K11 Owners Group

mnb · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:00 pm Post subject: Stiff clutch lever

I'm fond of practicing tight turning and low speed maneuvers. Doing this requires heavy use of the clutch lever. The tension on my K bike is rather high and after just a few minutes of drills, my hand is in severe pain. The stiffness on the Harley, by comparison, is much less.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a trick to lowering the stiffness so that I could ride in the friction zone much easier.
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M N B
1997 BMW K1100LT ABS Special Edition
2003 Husqvarna TE610e
2007 Harley Davidson Road King
2009 BMW F800GS
2011 Husqvarna TE310
2014 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak MNB Edition

Off the grid · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:32 pm Post subject:

Cables shot.

Replace or lube.
_________________
Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

mnb · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:02 pm Post subject:

No, the cable is fine and has been regularly lubed. It works fine, moves smoothly, etc. It just requires way more effort than I would like. I think it always has.

It's really not a problem unless I'm working the friction zone heavily. It's like the springs are extra heavy or something.
_________________
M N B
1997 BMW K1100LT ABS Special Edition
2003 Husqvarna TE610e
2007 Harley Davidson Road King
2009 BMW F800GS
2011 Husqvarna TE310
2014 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak MNB Edition

abreeze · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:37 pm Post subject:

not to sound like a dork...

BMW does not reccomend lubing the clutch cable, the liner of the cable brakes down and collects dirt when lubed. Ive had people bring their bikes in saying the splines need a service, when a cable was the culpret.

You should probably replace the cable, make sure the routing is clear and lube the cable ends.

Its a $25 part......

Jim · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:48 pm Post subject: clutch cable

MNB - Breeze is right. The BMW clutch cable has some kind of teflon liner or something. Almost anything you dump in there is going to react with the liner and/or attract/hold dirt.

The BMW clutch is a little on the stiff side - try changing the cable and see how it feels.
_________________
Jim
1997 K1100LTSE 94,000 - still has gremlins!
1995 R100RT Classic 16,650 crashed - repaired!
1992 K75RTP 46,000

"We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed."

Off the grid · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:01 pm Post subject:

I use a graphite lube.

The cable is similar to high-end bicycle cables which are lined as well.

I still say cable. Mine was stiff as all hell...changed the cable and it was like butta.
_________________
Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

Jim · Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:55 pm Post subject:

Geoff · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:47 pm Post subject:

Most likely, your cable has some rust inside the housing. This can happen to a new cable if a bike is stored in a humid environment. I lubricate my cable with Dri Slide, a graphite lubricant with rust and corrosion inhibitors. It's pricy, but a bottle will last for years.
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2000 R1100RT
2008 H-D Electra Glide Ultra Classic