K11 Owners Group

[supercat1]

well the clutch cable broke at the clutch lever. Luckily I was about a 1/4 mile from my parents' house. Now my brother and dad are working to jerry-rig it so we can at least travel it back to their house. I should have used my bmwmoa free towing service ... Anyways I'm outta commission for a while and will be dropping even more money on the bike. Hopefully not many pennies. Any ideas or consolitory (is that a real word) remarks?
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(formerly) 1993 k1100rs

[Jim]

[supercat1]

how is this not a big deal to do on the fly? This is a giant bugger. Wouldn't you have to strip down the bike to fix this? Is there something simple we are missing? Seems the barrel got stripped off the lever end.

at this point I may have to get a tow truck to take it to my parents' house then another to go from there to the shop. And then just bend over and wait for the bill.
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(formerly) 1993 k1100rs

[Sonu]

These "bowden cables" are supposed to be good for the lifetime of the bike.

I had mine replaced at ~45k miles. My indy mechanic told me that it was a good preventive move on my part since I was down to a few strands at the other end (hand lever looked just fine). I plan to replace it ever 40k mi.

I'll start Jim's Teflon lube suggestion for the barrels.

Anybody ever had to replace the throttle bowden cable, or do last a lot longer?

Sanjiv
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1997 K1100LT "Ziggy" _GarminGPS_Corbin saddle_K Guards _Hyperlights_Fog lights_Eastern Beaver Relays_Cee Bailey_4"speakers_Michelin PR4's_MoS2_Spiegler lines_TPMS_VDO

[Jim]

[supercat1]

well it appears when I look at the routing it very much appears that it is routed under the tank. And yes I will definitely be buying a spare and try to do the preinstall suggestion. Of course I think the bike will need a spline lube and probably should visit the shop. Hopefully this independent shop won't bend me over so bad with the fork seal replacement.
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(formerly) 1993 k1100rs

[kkjkeane]

Mine broke on me a couple of weeks ago. I was about 20klm from home. I rode it home without the cable. As Jim mentioned, you can shift gear without it. Although I was not able to get into neutral, so had to stall it to stop.

New cable AUD$63. Fitting is easy, just remember to adjust it after fitting.
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Ken Keane
1993 K1100LT

[Ernie-NH]

Hi Supercat...

Sorry to hear of your cable break... but you can repair Bowden cables yourself IF the barrel ends are not damaged or lost and the cable is still in good shape. I make all my own cables (owning and Airhead almost requires it ) and if you want to start making your own and saving a bundle on replacements, go to Flanders.com in California. They have everything you need to make cables for any bike still using them !

Best regards and good luck.....// Ernie-NH
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AMA,, American Deaf Bikers
Airhead Beemers Club
'11 G650gs
'95 K1100LT
'76 R100/7

[Ernie-NH]

Hey Supercat...

I got the e-address wrong... its http://www.flandersco.com for cable making supplies. You've got to proof-read BEFORE you submit...eh?

Once again, good luck with your cable problem....

Ernie-NH
_________________
AMA,, American Deaf Bikers
Airhead Beemers Club
'11 G650gs
'95 K1100LT
'76 R100/7

[G.Kennedy]

Yes its routed under the tank ... but when I broke mine ... and just "wanted to get her home" ... I got the new cable and routed it outside the tank. Rode it that way for two days until I had time to route it correctly ... no problems.

Mine is a 85K100RS with the auto retract mechanism on the side stand. If you have the auto retractor ... make sure there is a few mm's of play ... if it is adjusted too tight .. the sidestand can put all the weight of the bike on the clutch cable.

[supercat1]

well here is a pic of what i have left to work with:



i did end up finding the end of the wire and the barrel inside the fairing (fell through the vent). oh and i do have the "cable adjuster" and "knurled head nut". however, aside from the cable (part# 32732324955 at maxbmw) what else will i need? if i still have the barrel is there another part that goes in/on the lever to hold the barrel in place? what would i be lubricating in the future?

thanks for the link to a place to buy parts to make my own ... but i don't currently have the garage space or tools to do that. or the time. :-\ training for another marathon is definitely taking a lot more time than the first one. which is why i won't attempt to redo my own fork seals either. i'd rather pay someone to do it right.
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(formerly) 1993 k1100rs

[Jim]

Make sure you get some fork boots installed when you're getting the fork seals replaced. You can get aftermarket Rancho boots (cheap online) or BMW boots from a /6 or /7. If your forks are in good shape, that'll pretty much guarantee you won't have to replace fork seals again anytime soon.

