My son recently broke the clutch cable on his 2016 KLX450R and on buying a genuine Kawasaki replacement, found that the lead stopper on the engine end was too big to slot into the hole on the clutch pull rod at the case end.

After a few choice words about engineering, it was genuine after all not a Chinese knock off, anyway I decided to get a punch and hammer to use to just tap it into place so as the cable would thread and away we go.

Not so fast, the rod snapped. To my dismay, I found that the rod was only 1mm thick at the top where it snapped. Whoever thought this was a good idea needs a smack in the back of the head.

I am trying to do as many repairs to our bikes as I can myself, Im a noob who is looking each one up online before going at it. So I searched for any info on how to replace the rod, but could not find anywhere that anybody had swapped one out. The best I could do was look at some pics I found of a similar case that was opened up, take a deep breath and give it a go.

So I figure I may as well take some photos and do this write up for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation.


The broken pull rod

Before you do anything, get a piece of cardboard, draw a sketch of the engine on on it, punch a hole through with a screwdriver where each bot goes, so as as you remove each bolt, place it in your punched hole so you do not lose any or have to guess where anything goes later.



A rough sketch of the engine cover with holes punched in it with a screwdriver where each bolt came from, helps me keep things in order so nothing gets lost or misplaced

First, clean your engine thoroughly and drain the oil.

Next up remove your shift lever and front sprocket chain guard.

Next remove your front sprocket. There is no need to remove your chain first, once the sprocket nut is off, you can just slide the sprocket and chain off in one hit and set it aside to give you room to work.

Then remove the torque limiter cover, 3 x 8mm bolts. The Torque Limiter will likely come out attached to the cover. BE CAREFUL as soon as its out it will dislodge from the cover and drop on the floor, potentially damaging it. When you get it out, separate it from the cover if it hasnt done this already and inspect for damage, ie missing teeth. Pay attention to any washers that may be on it ensuring that they go back in the correct place when you refit it. Failure to do so will cause the Torque Limiter to lock up and the bike will not start with electric start.

BE CAREFUL the torque limiter was a slippery little sucker, it fell or dropped so many times while I was handling it due to the odd balance point of it. How mine never hit the ground I dont know, I never knew I had these lightning reflexes. Just keep in mind whenever handling it, especially while it is seated in the cover, that it will want to hit the ground, possibly in an expensive sounding ker-thud.



Torque Limiter removal

NOTE the 8mm bolt INSIDE the space that the Torque Limiter cam out of. This is a case bolt that will need to be removed in the coming steps.

Magneto cover needs to be removed next. The workshop manual says that the radiator shroud / screen tank bolts all need to be removed. I did none of this, I also have braces fitted, I didnt touch them either.

It also wanted me to disconnect the magneto lead connector from the main harness, I did not do this either.

The breather pipe does need to be disconnected from the cover.

Next the magneto cover bolts need to be removed, dont forget the one in the torque limiter hole.

The cover will pull away cleanly, there are 2 dowel pins located roughly at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock, be careful not to lose these. The gasket may be sticking the case to the cover, I used a screwdriver to gently pry them apart without damaging the gasket even.


Magneto cover removed


Next up remove the starter idler gear. Again ensure you note any washers that may be on it that they go back where they belong. This gear just slips out, no force is necessary.


Starter idler gear just slips out easy


You can now get to the broken pull rod fairly easily. Simply push it down and through the case, ensuring that you dont damage the seal on the way through, then disconnect it from the inside cable and reconnect the new rod as the bottom.

Apply a little molly grease to the rod then feed it back up through the hole so it pokes out the top again.

I found atytaching the clutch cable at this time to be easiest and you have the most play in the cable and the rod to be able to bring them together. As I said at the beginning, the stopper at the end of my cable was over size, so i get a file and carefully shaped it back, ensuring I didnt contact the cable and possibly weaken it.

Dont forget at this point to ensure you have the rubber boot over the cable prior to connection.



the replacement pull rod. About $73.00 in Australia


Now simply put everything back together again in the reverse order that you removed it.

I bought a new gasket, but read in another tutorial re flywheel cover removal that if it is genuine and in good condition, I could probably re use the original one. I did reuse the old one and have not had a problem with it. Clean both gasket contact surfaces, if reusing old gasket or fitting new one there is no need for silicone or the like, just the gasket on clean surfaces.

Idler gear - gasket - dowel pins - cover - cover bolts (9.8Nm / 87 in-lb) - torque converter - torque converter cover (test your electric start at this point to ensure it has all lined up and works correctly, if not, check torque converter first)

When fitting the torque converter, ensure it is in place properly. Once it is in place, give it a wiggle, try to turn it while putting some pressure on it forcing it back into its socket. If it does not seat properly, the pressure of the cover will not allow it to turn and your electric start will not work. It took me a few trys to seat it properly, eventually working out the problem as the bike would not start unless kick started.

Refit chain and sprocket, shift lever, REFILL OIL, finish connecting clutch cable at the handle end if you have not already done so, now test and youre done.

I hope this helps someone out there. Sorry if it went on a bit long but this is my first time writing a tutorial.

 

Nice tutorial and bummer on the OEM part issue. Makes me curious to buy another cable and compare for manufacturing tolerance differences or if the larger end is now the norm and drilling out the arm would be the easiest long term repair.....hmmmm

 

I snapped the cable on my bike recently so have a new one coming in the mail, I will let you know how it goes.