blaKey wrote:I'm thinking that the reason the hole (at the lever housing for the nipple) is underneath the housing (instead of on top) is for looks only.

It would collect a lot more dirt if it been the other way around.

Changed my clutch cable last week after it became very stiff to operate. The plastic inner was protruding from the lower end. It was a BMW cable and it only lasted 7 months.

The new cable I ordered was a Venhill. After installation and adjustment I have to say my clutch is the lightest its ever been.

While BMW say not to lubricate their cables (teflon coated inner) the instructions which came from Venhill says to flush with WD40 twice a year and apply copper grease to the nipples.

Time will tell... I hope it lasts longer than the BMW cables I've had.

Anyone used these cables before?

My spare cable is a Venhill. When I went to put it in I was too busy at work and got my friend who is ex BMW to do it with a few other things. Insisted I got the original cable, which I did. Put them side by side and a big difference in cable thickness which scared me as the BMW clutch is effectively a car clutch so needs a car thickness cable. Put in the BMW one and its a one finger clutch since. Nipples need to be greased either way. The Teflon wont last forever so its better to regard clutch cable as replace every few years.

"It would collect a lot more dirt if it been the other way around."

I can't argue with that logic!  

Hi

I agree.
I experienced a similar problem back in 2000 when I last rode my bike. I'm close to getting it back on the road!n..finally......
Contacted Bmw Southbank and their advice was to always check and replace the clutch lever when replacing the cable.
That was five years

Cheers

I thought I was the only one with this problem. I was thinking new clutch time. Now I will be spendindga weekend checking everything out. 

I'd hate to have it break again when I head to South Island in February for the Burt Munroe CLassic.
Hopefully going via Wanaka, kiwiK100

I'm still on all my OEM cables 25 years on. I have installed a grease nipple on the clutch pivot arm, and against advice I lube all my cables with a PTFE based lubricant, do not use WD40 or their like as they can cause the inner liner to degrade. The PTFE is available from bicycle shops, the one I use is called TriFlo . The nipples and lever are lubed with lithium spray grease.
Regards Martin

wtf ... really ?

wd 40 is a water displacement solvent ...it works well for just a short while  as the carrier of the fishoil flushes out most contaminants ...then leaves far more insidious after residue ...to gather dust, grease and everything else  and just binds up the whole lot as it dries and ages

for its purpose of drying out old distributor caps etc  of old and ill fitting components ..and providing a slippery surface for water ...ideal

...ill guess that the drying out  process happens a lot slower in temperate climates and lots of wet weather  ...but out here ...sheesh goes like glue if left out in the sun too long

venhill make a good product ...but that advice sucks ..if its real ...hmm perhaps folklaw  or new to purpose (clueless ) marketing department ...aiming to get a bigger market share in blighty  ?

there are far more suitable things to promote and keep slippery ness ..even in extreme conditions

but would like to add ...there have been a few posts about this ...and the conclusion I saw was ,  to replace the felt that should be fitted to the clutch cable as it pulls through the perch
it helps keep a straight line to the gland fitting inside the lever pull ...so that it doesn't wear the gland at the handle ...which we have seen tends to move towards the bottom of the handle
then if enough movement in the gland will  catch on the cable access  guide into the handle , sheering off threads of inner cable ...and then one day snap !!

do a search ...you may find the answer

heres just one

https://www.k100-forum.com/t2321-clutch-cable-barrel-nipple-holder-keeps-dropping

twb posted the correct part that was designed to do the job by bmw ...in yet another thread

and we all seem to ignore the parts list that list it ....including motobins motorworks etc




nothing like a cable injector device to allow the feed of lubricant down the cable to flush it out
back in the day this was  gold ...a god send

everyone with cables for activation needs to have one I guess


hope this help someone

cheers

When I used OEM cables (I make my own now) I was with the MartinW school of thought. PTFE liners are supposed to be the non-maintenance dog's danglies but for one really small problem that everyone somehow overlooks.... Right down at the bottom the Bowden cable has to emerge into daylight to hook into the clutch arm. Without an oil/lubricant, that bit of exposed cable goes rusty and deposits the rust into the PTFE liner. Eventually you create the PTFE and rust version of sandpaper which, in the nature of things, saws through the Bowden cable and always at the most inconvenient moment.