You downloaded the manual, right? And you know how to find the online fiches, right? If not, speak up, and someone will point you to the manual. I think Drake has it posted in tech stickies.

Between the manual and the fiches, you shouldn't have any problem figuring out how the cable is connected at both ends.

The barrels at each end of the cable should be lubed periodically - I usually lube them spring and fall.

The barrel goes in that hole in your picture - the hole that you can't quite see all of - near the broken end. They usually break near the barrels from lack of lubrication. When the barrel can't rotate, the cable starts bending back and forth.
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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."

[supercat1]

sweet. yeah i found the fiches (max, realoem, a&s). just i don't know if i need anything other than the barrel that i found in the fairing that had the end of the cable in it. the max fiche has a "nipple" and "nipple holder". the part i found in the fairing doesn't look big enough to take up that whole hole in the lever. and the clymers doesn't have a very good picture as they took pictures in black and white of black parts. same goes for the illustrations in the bmw shop manual. can anyone shoot me a pic and label the visible parts so i know i've got it all?

i'll look into the boots. do they have to be installed right then or can they be installed afterward?

i really appreciate all your help jim!
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(formerly) 1993 k1100rs

[Jim]

[Scott_Anderson]

[Ernie-NH]

Good morning Supercat...

RE: ""thanks for the link to a place to buy parts to make my own ... but i don't currently have the garage space or tools to do that. or the time.""

When the Marathon has been successfully won by you, and you have a bit of free time : Cable making requires only a small space, a small 4" vise, a Dremel with cut-off disc, a small hand held butane soldering torch... and of course the proper cable sheaths, cable, and terminals. If you're ever interested I'll give you a step by step "how to" ...

Good luck and best regards....// Ernie-NH
_________________
AMA,, American Deaf Bikers
Airhead Beemers Club
'11 G650gs
'95 K1100LT
'76 R100/7

[Phil Marvin]

Hi, Supercat1,
The usual reason for the clutch cable breaking is lack of lubrication on the barrels. The barrels (you may call them nipples) need to rotate as the clutch cable is pulled. If they don't, the cable itself will bend at the barrel and, after a time, the cable strands will break, one by one.

To replace the cable, I have taken the old one loose at both ends and taped the new cable to the old one. Duct tape works well for this purpose. Then I simply pull the old cable out and the new one in. You may have to remove zip ties ir things like that. I then attach the cable to the adjuster, put the barrels on, etc., GREASE THE BARRELS, then adjust the clutch.

I carry a new cable with me on the bike. I also carry a new barrel. A complete clutch cable consists of 4 parts - the cable, 2 barrels and a felt ring. I have reused both the felt and the barrels, but it is a good idea to have them available, as when you need to change the cable on a dark, rainy night, you WILL drop and lose one or more of the small pieces! At your first opportunity, don't forget to GREASE THE BARRELS. Fot this purpose, BMW #10 grease works, as does any white grease. I wouldn't use the stringy wheel bearing grease for this. Do not lubricate the cable. It rides in a sheath and the oil you would use will deteriorate and ruin the sheath, necessitating changing (again) the cable! I hope this helps.
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Ride Safe,
Phil Marvin in El Paso, TX
'94 K75A/3
'95 K75RTP

[supercat1]

thanks phil! jim has been very helpful with pics just so i can verify that i have all the parts. however, i'm not sure what this felt ring you speak of is. i see it in the fiche but don't really understand where it goes on the cable. is this something that would have fallen off on its own when the cable snapped at the barrel?
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(formerly) 1993 k1100rs

[hirschhs]

I have a new cable running alongside the old one (though only one is connected obviously) - a belt and braces approach! Hope you get it sorted without too much hassle supercat.
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Cheers, Steve H _______________________________________
K-less in Bucks
2001 ST1100A

1994 Yamaha 600 Diversion 'Hers'
2006 Kawasaki Z750s 'Hers'

[Phil Marvin]