GS450 L - want to find a shorter clutch cable

[solarae]

I have GS250T that is very similar to the 450L. I converted to a Cafe bike with low bars. I was very concerned about the excess length of the clutch cable but was able to give it a big "s" bend and it seems to work fine. It may be that the problem is not the cable. Another thought is that the really long original cable that I have would take large gentle bend but the slightly shorter cable is actually taking a sharper bend. Best luck. I would still be interested in hearing about a shorter cable that works. It would tidy up the looks of my project.

[Jen]

You may have to play around with the clutch cable routing to make sure it's not binding anywhere. Be sure to lubricate the actuator helix in the cover too. And some oil inside the cable won't hurt either.

I took everything back apart and followed this advice, especially lubing EVERYTHING. Also- there was a sheet on the manuals site that details how to adjust the clutch/actuator and I started from scratch with that. Everything seems really good now. I took it for a short test ride (it was sprinkling) and the clutch felt soooo much better. I'll do a longer ride this weekend to be sure. In the past the stickiness of the clutch got worse after 10-15 miles of riding so I want to be sure I have it dialed, but at least I've figured out how to fix it (I think).

I'm so relieved to have my bike back running again- thank you guys for all your help!

Solarae- for what it is worth, the E cable worked soooo much better and the routing is really nice. It doesn't have a sharp bend at all.