New clutch cable installation. Surely a simple one.

[Guest]

EDIT: Scroll down if you want to read the story. If you just want to skip to the moral of the story, then it is this: ALWAYS cross check the parts you order with what you just took off the bike, sometimes someone will sell you the wrong bit of kit.

The Story:

The other day I was out on the GS550e, and going up through the gears I felt that 'PING' and slackening feeling in the clutch lever. Nursed it home and, sure enough, cable was fraying up by the lever. Got a new cable, aftermarket A1 Cable, from a local place here in Victoria. It was listed as being the right cable for the GS so I trusted that.

Installing it was a bit of a pain in the ass, for some reason me and cables never get along. I lubed it a little, followed the Clymer manual on removal, (first time under the sprocket cover has me finding dead insects and tons of oily gunk - stay tuned for the upcoming oil leak thread ), routed the new cable alongside the original before removing it (didn't want to bother with the tank off) had a bitch of a time removing and installing the brass cable retainer at the cable end, and when connecting the cable up I'm finding it to be pretty tight - the actuator arm is pulled up, the spring is stretched, despite having the cable adjusters as slack as they can go and the cable connected but loose up by the lever. Though I thought I'd be able to sort it when I got under the clutch adjustment cover HOWEVER I can't get the sprocket cover back on because it seems like the worm gear is pushing against the push rod because the cable pulling on the actuator arm and therefore turning the worm gear towards it, I guess.

What am I doing wrong? Help out a clutch cable noob. Also, should the push rod be loose - as in, just sit in it's hole but be able to be pulled outward? I can basically grab it and pull it and it moves - maybe I shouldn't have done that?

[Rob S.]

Wow. The 550e must be very different from the 1100e. You have to remove the clutch cover and the sprocket cover?

[excellentlunch]

Not the clutch cover, just the sprocket cover and another smaller cover that gets you to the adjustment screw.

I just read this beautiful bit of instructions and that is exactly what I did http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...ment_GS550.pdf but when my cable is all hooked up the clutch actuator arm (see point 6) is pulled up to more like an 11 o'clock position than a 9 o'clock position. And that's with my adjusters at both lever and engine as loose as they go.

Wrong cable / bad routing? Should I be able to push the rod in by hand?

[excellentlunch]

Or is it normal for the clutch push rod to press against the worm gear and hold the cover out by a few millimetres until you tighten it on?

[excellentlunch]

Come on guys. I feel so alone.

Another question: maybe I should back the adjustment screw right off and see if it clears the rod so that I can install the cover and then adjust from there?

[excellentlunch]

In the light of day, I found the problem.

Bloody cable is about 4 inches too short. That'd do it. Remember guys, ALWAYS CROSS CHECK NEW WITH OLD

[John Park]

If you put the new and the old cable side by side, the amount that protrudes from the casing when the other end is bottomed should be reasonably close to equal. If the new one is considerably shorter - as it might be if it is made to fit a different bike, then you're snookered. With all the adjusters slacked off, the helix arm should be fully down.

The clutch mechanism is one of those things that you don't really think about too much. It's inside that little cover with the chain googe and you only go in there and muck around until it works again. That said, you might want to clean and lube the helix if you haven't already. When they have a bunch of 'archival' grease in there they tend to be stiff and eat cables. There's actually a grease fitting on it which nobody ever uses.

The helix should be all the way extracted by its little spring. The pushrod will be able to be pulled out and cleaned - the other half is inside the shaft. Back the adjuster way off and then screw it in until it touches and then a half turn backed off. The last thing you do is the main cable adjustment and the final trim at the lever end.

It is normal that the clutch free play at the lever increases as the motor warms. This is one reason why they later went to having the cable mechanism on the clutch cover side.

If your cable casing is pretty similar in over all length but the protrusion is too short, it is possible to shorten the casing enough to make it work. You'll have to pull off the ferrule [shiny cap] off and then very carefully cut the casing without nicking the inner cable. Or you can cut the plastic coating off to the right spot and unwind the outer housing back to where you need it to be, cut it, and then recrimp the ferrule. Not fun, but 'bush repairs' build character.

[John Park]

OOps, you beat me to it while I was posting.

[Rob S.]

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/...ment_GS550.pdf

Yikes! Both ends of my clutch cable install practically without tools.

[excellentlunch]

Thanks all the same John! That's good info.

[Nessism]

Loosen the helix adjuster, or if you removed the helix from the cover, you may have it install in the incorrect orientation. The shorter cable would be ideal if your bike has lower than stock handlebars. I see a mod in your future.

[excellentlunch]

Hmm, now that's thinking! I would like clip ons and some kind of bikini fairing, now that you mention it... GS550 meets 900SS. Maybe I won't hassle the seller for a refund.

(After I fix the fork seal leak, oil leak from clutch push rod, the fact it's burning a bit of oil, and the noisey taco/potential vacuum leak squeel that comes on around 5-6000 rpm ).

[excellentlunch]

I thankfully found a supplier with a NOS Suzuki cable that I will pick up tomorrow, so I'll be back in business soon.

[excellentlunch]

Yikes! Both ends of my clutch cable install practically without tools.

Damn straight, Rob! Sorry I did not reply to this earlier. It has only shown up for me just now.