Getting stranded due to clutch (twice...): MacGyver fixes?

Robbknoll

Well lads. Haven't had much luck lately with the bike. Been stranded twice in the last 2/3weeks on my commute bcos of the clutch. first the clutch cable snapped at the lever (had to get it collected) and second the actual lever snapped off completely (jerk and slip at a standstill that toppled the bike, mate on hand to bring me home to get spare lever and tools). What im asking is, is there any way to jerry rig it in some way to get to my destination, that people have actually tried and tested, bar carrying with me a spare lever and a the tools (dont have that kinda space). Both days were incredible sh1t and too close together so id like a bit of know how if it ever happens again, even if it were to only get me down the road. Thanks.

honeybadger

depending on the bike im on if the cable snaps i either push or get someone to push me in neutral and pop it into gear and ride home asap

CJhaughey

Small vice grips will usually allow a piece of the clutch cable to be grabbed and function as a makeshift lever.
Undo your levers and fit some teflon plumbers tape under the perch, Don't tighten the pinch bolts so tight so they won't spin around under a bit of pressure either.
You could try and find some folding levers that will allow the lever to fold back on itself, common on dirt bikes but maybe you can find one to fit your bike.
Seriously 2x 10mm spanners and a spare lever doesn't take up any room, tape them together and under the seat or to a frame rail.

Richard tea

Robbknoll

CJhaughey wrote: »

Small vice grips will usually allow a piece of the clutch cable to be grabbed and function as a makeshift lever.
Undo your levers and fit some teflon plumbers tape under the perch, Don't tighten the pinch bolts so tight so they won't spin around under a bit of pressure either.
You could try and find some folding levers that will allow the lever to fold back on itself, common on dirt bikes but maybe you can find one to fit your bike.
Seriously 2x 10mm spanners and a spare lever doesn't take up any room, tape them together and under the seat or to a frame rail.

Ive tried the vice grip gag before and it didnt work out well for me. Honestly ive security locks/ rain gear/ hi vis/ etc under a small enough seat as it is (and normally is use them more haha), but actually taping them onto a part of the frame is ingenious. Although id need to add a screwdriver to get the clutch lever switch out of the way. Thanks.

@ Honeybadger & Richard Tea; i do a lot of slow riding and stopping bcos of roundabouts/ ped crossings/ traffic lights so i wouldnt chance it, plus im a short arse so pushing the bike forward while still on it is a no no for me :pac:

Del2005

A good idea is to run 2 clutch cables when fitting and seal the spare.

Your bikes tool roll should have the tools to change a lever and a spare lever can be easily stored on a bike.

How often do you lube your cables? They need to be looked after like everything else.

Hotblack Desiato

Some bikes (e.g. Triumph) have teflon lined cables which shouldn't be lubed.

Running a spare cable alongside is an old trick, and a good one, but it'd be hard to see how you could seal it up in such a way as to keep rain out for a long time (perhaps years) yet still be easy to remove the seal at the roadside.

szatan84

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Running a spare cable alongside is an old trick, and a good one, but it'd be hard to see how you could seal it up in such a way as to keep rain out for a long time (perhaps years) yet still be easy to remove the seal at the roadside.

Just seal the top with vaseline/blue tack/silicone/play doh. Just wrap some sellotape around cable first and seal over sellotape so cable stays clean of whatever ur using.

Robbknoll

Del2005 wrote: »

A good idea is to run 2 clutch cables when fitting and seal the spare.

Your bikes tool roll should have the tools to change a lever and a spare lever can be easily stored on a bike.

How often do you lube your cables? They need to be looked after like everything else.

To be honest i rarely lube the clutch cable but in my defense when the clutch cable snapped on me a few weeks ago it was supposed to be a brand new one fitted at the start of February... I was away for a couple of months so got it serviced big style when i got back with new chain/sprockets/spark plugs/oil/ filters and i specifically asked for a new clutch cable to be fitted (because i new it was coming to the end). I dont know how often your supposed to lube clutch cables but it couldnt be so often that a new cable goes 5 months in (especially when my commute is quite short). Anyway i aint going back to that mechanic, not the only problem thats arisen from there.

blade1

Robbknoll wrote: »

To be honest i rarely lube the clutch cable but in my defense when the clutch cable snapped on me a few weeks ago it was supposed to be a brand new one fitted at the start of February... I was away for a couple of months so got it serviced big style when i got back with new chain/sprockets/spark plugs/oil/ filters and i specifically asked for a new clutch cable to be fitted (because i new it was coming to the end). I dont know how often your supposed to lube clutch cables but it couldnt be so often that a new cable goes 5 months in (especially when my commute is quite short). Anyway i aint going back to that mechanic, not the only problem thats arisen from there.

Sounds too soon alright!
Well you live and learn!;)

Richard tea

Yeah ive done about 11k and god know how long my cable was in use before that and it feels fine. I never loob it either

szatan84

Robbknoll wrote: »

To be honest i rarely lube the clutch cable but in my defense when the clutch cable snapped on me a few weeks ago it was supposed to be a brand new one fitted at the start of February... I was away for a couple of months so got it serviced big style when i got back with new chain/sprockets/spark plugs/oil/ filters and i specifically asked for a new clutch cable to be fitted (because i new it was coming to the end). I dont know how often your supposed to lube clutch cables but it couldnt be so often that a new cable goes 5 months in (especially when my commute is quite short). Anyway i aint going back to that mechanic, not the only problem thats arisen from there.

Have u got changed levers by any chance? They could be cutting thr cable on u. I had that problem with shorty levers I got of ebay. They had a sharp edge that cut thru the cable every 3 weeks. A quick job on the laid sorted that out.