[JZS 600]

I do the clutch cable every 6 months or so with a cable oiler and GT 85 but haven't touched the throttle cables yet...

[PaulSmith]

Well that was embaressing... I am still waiting for the new cable to arrive but as I had a bit of time today to do a few jobs on the bike so I thought, why not lube the clutch cable just to take the strain off it until the new one arrives. Guess I wont be needing the new cable after all.

[spoonlamp]

Well that was embaressing... I am still waiting for the new cable to arrive but as I had a bit of time today to do a few jobs on the bike so I thought, why not lube the clutch cable just to take the strain off it until the new one arrives. Guess I wont be needing the new cable after all.

You think that's bad? I thought I had the same issue, nearly ordered the cable, took it to my friendly mechanic who fixed it in 10 seconds. I hadn't noticed that the heated grip hat rotated a little and the sticky-outy-bit was beginning to block the lever... 

[steeeve66]

Probably a bit late now but for anyone looking to buy a new clutch cable for a gen1 I'd recommend avoiding the aftermarket ones - I bought one from wemoto for 20 odd quid and it lasted less than 1000 miles. The OE cost me a whopping 50 odd quid but is a lot better and, I'm reasonably confident, will last better too.
S