Clutch cable falling off

[AApple]

What the heck is goin on NOW? :Awe:
I posted yesterday in the "What did you do to your 'Wing today?" thread about the clutch cable popping loose from the lower lever on my '81. I was able to hook it back up, and go on down the road after tightening the adjustment up a little at the top.
Well...it did it again this evening...right as I was merging onto the main hiway from the HOV lane...in rush hour traffic...in Dallas. Not a pretty sight. Pulled the clutch in to downshift, and snap...nothin. I'm in 5th gear, in the HOV lane, with nowhere to go. I managed to pull as far off as I could, and get stopped by hitting the kill switch. Looked down, and sure enough, the dam cable has pooped loose from the lower lever. Put it back together while dodging traffic, and tightened the adjustment at the top as far as I could without causing the clutch to slip, even tho my fingers don't wanna spread that far.
I made it home with no other problems, but now I gotta wonder why the crap this is happening. It's a fairly new cable I put on last summer. Reckon it is stretching that much? I can't continue to ride with it adjusted up this tight, but I can't really see why the the end is coming out of the saddle down there. Imma gunna put a tie-wrap on it tomorrow before I head out, and back the adjustment off a little.
The slot for the cable to go into the lever is facing the rear, and as far as I can see, there's no way to remove the piece to turn it facing forward. The cable itself is not pointed straight up/down over the lever...it is angled toward the rear some. Should it be straight up/down? The bracket has not been bent...it has been like that from day one, since I've had the bike.
I'm just glad it dint happen this mornin....it was rainin on the way to work, and working on it on the side of the hiway would have been far to scary for me.....
Any ideas? :beg:

 

[slabghost]

If the cable slot is at the top of the lever. Someone has had it apart and put the lever in backwards.

 

[AApple]

:headscratch:

 

[joedrum]

that slab realy knows his stuff :shock: :headscratch: :hihihi:

 

[AApple]

The lever itself is welded to the shaft that goes thru the rear cover. Don't see how that could be changed, or installed backwards. There is a clevis, for lack of a better description, on the lever that the cable attaches to, and that is what has the slot. I'll try to get a pic later. I kinda looked yesterday to see if the pin that holds the clevis to the lever had a snap-ring or cotter pin on it, so it could be removed and turned around, but it appears to be peened, and not removable.
I'm just going to put a tie wrap on it this morning, just to keep it from popping out again, until I can figure something out.

 

[mcgovern61]

Is your lower adjustment changing too? I always adjust the lower adjustment at the clutch before adjusting at the handle. My lever slot is also at the top and faces forward. My cable end pin is a socket that fits into the larger hole in the lever slot (in the middle of the slot). Only the stranded part of the bare cable is able to pass through the slot forward which can only happen if the cable is REALLY slack (which I believe you would feel right away in your clutch handle).

Maybe check under the triple tree and be sure the casing has not been chafing on the forks exposing the inner housing. That would cause the housing to collapse when you pull the cable. :headscratch:

Is the socket on the end of the cable (at the clutch) deformed in any way? :headscratch:

Otherwise, I cannot see how the cable can pop out? Are the lock nuts at the clutch adjustment loose by chance?? :headscratch:

 

[slabghost]

My 80 is not welded but looks like it was formed like a rivet. Clevis should be on top. Cable end should have a short sleeve formed to the cable just before the ball that pretty much fills the hole in the clevis. Cable sleeve should have two nuts on it. One on top of the bracket for adjustment and one below to lock it in place. If both are on the top the cable housing can easily pop off of the bracket.

 

[dan filipi]

I don't see how the cable can be popping out unless the lower clutch arm isn't returning. Maybe it's hanging up somehow?
Try pulling and releasing the clutch lever repeatedly while watching what the lower arm and cable do. The cable should stay tight.

 

[AApple]

I don't see how the cable can be popping out unless the lower clutch arm isn't returning. Maybe it's hanging up somehow?

Ed Zachary kinda sorta whut I wux tinkin, but it all feels good. Maybe in my old age, me fingers is getting quicker? :mrgreen:

I stole a pic off fleabay to try to describe what I have. In this pic, the slot for the cable is facing toward the front of the bike. On mine, it is facing to the REAR. I see no way to get the pin out, in order to turn the clevis around so the slot is forward. I dint spend a lot of time looking this a.m., but it looks to me like that pin is peened over on the back side.
I did not remove this lever/shaft from the clutch cover when I did the stator job, so I know I dint put anything on backerds, even tho it appears to be backerds. I think the problem might have a couple of sources. One, the cable was prolly too loose to begin with, and two, I been shifting pretty quick, but smooth. I just wonder if it is simply a combination of the cable being loose, and the quick pulls/releases on the clutch lever(handle) when shifting, combined together with the slot facing to the rear. And then, there's the possibility that the cable may be stretching. I guess I better go ahead and get me a spare and put it tn one of the bags, in case the dang thing breaks again.
Dadgum 'Wing am gunna drive me NUTZ...and it ain'ta gunna be a long trip, either.... :Awe:

ctchlvr

• AApple
• Aug 22, 2012

Clutch lever & clevis

 

[mcgovern61]

Whether the clevis slot is facing forward or back should not make any difference.

Whether the cable is tightened correctly and the the clutch lever is moving is all that matters. Shifting fast or slow should not make a difference if the springs are working right and the clutch lever is moving as fast (or slow) as you are.

If the pin is peened over, disconnect the cable and turn the clevis to be sure it is real loose. If it is stiff, that could be a problem.

 

[joedrum]

gee joel just squeeze the slot a little so the cable cant go and be done with it oh2: :smilie_happy: :mrgreen:

 

[wilcoy02]

my 83 does that every so often. I carry a spare cable but have never put it on. It is a scary feeling when it does it. But it only does it every so often so I have not done anything about it.

 

[AApple]

gee joel just squeeze the slot a little so the cable cant go and be done with it oh2: :smilie_happy: :mrgreen:

YA...I thought about doin that, too. But then what do I do if the cable DOES break on me while on the road? Gunna make it a lot harder to install a new one without having a full toolbox on board... :builder:

It worked otay today for me, so I think I'll wait and mess with it this weekend. Now I'm having a problem with the rear tire again. It was low this morning, so I aired it up. When I left work this evening, it was low again. I had to air it up at the gas station, and I bought a can of goo to put in it if it went flat on the ride home. Luckily, it dint. Guess I'll have to get some new plugs...I think the one I put in it a couple of weeks ago just ain't holdin....
Man...it's always sumptin... :Awe: