Hi BeauCruz and welcome from Canada's sunny southern coast in Windsor, Ontario!
The stock XS650 clutch cable is easy to adjust and the setup works just fine as long as the lever, the cable and the clutch actuator (a little rotating powerscrew situated in the LH engine case cover) are all clean and well-lubricated. In fact, I'll bet you still have the actuator in there - that is likely what the clutch slave cylinder is pushing on - so likely, all you need is the proper lever and cable.
NOTE: for the clutch to disengage properly, that little rotary actuator (many people call it a
"worm") must be rotated through an angle of....60 degrees (
I am really just guessing but others will know for sure). If it does
not rotate through a sufficient angle, then your clutch will not fully disengage and that does sound like what is happening.
Motion Pro is the preferred brand of cable and with those low handlebars, you'll need a fairly short cable or you will have something that is too long to route conveniently.
But the question in my mind is:
why does your hydraulic set-up not work properly? There is no inherent reason for poor clutch function from a hydraulic clutch actuator. I wonder if:
- your existing clutch actuator is properly adjusted?
- there could be air in the hydraulic line or trapped in the slave cylinder (that is the one down on the engine case)?
- the slave cylinder isn't moving the actuator far enough to fully disengage the clutch because the master cylinder (on the handlebar) is not properly sized?
If the problem is:
1. then you need to adjust the clutch actuator screw - which lives inside that little round chrome steel cover on the lefthand side engine case cover. There are lots of instructions on how to adjust it but basically, you gently pry off that cover, loosen the locknut, turn the little screw CW (i.e. tighten it) until it seats
very lightly and then back it off the smallest amount (
like 1/10 of a turn or less) and tighten the locknut.
DO NOT over-tighten anything.
2. then you simply need to bleed the line to get the air out of it.
3. then you may need a larger diameter master cylinder so that it pushes more fluid down to the slave and makes it stroke more to rotate the actuator through a greater angle to fully disengage the clutch.
I would start with
1. - adjust the actuator and try the clutch again. Then move to
2. - bleed the line to be certain that there is no air in it or in the slave cylinder. Those two would be the easiest fixes for what you have and neither will cost anything but a few minutes of your time. There is lots of info on bleeding brake systems on this forum - just search for it and use those methods.
If the problem turns out to be
3. - get back to us and we'll likely have some suggestions.
Pete