|
|
Post by diver15 on Mar 5, 2009 14:01:20 GMT
Having a left hand injury, and now tendonitis, I'm finding the clutch on the old girl more than a little painful so I'm going to have try and lighten it.
The obvious thing is to change the cable. Is there much any difference between genuine and after market cables?
And are there any other thoughts? I like Ray's suggestion (in another thread) of a nut being placed between the lever & cable to reduce the reach which will help but will not ease the force required to pull.
Can springs be changed for lighter ones?
|
|
|
|
Post by CD on Mar 5, 2009 15:19:50 GMT
Most accessory shops sell only harder clutch springs and the sevice limit for old softened springs is not that much (51.8 to 50mm on the 900). So it looks like lighter springs might make the clutch slip. Edit... It might be possible to get high friction linings for the clutch that would work with softer springs. Maybe talk to Ferodo or similar. I just googled and maybe there is something here - www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/ (old cars often dont have off the shelf spares). The only other option is physiotherapy, appropriate exercise and maybe cervical manipulation to get the arm back to strength. |
|
|
|
Post by Flymo on Mar 5, 2009 18:06:52 GMT
what about retro-fitting a hydraulic clutch mech ? such as This not cheap though. This idea was not my own ;D Flymo |
|
|
|
Post by bobh on Mar 5, 2009 22:39:07 GMT
You may already have put loads of lube on the cable, but if you haven't lubed it regularly then really flooding it with engine oil or similar does make a big difference.
I had to fit a new cable to my D9 when the old one started to fray. The man in the shop (it's a genuine Yamaha part) said it wouldn't need lubing as they are supposedly nylon lined and pre-lubed. But when I fitted it it was noticeably stiffer to operate, and flood lubing as above made a world of difference. I've found ordinary cheap 20/50 engine oil to be the best. Thin (10/40) is not as smooth while gear oil (80/90) drags too much in cold weather.
|
|
|
|
Post by chunk166 on Mar 5, 2009 23:19:22 GMT
I find that using wd40 or similar helps a lot, how i apply it is i pull the lever in making sure that the grove in the adjuster is up,squirt whatever you use & keep squirting while lettering the lever in & out to work it in,when i think it's had enough is when i see it coming out the end by the clutch arm.
Ray
PS put some rag under your lever to stop your bike getting covered
|
|
|
|
Post by diver15 on Mar 6, 2009 13:20:24 GMT
Thanks for all your thoughts chaps.
I've done my best with lubrication and it isn't encouraging that a new genuine cable may be heavier!
Does anyone know of a really effective power lubricator for forcing oil down the cable?
Physio is the way only forwards long term but it will take a while to get it to work through the NHS system, in the mean time I've stopped riding the D9 and climbing, but giving up what I enjoy doing isn't my prefered option!
Dan
|
|
|
|
Post by humey53 on Mar 6, 2009 14:34:59 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by bobh on Mar 6, 2009 19:02:31 GMT
As Chunk says, if you lube regularly with the groove upwards, it doesn't need a lot each time. If it's not been done for a while it will take longer to work its way down to the bottom. In this case it helps to detach the cable at both ends, which lets the inner slide a lot further through as you work the lube in, and also takes the load off the cable which seems to allow the lube to pass through more readily.
The old trick of making a plasticine funnel and leaving it overnight filled with oil works well, too.
It did occur to me that it might be possible to rig up some sort of counter-spring to reduce the load. You'd have to experiment with pressure to avoid clutch slip, though.
And finally, another thought, make up a slightly longer arm at the bottom and to increase the leverage.
|
|
|
|
Post by mickandrita on Mar 8, 2009 9:13:39 GMT
have you considered a new cable from Venhill cables they do a range of clutch cables called superlite or featherlight which are a high quality teflon lined cable check out there website: www.venhill.co.uk, they also do hydrolic conversion kit Mick |
|
|
|
Post by diver15 on Mar 17, 2009 13:46:06 GMT
Thanks for all the input chaps.
As a starting point I changed the cable to a cheapie one off eBay, £13.50 inc delivery. The supplier specifically recommended not lubricating it. It is definitley lighter although difficult to quantify how much, perhaps 10% - 20%?
I am also trying to rest the hand and have cut back on both climbing and the D9 and there's a definite improvement. CD had some good suggestions about root causes of the problem which are well worth a exploring.
I've also booked the old girl in for new stanchions. Nothing to do with lightening the clutch but it will certainly lighten the wallet!
|
|
|
|
Post by eliminator on Jun 17, 2009 18:18:04 GMT
just a thought, how have you got your lever set? I released my cable to spray some ACF50 into it, put it back on and immediately felt uncomfortable. I had set it so that the clutch released just after operating the lever, I soon returned it to my preferred position, of having a loose floppy clutch lever thatreleaes nearer the bars. the point I'm long windingly making  is that it might not be helping your problem by having to stretch your fingers to pull the lever, if the lever was closer when you apply pressure, your fingers may have more leverage? It actually surprised me that I could operate the clutch by just pulling the cable with my finger and thumb. |
|
|
|
Post by CD on Jun 23, 2009 11:05:58 GMT
I also have my clutch lever set loose as the stretch at the "correct" setting is too much. To avoid the lever flapping about you could fit a spacer on the cable between the lever and its housing/bracket.
|
|
is that it might not be helping your problem by having to stretch your fingers to pull the lever, if the lever was closer when you apply pressure, your fingers may have more leverage?