Broken clutch cable on a group ride!

[waltergs1000]

In Italy I use this one in the photo, cable for Piaggio Vespa Classic, 100% perfect on the handlebars. And cable with internal Teflon sheath. and I always keep a supply in the queue. It costs much less than the original, never a problem. If it breaks on the road, replace it in two minutes

[850 Combat]

In the early 80s, on my first coast to coast ride, I was in upstate New York ant thought I broke a clutch cable. I kept going but in Geneva, NY there was a little electrical fire. My heated vest wire got pinched and shorted to the frame. When stopped, I could see a hole in the clutch adjustment cover. The clutch pull rod bearing had seized. The pull rod broke and shot out through the cover. I got a motel near lake Geneva. There was a Royal Enfield specialist not far. Just outside the town where the Mormon religion started. I put duct tape on the hole and rode it up to the RE shop. I owned a 1968 750 Interceptor later, but what are the chances?. We wrenched on it a bit and saw the problem. Parts were ordered from a huge warehouse in Xenia Ohio. I thumbed back to the hotel. There was a IMSA GTP race at Watkins Glenn, so I endeavored to thumb over there. Paid the money and hot in. Sneaked into the pits. Those 962s had pretty lumpy fiberglass bodywork. surprising. The Canadian guy who picked me up hitching returned my to the hotel. Parts showed up and I thumbed to the bard where Royal Enfields were repaired. The RE guy had tigged up the crack and hole in the Trident clutch adjustment cover. In a Trident/Rocket 3 the right hand case is the primary chain. It is a wet case. The clutch is a singly plate dry clutch I think from a Mini its between the wet trans and the set primary case. Anyway, It was repaired mostly by me using his tools, and I was on my way until AZ where it was over 100 degrees. I took off my leather jacket and bungied it to the seat. on a bumpy road the jacket got loose. It wrapped around the rear disc and crushed it. It also bent the rim. It literally broke the bolt holes off the caliper too. The bike made it to the west coast without a rear brake. Turns out I use the rear brake more than I thought I did. Especially at gas stations and parking lots. Anyway, fun times. With an electric starter a broken clutch cable usually is inconvenient for sure.

[850 Combat]

That trip was from Maine to So CAL

[Brendan W]

Broke clutch cable on a Z650, less than two years old, a hundred miles from home in November rain.
The bike had a kick start so at least.....
Stopped at the fifty mile mark for a much needed hot coffee.
Sign on the door said no Bikers served!
I was in no mood. The kid at the bar tried his best to enforce company policy but I explained that I was an astronaut and had just landed out the back.
That seemed to be okay and got a few smiles from the patrons
Last year I broke the cable on the R1100R. That required a whole different strategy to get home.

[Rob S.]

That trip was from Maine to So CAL

But what became of the leather jacket?

[Grimly]

Last year I broke the cable on the R1100R. That required a whole different strategy to get home.

After I put the R100 barrels and pistons on the R80, the clutch cable broke at some point later.
All was well getting home until the last hill, where I got stuck in a traffic snarl-up and had to stall it.
Brurrger.... I just thumbed the start button and off it went, chug chug chug... up that damned hill from zero mph.
The retained R80 gearing helped, I'm sure, but the start-up torque played a huge part.

But what became of the leather jacket?

Somebody had one up recently. Perhaps that was it, or a pic of it, at least.

[850 Combat]

The jacket was a Tourmaster. It was tough. It was completely ruined, but I would not have bet that a leather jacket could crush a cast iron disc and brake disc and rip both the cast iron lugs on the Girling brake caliper. The jacket when wrapped on the side of the brake and hub actually dished the spokes and moved the rim to the left. The calipers were the same as what Eddie Lawson's Kawasaki Superbike used except for being the cast iron version, not the aluminum version.

I had ridden down a mile or so dirt road to a marina on the Colorado River to get some hydration and and some air conditioning. I should have rechecked the jacket when I got to the 2 lane paved road. I liked Triumph and BSA tripples, but that was a T160, the E start version. They had weird (to me) ergonomics and poor ground clearance for leaning. I had purchased a Triumph Hurricane in Maine. Seller made me buy the Trident with it. Shipped the Hurricane and rode the T160. I was going maybe 40 when this happened. Just leisurely getting up to speed on the pavement on a pretty deserted two lane.

[850 Combat]

Most bikes with E start I've owned will take off in gear with the bike in first gear. The Trident did.

[Grimly]

Most bikes with E start I've owned will take off in gear with the bike in first gear. The Trident did.

Up hill... a short and quite steep one.