4th clutch cable in 10 months

[danny01975]

Just as the tooth says, I’m on my 4th clutch cable in the 10 months that I’ve had the bike. At first I thought the first one was just old. I thought the second one was just cheap. After the third one broke I figured out by the third one that it had something to do with the lever because it seems to be catching right where it attaches to the lever, and that’s where it breaks each time.

then I smoothed out what I thought was a burr on the lever and 3D printed a tiny spacer to keep the cable from sawing itself on the edge of the lever. That worked good for a while and I thought I was done with that.

Well, it just broke again.

I read that the levers can wear out over time. Also read that the aftermarket ones are soft junk. Do I need to find new old stock? Or is there a better solution out there?

To be clear, each cable is generously lubed and easy to pull. Before it breaks, I can feel it catching when I pull the lever. And every single one has snapped right where the cable enters the handle.

Update** Upon further investigation it appears the brass bushing in the lever is very worn out, causing a lot of up and down play. I'm not 100% sure that's the issue but it cant be good. I was able to find a new OEM handle. Will try that out and report back. But if anyone has any better ideas, please chime in.

[Rob S.]

Make absolutely certain the cable routing is proper. Are the handle bars stock, or are there any other mods that would affect the clutch cable and it's routing?

Go with a NOS Suzuki cable.

[danny01975]

Make absolutely certain the cable routing is proper. Are the handle bars stock, or are there any other mods that would affect the clutch cable and it's routing?

Go with a NOS Suzuki cable.

The routing is as depicted in the manual. The handlebars are not stock. I'm using the Emgo wide handlebars. But the alignment of the perch / cable routing is nearly perfectly straight. The bars are wide, but not very sloped. The pull is easy, and from what I can tell it does not bind up at all at the slack adjuster on the perch. Every time the cable breaks right at the edge of the lever, about 1/2" from the end of the ball.

I've tried several different cables brands, but not a NOS cable. Will search for that!

[Nessism]

I've tried several different cables brands, but not a NOS cable.

Bingo! Make sure the barrel attached to the level is greased also.