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I just rode a friends WR250R and like my 351 modified bike better in every way except... her clutch lever travel was like nothing.. It took maybe an inch and a half to fully disengage, which made shifting a breeze with a super quick, two finger tap of the clutch.
Looking at my 09 KLX250s (with a KLX300 clutch cable to reach around the IMS tank), I can't see where I can improve mine. The cable action at the transmission begins as soon as I touch the lever. Is there something in an aftermarket lever that might have a steeper cam that would increase cable travel with less travel at the lever? Thanks... t
So I tried shifting my bike without pulling the lever all the way to the handlebar (don't know why I thought I had to do that) and it shifts pretty nicely with much less travel than I thought it required. So... I'll add the RSM lever to my "when you get so rich you're bored" folder and get it when that happens.
INot sure if this might work on the klx but I repaired a wr450f that had this done. The illustration isn’t totally correct as the cable route goes more in a 45* angle. The wire cable wasn’t damaged/bent or anything unusual that I seen. The lever isn’t drilled completely through. Looks normal but clutch pull is supposed to be easier
INot sure if this might work on the klx but I repaired a wr450f that had this done. The illustration isn’t totally correct as the cable route goes more in a 45* angle. The wire cable wasn’t damaged/bent or anything unusual that I seen. The lever isn’t drilled completely through. Looks normal but clutch pull is supposed to be easier
I think that would work with a bolt and some ingenuity.
If you drilled through the lever then put a short pan head machine screw cut to the length needed AFTER filing a rounded groove in it to bend the cable in a more gentle bend, it would work pretty well. Use small round or flat file with a toothed edge, to file a cable thick round the profile around the bolt shank, then install it using what is called a "jammie" nut with a nyloc insert to lock it (about 1/2 the thickness of a normal nyloc nut) in place while allowing it to move slightly. I'd use an SAE thread fastener and nut because it would be easy to get the nut needed. Not sure how easy it is to get metric jammies.
Here is a quick paint sketch of the shank and profile. I don't think I made the groove quite as deep as it would need to be, but that's part of the experiment.
This would allow the bend to have less stress on the cable so hopefully it won't break and fray yet hold the cable where you want it. The adjuster ferrule on the mount will have to be open side out with a wrap of wire around the threads to keep the cable from coming out of the slot. It will take some additional filing and shaping to make it work, but it would work to increase the cable movement as the lever is pulled in.
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I just loosened the cable to eliminate the unnecessary lever movement. It doesn't retract all the way back but I find it helps the shifting a lot. Basically the area with no effect is at the start of the lever pull instead of at the end. You don't have to release it all the way for the clutch to be fully engaged. Try it, it's free.
The lever already has the clearance to run the cable as I described. I had taken that wr apart and that cable end had no damages bent wire or fraying. Its pretty common to change the leverage ratio, either by lengthening the pivoting arm on cases that the opposite end of the cable attaches too or get a easy pull clutch lever/perch setup.
11-23-2018, 04:38 PM
shorter travel on the clutch lever, please
