Can I ride on a frayed clutch cable?

general_piffle

general_piffle

Senior member
Location
London/Hampshire
750 GT, noticed the clutch cable is frayed today at the adjuster into the lever.

Typically, I can’t find the spare cables I have stashed away ‘somewhere’ to change it.

I have a couple of short trips to do this weekend, about 20 miles in total. Risk it, or asking for trouble…?
 
general_piffle said:
750 GT, noticed the clutch cable is frayed today at the adjuster into the lever.

Typically, I can’t find the spare cables I have stashed away ‘somewhere’ to change it.

I have a couple of short trips to do this weekend, about 20 miles in total. Risk it, or asking for trouble…?
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The reason it has frayed is your barrel nipple in the clutch lever has not been rolling properly - the cable has been bent back and forth until a strand/s has broken due to fatigue, the rest are fatigued and weakened. If it goes you’ll kick fuck out of a perfectly good gearbox to get home.
Look harder in the garage..
 
Exmoor beast said:
The reason it has frayed is your barrel nipple in the clutch lever has not been rolling properly - the cable has been bent back and forth until a strand/s has broken due to fatigue, the rest are fatigued and weakened. If it goes you’ll kick fuck out of a perfectly good gearbox to get home.
Look harder in the garage..
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I don’t have a garage unfortunately. But have scoured the shed where they were. Drove to Winchester to storage I have there, but no joy. Looked bloody everywhere but it’s not happening.

Such a shame, was really looking forward to riding it more this weekend. Lovely weather for it.
 
How frayed is it, Joel?
A broken cable isn't the end of the world. I've ridden hundreds of miles with a broken clutch cable on mine, over the years.
Put a bit of sellotape over the bottom of the lever, so you don't lose the barrel nipple and do the trips.
Remove the old one, when you're done, and send the cable to Speedy Cables and they can replace the inner cable and get it back to you.
I carry a spare on the bike which is a good policy, IMO.
 
The Sock said:
How frayed is it, Joel?
A broken cable isn't the end of the world. I've ridden hundreds of miles with a broken clutch cable on mine, over the years.
Put a bit of sellotape over the bottom of the lever, so you don't lose the barrel nipple and do the trips.
Remove the old one, when you're done, and send the cable to Speedy Cables and they can replace the inner cable and get it back to you.
I carry a spare on the bike which is a good policy, IMO.
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Thanks, Hamish. So, on closer inspection it's kind of bent and separating, but pulling together under pressure, with just one strand that I can see actually broken. Clearly not in the best shape though, and could do with replacing as it must have been weakened. Pics below.

That said, I did think "sod it" and did my trips this morning, but being mindful of avoiding gear changes where possible and using the bike's natural torque to chug along. Really lovely ride along country roads in sunny Hampshire. First of the year.

IMG_3752.JPG
IMG_3753.JPG
 
You're a braver man than I, Ganga Din. Go for it if you have no local traffic lights, those types of stops are not fun without a working clutch. Guess how I know and I bet we all been there done that sometime in the last 50 years. One long trip a few years back one of the blokes lost clutch function, something in the case linkage. We push started him in heavy holiday traffic at the 10 or more traffic lights he ended up stalling at. It was pretty hot as well, not my favourite experience.
 
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You need a dedicated space ( like a spare bedroom ) for all your Laverda stuff ........... cables ( two or three each of those ) , plugs , filters , seats , exhausts , bars , bulbs , tubes , side panels , fuses , ignition systems ( a couple of those ) , carbs , wheels , pads , shoes , chains , tanks , fuel lines , levers , primary locking tools , rotor extractors .............. everything in one place , so you know where everything is , when it`s needed ...............

I always carried spare clutch ( needed three times ) ......... and throttle ( needed once ........... which was surprising , since they carry hardly any load ) ..... cables on the bike .

Always renewed at first sign of fraying ........ in my case , failure would follow quickly afterwards ......... pattern levers made things worse ....... not allowing nipple to rotate properly , putting strain on that end of the cable .

Riding through traffic with no clutch is no fun at all ....... needing the reactions of a mongoose and the judgement of a saint ..............
 
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Well...

I finally got around to changing the clutch cable on the GT today, and here is a picture of what I'd been riding with for the past few trips, knowing it was on its way out but blissfully unaware of just how fortunate I've been. See you in a bit, just off to buy a lottery ticket...

IMG_3938.JPG
 
when a cable clutch or throttle starts to break it will go fast till it breakes totally. It has to be exchanged immediataly!
 
Can I ride on a frayed clutch cable?: Not unless you have Vise Grips and expect to make it home ;o)

Every 2 years or so you hang your clutch, brake and throttle cables and drain var-sol through them then drip Automotive tyranny fluid down them.
 
general_piffle said:
Well...

I finally got around to changing the clutch cable on the GT today, and here is a picture of what I'd been riding with for the past few trips, knowing it was on its way out but blissfully unaware of just how fortunate I've been. See you in a bit, just off to buy a lottery ticket...

View attachment 96564
Click to expand...
Very dry looking set up. I do like to rub in a good lube as far down the cable before install and plenty of gloopy grease round the nipple and lever pivot too. Ooooeeerrrr...... But each to their own. 🤓 The feckers still go there through time though. 😝
 
My Atlas cable was similar, and the replacement cable I had made and sent out from England was wrong. It had nipples on both ends and apparently all variations of 4 valve bikes use a lower nipple that comes completely off and on viz a grub screw. So off I go, thankfully with the old cable to be copied and the wrong spare to be modified to work. Should be easy, cut the inner to the right length and tin the lower end of the inner so it does not fray. 2 weeks later, I go to get them. One completely new cable they made using the correct but damaged cable nipples, and fuck me an exact copy of the completey wroung cable. Even after maticulasty explaining what I wanted they missed the point and even on collection I still couldn't explain there fuckup. At least thankfully, I got one correct cable, and they agreed not to charge me for the wrong one.
 
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