Clutch lever 'suddenly' went semi-loose (lighter pull) while riding 2019 F850GS!

[2WheelsDown]

So I was riding my bike today and while pulling away from traffic lights (quite gently) I was letting out the clutch and suddenly the lever felt very different (much lighter pull, like something had suddenly 'slipped' but not broken). The lever didn't reset as far forward as it normally does when released, leaving a huge dead-zone after the clutch cable was no longer under tension. The bite-point was now also much closer to the handlebar than it was moments earlier, meaning I can no longer deploy the clutch with two fingers behind the lever and finding neutral at the end of my ride was VERY tricky (kept jumping from first to second with an unusually agressive "Clunk").

Basically it was behaving like I wasn't pulling the clutch lever far enough in, even though the lever is actually pulled hard against the handlebar grip!

Now I am not a mechanic, just an experienced tinkerer, but I checked both ends of the cable where it attaches to the lever and the engine, played with the clutch cable adjuster rings (but there was hardly any excess thread to tighten the cable) and rotated the clutch lever adjustment wheel one stop up to its maximum setting. Nothing was altered at the engine end. However, the clutch lever is now back to normal behaviour and I honestly don't think I made any changes large enough to have had that effect. I may have inadvertently reset whatever 'slipped' during the ride while inspecting the issue.

Because I don't know what I did to fix it I'm really worried about it happening again, or whether this is a symptom of an impending total failure, so does anyone have experience of this phenomenon or know what is likely to have caused this issue?

Bike Details...

• 2019 BMW F850GS
• 15,500 miles
• Unknown service history before 14,000 miles
• No visible damage to cable or shroud and cable operates super-smoothly with no resistance
• No issues prior to this incident
• Happened on a warm day about 10-15 minutes in to the ride
• In 20+ years riding countless bikes (including some real 'beaters' and 4 BMW GSs) I've never experienced this sudden step-change in a clutch before

I searched the forums but couldn't find anyone else who has ever experienced this, so any insight from one of the many technical geniuses on this forum would be hugely appreciated as I'd hate to get stranded without a clutch far from home. Thanks!

 

[The Other PaulG]

My initial thought was that maybe when the cable was installed, something wasn't fully 'home' and when it slipped into its correct position it effectively lengthened the cable. Or maybe the cable was fraying where you could not see.

However that doesn't explain how it then fixed itself.

When you investigated, is there anything you did that could have altered the cable routing?

I'm not talking about a complete re-routing, just the cable lying on the other side of a component it passes, or maybe around the headstock?

I know that the cable outer doesn't change its length whatever the routing, but a badly routed cable might create tension at either end.

Maybe try turning your steering and see how the clutch feels at opposite locks.

 

[MotoRevive]

If you're certain the cable ends are in the housing correctly, then there is not much else you can do but replace the cable. Maybe it's broken and stretched inside.

Very rare on a newish cable but the cable routing on modern bikes is pretty awful and put them under quite a lot of strain.


When this happens "once" it's almost always because the cable isn't seated correctly after adjustment on the bars.

 

[2WheelsDown]

My initial thought was that maybe when the cable was installed, something wasn't fully 'home' and when it slipped into its correct position it effectively lengthened the cable. Or maybe the cable was fraying where you could not see.

However that doesn't explain how it then fixed itself.

Agreed. I went out for a quick 30 minute ride today and the clutch is fine and smooth and of course I was hyper sensitive to any minor abnormality. The bite point is now a little far out so I might knock the lever's wheel back down 1 notch (which will put it back where it was originally) and see how it feels.

When you investigated, is there anything you did that could have altered the cable routing?

I'm not talking about a complete re-routing, just the cable lying on the other side of a component it passes, or maybe around the headstock?

I know that the cable outer doesn't change its length whatever the routing, but a badly routed cable might create tension at either end.

Maybe try turning your steering and see how the clutch feels at opposite locks.

No, the cable routing wasn't touched at all. It is still held down from top to bottom with factory-fresh bands and fastenings.

Good idea to test the clutch at different steering angles. I tried it and the clutch is precisely the same at full-left, full-right, and dead-straight positions.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response though. Is there anything else you can think it might have been? Would it help if I take some photos, just in case there is something out of place that I haven't noticed?

If you're certain the cable ends are in the housing correctly, then there is not much else you can do but replace the cable. Maybe it's broken and stretched inside.

Very rare on a newish cable but the cable routing on modern bikes is pretty awful and put them under quite a lot of strain.


When this happens "once" it's almost always because the cable isn't seated correctly after adjustment on the bars.

Yeah, this seems really confusing. The cable otherwise operates perfectly, super smooth with no resistance and it feels solid ('stretchy' or 'spongy' at all), plus I've had clutch cables wear out on me before so I know at least some of the symptoms, but this one still feels like new.

I fairly sure the bars have never been adjusted, although I can't be 100% certain. The previous owner left the bike absolutely stock with no modifications or add-ons whatseover. He even paid for the "Riding Modes Pro" feature but never bothered to plug in the chip!! I just took a very close look and the bar rail still aligns almost too perfectly with the white "T" markers (as it would be out of the factory) and everything else is still adjusted to factory specs, so I'm fairly confident it hasn't been touched.

 

[2WheelsDown]

...('stretchy' or 'spongy' at all)...

Sorry, that should have been "(not 'stretchy' or 'spongy' at all)"

(couldn't edit my last post for some reason)

 

[The Other PaulG]

Yes, can't do any harm to add a couple of pics (both ends of the cable). Someone with a similar bike might notice something awry.

P

 

[2WheelsDown]

Thanks Paul. Photos below...

Hopefully these are good enough for someone to spot if anything is amiss.

One thing that looks out of place to me (although it could not have caused the issue we're discussing here) involves the end-cap in the last photo...

Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[theoneandonly]

endcap won't make a blind bit of difference.

 

[2WheelsDown]

Of course, it was just a side-question, not relevant to the original issue. But in an ideal world, I assume it should be attached to the pipe, right? It just doesn't seem to serve a purpose 'floating' on the cable like that.

I probably shouldn't have asked about the end-cap, as it's a little off-topic. I'm far more interested in what could have caused the original "sudden clutch-slip" issue.

 

[The Other PaulG]

I was going to suggest that you manually operate the lever at the engine end of the cable, to see whether it feels notchy and perhaps isn't releasing fully... but whilst that could give the slack (handlebar) lever, when fully pulled it would still fully disengage the clutch so it would not give the clunky, hard to find neutral symptoms. The same goes for a sticking pushrod, which I was contemplating.

So we're back to the cable not being pulled sufficiently.

In your photo of the fully pulled handlebar lever, there's what looks like a linkage between the lever and the cable. I would check that out fully and make sure it's not doing anything strange.

This is such a strange issue because of the way it apparently resolved itself.