IME the rust gets about four inches up the liner and the cable snaps about two inches up. Over the years and many different bikes (not all my own) I've seen this happen on most non-lubricated PTFE-lined cables. Maybe it's just our climate.

Maybe we should talk about oil it seems to be a tad less controversial.

One of my thoughts with any 'new' K is a new clutch cable simply because .....probably mindful of Dai's line of thought as being fairly close to my experience of cables too.

So, the K1100LT should get a new clutch cable. Am I right in assuming my spare K100RT cable goes straight in to a K1100LT?

Your spare cable is perfect for the new bike as according to Motorworks all LT's and RT's use the same one.

I treated my new to me K1100RS to a new cable and what a difference.

Luckily for me all my RS's and K1 use the same clutch cable so I always try to have a spare around.

What got me thinking was the clutch on the RT is super smooth and light [new spline lube/clutch plate/pivot bearings in February and cable is BMW one] and the K1100 isn't yet.

Dai wrote:

RicK G wrote:Maybe we should talk about oil it seems to be a tad less controversial.

I disagree. Tyres are less controversial.

Looks like my roller in the clutch release lever is badly worn, it oval at one end & bit of free play.

Any suggestions to to fix this without the expense of the whole lever. I cannot seem to find a separate part for the roller replacement.

filastein wrote: I cannot seem to find a separate part for the roller replacement.

BMW part # 23 13 1 451 147.

Thanks for part number.

Any suggestions for removal of sleeve?

Also should you be able to move the thrust piston in by hand?

Should the rod come out easily?

So my cable snapped at the leaver. I looked at the video on how to attach the new cable to the old and pull it through... Wow this is going to be a snap. Not as serious as I thought.

Also watched the video by Chris Harris on clutch adjustment very informative and well done.

Started the job last night after supper and figured I could ride this morning. Ha! First no one talked about the tiny little hole and the big rubber accordion boot that must go through it!!!! Akin to a Great Dane trying to penetrate a Chihuahua in heat. 

I considered starting with the leaver end and passing it up but opted for the accordion boot and feeding it down toward the clutch leaver. even getting the old cable out of the way was an exercise in frustration. Had to cut the boot off with a sharp blade and then was able to extract the old cable.

Two hours and many profanities later I gave up and came back in the house to drown my sorrows. I came at it again this morning with a fresh start, some sunlight dish detergent and a pair of pliers. I had considered removing the rear wheel, ABS unit and foot peg plate but fortunately came to my senses and slathered the damn boot with dish detergent in the hopes it would slide through that bloody hole more easily. There is a German design engineer with a real mean streak somewhere out there .

The boot kept sliding forward into the hole that is supposed to seat the cable once installed. After many hours and stuffing that second hole with anything that would fit to keep it isolated I managed to get that boot through the hole and in its proper position (with a few tears in the rubber...I am NOT removing it to replace).

After that everything went as it should just like in the videos and manuals.

I went for a test drive and quickly realised that my clutch was sick (or badly adjusted from the get-go). I thought the missed shifts and and poor starts was due to my inexperience. Since the new cable is installed and properly adjusted the bike shifts like new.

New cable 89CAD, felt ring 8.51 CAD, nipple holder 9.84 CAD.  Decided to buy an air filter for future use 59.50CAD and what is listed on the bill as a Repair kit 11002300053BM (I ordered an oil filter) 41.75CAD (need to look into that).

 Total spend 239.28 

I am giving up downshifting never want to do this again. 

http://forum.kforum-tech.com/members-upload/uploads/Scan_Oct._28,_2019.pdf

Now you know when my clutch cable broke on Sunday I got the bike home, parked it beside the K1100, got up on the K1100 and rode it out. I have 2 spare cables in my shed and the day was too nice for tinkering. I will take the tank off to swap the new cable in.