400/4 heavy clutch

[ianmck]

My wife has started to ride my 400/4, she is having problems with the clutch, says its very hard to pull, I have to agree it is quite heavy, does anybody know of any simple cheap way of making the clutch pull a little lighter ?

[SteveD CB500K0]

Fit a new cable.


(worked for me)

[PatM]

Oil the present cable- pour oil down  it and hold in vertical-in a vice or something- if rusty oil comes out after about 15mins- then it needs replacing. A hydraulic oiler is probably a bridge-to-far but it sure does squeeze oil down a stubborn cable.

[exvalvesetdabbler]

Or the PO put heavy duty springs in.

I oil mine by disconnecting it both ends, get a piece of soft rubber pipe to fit over the top end and use a plastic syringe to push some thick oil down.  If it's clogged up with hard grease where it rests on top of the engine, squirt some paraffin through to clean it out first.

And put the other end in a container to catch what comes out!

Regards
Dave

[Bryanj]

If its a genuine Honda cable and its been oiled its knackered as the rubber inner sleeve swells up and interfeers withe the nylon outer liner.

Replace it with a Honda one (expensive but worth it) and DO NOT LUBE IT

[SteveD CB500K0]

I'm with Bryan on this.

If you have a genuine Honda cable, don't oil it (don't ask...) 

[florence]

Might I suggest that the routing of the cable also greatly affects how it 'feels'.  Cables do not cope well with tight corners, such as where they go under the tank etc.  I always route mine so they as free as possible, using gentle curves and making sure they do not get trapped at extremes of steering lock.  I have found that, sadly, the original routing is not always the best.

[ianmck]

Thanks for all sugestions, have re-routed the cable and cleaned and lubed, wife has tried it and says its better and will see how it goes. Will order a new cable from DS.
Regards to all and thanks again.