clutch cable - breaking - 60/7

[willard]

Dear Folks, getting only about a year's worth from each clutch cable. continues to break at handlebar end. I chatted with parts guy and he said that in his 25 years he has never seen a defective BMW clutch cable. maybe so - - but, only a year? And, most of my driving is to work over rural roads - so - not a lot of shifting. I have greased barrel at handlebar end - - - but, was free before that. Any suggestions? Anyone with same problem? Thanks, bill/vermont

[20774]

Breaking at the handlebar end is a classic symptom of no grease or something is binding. Use the hand lever and and watch very carefully how the barrel moves as the lever moves in and out. If you see any tendency for the barrel to hang up and bend the cable, you need to find what is causing that. Usually grease takes care of the problem. Maybe the barrel is too big for the lever cutout or there is some kind of burr in the lever. Check to be sure that the cable doesn't contact any part of the lever during actuation.

Where did the cable break? A few mm from the barrel or something like 10mm from the barrel? If it's right at the barrel, then the barrel is not rotating properly. If it's beyond the barrel aways, then likely the cable is cutting across something and slicing the strands of the cable one at a time.

OEM cables are the best IMO and should not break at this frequency. I'd look deeper into what's going on.

Kurt in S.A.

[willard]

dear Kurt, thanks for info. Cable was breaking right at the point where it connects to barrel. so, you may be right. I greased it pretty good and hope that it will do the trick. thanks, bill/vermont

[flash412]

You are not supposed to use grease. Grease will collect abrasive particles and it will harden over time. Clean the cable end and barrel with solvent to remove all traces of grease. Then lube it liberally with graphite powder, generally used for locks. Lube the barrel. While you have it apart, check to make sure that you don't have an issue with the slot closing up in the lever.

[20774]

Of course, anything is better than nothing... I've been using something called Sil-Glyde...contains silicone. Been working for me...

Kurt in S.A.