Clutch actuation out of whack

[Muddy90]

Hi all

I was moving my bike the other day sat on it with the engine running. Pulled in the clutch when the side stand was not fully retracted. There was a bang like the cable breaking and the lever now only appears to have half the travel. The side stand now doesn't appear to have the interlock with the clutch. Any suggestions as to what's happened, I need to get underneath to check all the linkages but not sure how they look when they're working correctly, so don't know for sure what I'm  looking for.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Mike

[Laitch]

. . . the lever now only appears to have half the travel.

Which half?

[rbm]

So, before the incident, you had the interlock function?  That is, the side stand retracted if the clutch was squeezed.  But after the incident, you don't have this function and the clutch lever travel feels like it only goes part way?

As Laitch asks, is there tons of free play at the level, or does the lever only pull halfway before encountering resistance?

[Chaos]

This might help,  if the clutch still works but the sidestand stays put one of these parts may have gone wonky

[Laitch]

When the clutch lever at the handlebar is pulled, is it under tension and does it return to its previous position? If not, then the clutch cable probably broke and the clutch release lever banged down on the muffler. If you can grab the cable end with needle nose pliers and pull it from the release lever at the transmission, well then that's it. If not, take a few photos of the mess with good lighting and post it them.

[Muddy90]

Thanks for your assistance guys.

The clutch lever doesn't return fully when released.
I just purchased a new genuine BMW clutch cable and will try to fit it tomorrow.
Is it a difficult job, or can  tape the new to the old and pull it through?

Mike

[Laitch]

Is it a difficult job, or can  tape the new to the old and pull it through?

Less difficult than neurosurgery, more difficult than eating oatmeal with a spoon in a typical breakfast scenario with at least one fully functional arm/hand/finger assembly.

How have you determined that taping the new to the old and dragging it into position isn't difficult? Have you even determined if the cable is broken at all by trying to remove the lower end, or by any other exploratory means besides remote inquiry? Do you have a workshop manual? Have you read about cable replacement on the site? Have you considered studying the route of the broken cable and then following it with the new cable without bonding them, if breakage is in fact what has happened? That's the method I've used. The amount of choices to make is scary.

Keep a stiff upper lip.

[motodude]

Out of curiosity, was the bike on the side-stand when you pulled the clutch lever?

You're not the first person to ruin a clutch cable by attempting to disengage the clutch while the bike was on the side-stand.

You'll want to remove the tank when fishing the new cable through. Measuring the two cables might give you an idea towards the failure mode too. Assuming the problem is not obvious. (We need a head-in-rectum emo)

After adjusting the lower end to spec, make sure you have about a cm. of play at the lever and you should be good.

Tom

[rbm]

After adjusting the lower end to spec, make sure you have about a cm. of play at the lever and you should be good.

Whoa!  Free play at the lever should only be 2mm - 4mm, not 1 centimeter.

[motodude]

1 cm is roughly one-half an inch.  It is just fine.

[Laitch]

1 cm is roughly one-half an inch.  It is just fine.

You raise an interesting question promoting that spec, motodude. Why should the OP reject the manufacturer's spec and adopt yours when setting either requires the same amount of effort?

[motodude]

Mine comes from the experience. You're welcome to adjust yours any way you choose. At the end of the day, it really doesn't make that much difference.

The OP is gonna do what the OP is gonna do. Which I suspect is to connect the two cables and pull really hard.

Tom

[Laitch]

The OP is gonna do what the OP is gonna do.

That response is a bona fide summation of free will and the soul of pithiness even if it doesn't answer the question.  :clap:

[Muddy90]

This OP has decided to take advice and remove the tank. And yes the side stand was partially down as it caught on my foot as I was paddling the bike backward out of the carport. Unfortunately I will be unable to begin fixing the problem until the end of this week due to work commitments.
I will update you all when it's fixed.

Thanks again for your help

Mike

[The Dude]

Good on ya original posta,Muddy.
Best to follow the original spec re free play at the clutch lever.2mm or ,several gnat's cocks..You will want to give the clutch as much opportunity for disengagement,lever pulled right in,so that at least when engaging first gear first thing in your ride you hear a sweet click rather than a heavy clunk from your gearbox.As well as giving the clutch it's best chance to drive all those horse powers through when the lever is returned.
Forgetting to footually lift the side stand is usually just a onetime mistake,if you're a quick learner,that is....

[motodude]

That's good that you're going to take some time replacing he cable.  I was "afraid" that you might try to do it " the easy way". It is a bit tedious, but not difficult.

I have heard of folks pulling the clutch lever when the weight of the bike was on the side-stand and stretch the cable, but that does not sound like the case here.

The retractor mechanism can be a bit futzy but works reasonably well when in working order and properly adjusted.

Tom

[The Dude]

I've found when I've "forgotten"to foot the side stand up that the extra weight on the lever tells me to do a proper job of it, as a reminder.I have long since stopped hoping it to actually fully work automatically.Best preserve the cable for clutch duty,only.
The lower clutch actuation lever must also display proper adjustment slack to keep the clutch push rod & thrust bearing from being loaded continously.