First Ride Ruined

[Tornado]

Got my 850 fired up after much fettling and procrastinating since November.
Got it to the gas station and topped up. About a block later the clutch cable failed atthe lever end. Had to push it up some hills and home.

Failure seems to be cable breakage as opposed to nipple release. Lost the barrel part that sits on the lever opening to trap the nipple. Adjuster still present

This was a Venhill Cable, new 4k miles ago (two seasons).

Hoping the barrel is readily available.

 

[acadian]

Times like these it's helpful to have a spare zip tied under the seat

 

[Tornado]

Just checked the parts schematic at AN....no "barrel" thingie in the lever....just nipple fits there. So, a new cable to be ordered....and maybe I can cobble a functional one out of the failed plus the long HiRider one that came on the bike...steal its nipple and fit to failed cable, keep as spare...

 

[NPeteN]

The push of shame.

Best to leave the helmet on!

 

[Tornado]

Times like these it's helpful to have a spare zip tied under the seat

Actually, just read a trick....to run the spare cable taped to the side of the installed one along the full run. Tape off the open ends. Now it's ready to connect at either end without needing to pull tank or even seat when out on the road.

 

[mdt-son]

Failure seems to be cable breakage as opposed to nipple release. Lost the barrel part that sits on the lever opening to trap the nipple.

It shouldn't be too difficult finding a suitable nipple if you want to repair this particular cable. Walridge has variouses sizes.
4K miles on a Venhill cable is a disappointing short life. Did the strands rupture at the nipple entry? Normally when a cable snaps you see singular strands fail on beforehand. This may have been invisible to you if ruptures happened inside the lever.

Anyway, it's advisable to have spare cables either in the tool tray or in the home workshop ....

-Knut

 

[Scout63]

I zip tie a spare alongside the in-use cable. They usually break because the barrel doesn’t rotate inside the lever due to lack of grease. I use lithium grease on the barrel since that’s what I’ve always used. Any recommendations will be most appreciated.

 

[mdt-son]

I zip tie a spare alongside the in-use cable. They usually break because the barrel doesn’t rotate inside the lever due to lack of grease. I use lithium grease on the barrel since that’s what I’ve always used. Any recommendations will be most appreciated.

Good observation, I will keep that in mind, thanks! I don't have any recommendation on lubricants, but checking clearance between nipple and hole in lever seems necessary after this tip-off .....
The entire cable breakage issue can be eliminated by fitting a hydraulic clutch actuator of course, at additional cost and complexity I guess .....

-Knut

 

[Tornado]

It shouldn't be too difficult finding a suitable nipple if you want to repair this particular cable. Walridge has variouses sizes.
4K miles on a Venhill cable is a disappointing short life. Did the strands rupture at the nipple entry? Normally when a cable snaps you see singular strands fail on beforehand. This may have been invisible to you if ruptures happened inside the lever.

Anyway, it's advisable to have spare cables either in the tool tray or in the home workshop ....

-Knut

End appears to have a few different length strands rather than all same length. So likely strand fracture rather than nipple release.

 

[Craig]

Always a good idea to check on your cable ends around levers and clutch other end in GB and rear brake .... keep lubricated through season I use a spray on hi-tef type I brought home from work once it hits steel it looks like it turns into a thin grease .... of course spare clutch cable ready mounted in position is always great insurance that you will have no trouble , works like rain kit ...

 

[mdt-son]

End appears to have a few different length strands rather than all same length. So likely strand fracture rather than nipple release.

The last strands carrying the full load will extend more than those which snapped, for obvious reasons .....

I just made an observation. The Lucas (?) levers fitted are of the old school design, i.e., they have a hole for the nipple at both lever "blades" (on 72 on the lever is cast, but the principle is the same). This makes the nipple and grease exposed to the elements, and lube will be flushed out fairly soon. Modern design levers (e.g., Magura) don't have an exposed nipple hole at the upper side and this makes the nipple and wire better protected. I wonder if there is a Magura or similar lever which will fit the Lucas perch. Early models may easily be converted to a Magura style lever and perch. Observe 7/8 in pivot radius requirement.

-Knut

 

[worntorn]

I've never had a Venhills cable fail. Those on the Vincent have a lot of miles on now and still look as new at the levers.

The end appears to have been birdcaged properly.
Looks like a silver solder failure.

Very strange.

Glen

 

[acadian]

The last strands carrying the full load will extend more than those which snapped, for obvious reasons .....

I just made an observation. The Lucas (?) levers fitted are of the old school design, i.e., they have a hole for the nipple at both lever "blades" (on 72 on the lever is cast, but the principle is the same). This makes the nipple and grease exposed to the elements, and lube will be flushed out fairly soon. Modern design levers (e.g., Magura) don't have an exposed nipple hole at the upper side and this makes the nipple and wire better protected. I wonder if there is a Magura or similar lever which will fit the Lucas perch. Early models may easily be converted to a Magura style lever and perch. Observe 7/8 in pivot radius requirement.

-Knut

Amal style levers have blind holes, but I've found they need to be milled out slightly to get the barrel to fully seat

 

[Tornado]

Recall that the 4k miles this cable did were likely 50-75% city stop and go where I hold clutch in at stops. So lots of clutching.
Can't see signs of rust corrosion and I never rode bike in the wet. There was lots of grease present when I had it last disassembled. a couple of weeks ago. Clutch load was relatively high as routing was not so great until I corrected these past weeks.

 

[concours]

The push of shame.

Best to leave the helmet on!

huh?
Light it up, duck paddle, stuff it into gear, rev match the rest of them & make your way home.

throttle cables are a pain....

 

[swooshdave]

Just how stiff is your clutch? Well set you could pull the clutch in with a piece of twine.

I kid, of course, but a poorly set up clutch will put undo strain on the cable.

 

[ashman]

Always put grease on the end of the cable, the cable when moving through the adjuster is where all my clutch cables have failed but since putting grease on the inside of the adjuster and cable as well on the nipple I haven't broken a cable since that was about 35 years now, regrease every time you do a oil change, just add it to your maintenance list of things to do.
As well as Dave has said it your clutch is not set up right will put strain on the cable, if set up right should only be a light pull on the lever.

Ashley

 

[Tornado]

Just how stiff is your clutch? Well set you could pull the clutch in with a piece of twine.

I kid, of course, but a poorly set up clutch will put undo strain on the cable.

Hard to know as ive not compared to another 850. Re routing cable seems a bit lighter but I just rerouted recently and last previous ride nearly 4 months ago. We need a load test with a luggage scale to pull lever and make a proper survey across the fleet.

 

[Triton Thrasher]

huh?
Light it up, duck paddle, stuff it into gear, rev match the rest of them & make your way home.

throttle cables are a pain....

Yes. Ride it home, don’t push it.

 

[oldmikew]

The push of shame.

Best to leave the helmet on!

When mine was just a few months old , I ran out of petrol onthe motorway. Had to push it 10miles ..