Clutch help please!

[Guest Amigo]

Afternoon/Evening all,

I'm having a few clutch 'issues'! My clutch cable is about knackered, so from that auction site I bought a pattern cable and some heavy duty springs. I oiled the new cable and routed it correctly (which took about 2 flippin' hours to do!), fitted the 'ends' and there's no adjustment!. I fitted the new springs hoping that would do something, I even removed and cleaned the lifter rod and still nothing, the cable is right at the end of both adjusters and the clutch disengages about 10mm from the handlebar.

There is the right amount of oil in there, the clutch plates look ok (I didn't check them as my vernier has a flat battery), the cable is routed properly - what have I missed?? The manual isn't particularly helpful and I've run out of ideas!

[blueboy 138]

I take it you checked the new cable against the old one ,it would be the first one pattern part are wrong and i don't know but is the bird cable the same sorry at the moment thats all I can think of.bry

[Guest raeman]

Bry, Blackbird has hydraulic clutch so no cable on it to try on x11.

Pattern parts are never as good as genuine. I would junk the pattern part and buy the Honda one.

A least then you know it's got the genuine part on there and can rule out any cable problems.

[blueboy 138]

Bry, Blackbird has hydraulic clutch so no cable on it to try on x11.

Pattern parts are never as good as genuine. I would junk the pattern part and buy the Honda one.

A least then you know it's got the genuine part on there and can rule out any cable problems.

[blueboy 138]

Mark don't know about the Hdyraulic clutch on the Bird but Imeant to say wouldn't be first time pattern parts to be wrong but missed off the n't. Bry the nit

[Guest raeman]

:laugh: Your right Bry, pattern parts are usually a pain for fitting right. I've made that mistake before instead of buying genuine.

Now i allways buy genuine unless it's silly money.

[x11r 386]

Michael , have you checked the cam operation in the sprocket cover , taken it apart and not assembled it correctly ?

[Guest Amigo]

I didn't know you could take it apart! I cleaned the gunk out with a screwdriver and a bit of rag and the little 'dished thing' appears to move ok, but otherwise I didn't touch it. Is there a way of adjusting it at all?

I must admit I didn't check the new cable to the old, but it looked the same!

I was running out of adjustment on the old cable, which is why I changed it (and put heavy duty springs in), but it is actually worse now than it was before - it also rattles even more than before. Is this pointing to something more serious? It's rideable (I came to work on it this morning)although the clutch is like a hair trigger! I need to sort it asap - MOT on Saturday.

[x11r 386]

If the patern cable isn't alowing the lever/cam in the sprocket cover to work at it's optimum position it is probably making it work out of it's stroke range so it sounds like cable should be in the bin and replaced with a genuine one !

[Guest redex]

I'll go with the poxy aftermarket clutch cable too. The Honda part number for the genuine item is 22870-MCC-000 and should cost about £18.00....Steve

[Guest Amigo]

General opinion of a couple of people who have seen it seems to agree with everyone here - it's the cable that's wrong.

I've got to pick my new (genuine Honda!) handlebar grips up tomorrow, I'll order a new genuine one at the same time.

Got a little story about handlebar grips. My X came with oxford heated grips, which work sporadically/not at all/when they feel like it. On Saturday I decided to pop into my local bike shop (a Honda dealer), after admiring what I can't afford (new 'Blade and the new CB1000) I go into the spares section and after much looking at and feeling of new grips, I decide on the set I like (all the grips on display are Motorax after market jobbies), take them up to the counter and the conversation goes like this -

'will these fit on my X11' says I going on to explain that my heated grips are 120mm long and the new grips are 125mm long,

'no, they'll be too long, in fact heated grips are too long and catch on the bar end weights, just like these will' says he (which explains my problems with the throttle - another story!),

'ok, have you got a pair of Honda ones?' me again,

'no, you'll have to order them'

'ok, order them for me, a quick question though, if the aftermarket grips are too long why do you sell them then?' me, now a bit fed up

'people like aftermarket grips' says he

at which I come back with 'if I hadn't have asked, would you have sold me a pair knowing they won't fit?' at which point he magically changed the subject!!

[Guest redex]

Hi..Me Again..Just check the clutch assembly locking nut on the splined shaft is not loose.If it is loose each time you operate the clutch it will first take up any free play before opening the plates. This would also make the clutch noisier than normal and also make it extremely grabby, and operate very close to the handlebars.Unfortunately they are notoriously awkward to tighten properly without a clutch holding tool.If someone has been into the clutch previously,it may just be that it wasn't tightened properly and has worked loose....Just a thought.....Steve

[Guest bluex11]

HI... i faced same situation, above members x11oc guest recommendation can be one reason but, in my case it a bit more complicated.

I discovered that the static lifter rod has drilled and gone deep by 2 millimeters in the moving lifter piece (plz. look for these mentioned parts in the service manual).

 

This can be solved by inserting a 2 or 3 millimeter metal ball and grease it in the lifter piece...  or simply replace it with a new one.

 

This two millimeters can easy make all this difference in clutch disengagement and cable adjustment.