clutch cable suddenly loose

[xs650newb]

Hey everyone,

My clutch cable is new and has less than 200 miles on it.

Went to my bike this morning and the clutch cable was all of a sudden very loose. It was so lose that squeezing the lever wouldn't even disengage the clutch. If I screw the lever adjustment screw out almost all the way I can ride the bike, but I didn't have to do that yesterday which is odd.

What could have happened overnight to mess up the clutch adjustment? I checked the lock nut on the worm gear and it was tight so I know the worm gear adjustment didn't back off because of vibrations.

Furthermore, when I went to ride the bike it it jerks and lugs a bit when I am changing gears in the exact moment before I completely release the clutch lever at the end of the gear change.

Any ideas?

Best,
Adam

 

[peanut]

have you prized the round inspection cover off the crankcase cover and looked to see if the worm drive locknut and adjustment screw assembly has vibrated loose ?

 

[xs650newb]

Yes, I did. They are both intact and tight.

 

[peanut]

well if you have lost that much cable pull something somewhere has clearly given way or gone out of adjustment. You definitely haven't lost the ball bearing from the end of the worm drive when you had the cover off to adjust the worm drive screw ?

If it were me I'd remove the clutch cover and check the worm drive mechanism and the cable outer bracket on the cover. Check the clutch lever pivot and adjust nut etc then completely readjust the clutch cable from scratch.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Any broken strands in your clutch cable? I found some here:

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showpost.php?p=334330&postcount=5

 

[xs650newb]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies.

the cable is brand new so I don't expect broken strands. Regardless, I'll check as well as I can.

Also, I already pulled the alternator cover. Everything appears to be in working order. I'm just going to re-adjust everything and go from there.

Best,
Adam

 

[ippytattoo]

Just a quick question, where by chance did you get your clutch cable from? If it was from mikes there have been quite a few posts about the sub-par quality of their cables and i would not be surprised if you had broken strands. Do you have a spare cable if it breaks on you while riding?