What do you do when your clutch cable snaps at high speed?

[icebliss]

F#@$ing hyosung...

While I exited the freeway I pulled the clutch lever and noted that it went soft. I had to pull the lever almost all the way for the clutch to work. I rode the bike home carefully and guess what? ...when I got home, the clutch cable snapped. Luckily it didn't happen while I was booting it on the freeway.

This raises a couple of questions for beginners who didn't have to deal with these sort of issues... yet...

What would the best way be to handle the situation where your clutch cable snaps while you're on the freeway going at "high speed"?

(1) Slow down until you're within the optimal rev range to downshift, and gradually downshift (without clutching obviously) while you slowly pull left and kill the engine in the last minute (to avoid clogging the sparkplugs if you kill the engine while you're still at high speed)?

(2) Don't bother downshifting and just apply the brakes gradually and pull left and kill the engine sometimes in the process or let it die?

(3) If possible, continue riding carefully until you get to the exit nearest to your home and then slowly pull over and kill the engine as described above?

(4) Any better way to deal with the situation?

The second question is, if you are stuck in the middle of the freeway ...what do you do? I assume staying with the bike while help arrives is too risky. Should you leave your bike on the side of the freeway and climb/jump over the fence and wait on the safe side? (assuming that the nearest exit is too far to push the bike)

Cheers!

Ervin

[Ryven]

If the clutch went on a bike, I'd probably just keep riding home. You don't *need* the clutch on a bike as long as you change your gears when the revs feel right for it.

Oh, I'd stay near my bike worst come to worst. I'd push it as far over as I could, probably have a sit down a little bit further from the road where I could keep an eye on things/see when whoever was helping me showed up. I don't know about even trying for a nearest exit on a bike that wouldn't move, particularly if there was an off ramp.

[Captain Starfish]

On the freeway, I'd keep riding until I was as close to home as possible. It is possible to change without a clutch (downshifting for me is pretty clunky) but it's pretty hard to take off at the lights without a clutch - particularly if you're pretty new to the game.

If my bike failed completely on the freeway, I'd pull over to the emergency lane (left if possible). I'd probably wait on the other side of the armco just in case.

[thro]

easiest way to stop the bike controllably is probably to shift UP into a reasonably high gear (like, 3rd or 4th rather than 1st), pull into the emergency lane and then pull over to a stop.


keeping it in a higher gear means less chance of compression lockup.... if you can get it into neutral even better tho

[Corona White]

Personally I would just ride the thing home. You can downshift without the clutch at lowish revs with no dramas at all ( least I can on the gixxer but dont as a matter of course ).

Try keep rolling as much as possible. If you do have to stop click to neutral where you would normally pull in the clutch ( or a little earlier incase you miss ) once stopped kill engine select 1st and be ready with your thumb near the starter for when you need to go.

Wouldn't recommend splitting to the front. Might be a bit embarrassing if you have a bit of trouble getting moving.

Won't be fun to ride and you will have to really watch what is going on ahead but would prefer it to being stuck on the side of the road.

If it was right in the middle of peak hour, bumper to bumper and lots of stop start I would probably pull into a side street until the traffic had cleared out a bit.

[Maxo]

What would the best way be to handle the situation where your clutch cable snaps while you're on the freeway going at "high speed"?

I didn't think hyosungs could achieve high speed (no offence).

Best thing to to (imo)
- Don't panic and hit the killswitch.
- If you can nurse it home, to a garage, or a mates place, do that.
- If you have already filled your pants and can't ride without the clutch pull over at a safe point.

If you are on the Freeway, remember you don't necessarily have to stop at any point, you can split if need be.So try to find an exit at least.

[Corona White]

If you are on the Freeway, remember you don't necessarily have to stop at any point, you can split if need be.So try to find an exit at least.

Yea good point. Your riding something that is broken. You have every right to pull into the emergency stopping lane and pottering ( Not the 150+ that means to some on here ) along in 1st or 2nd gear at idle till you can exit the freeway if that makes you more comfortable.

Personally with all the twits that stack it on the freeway and all the crashes you see on Foxtel from the US with stationary vehicles on their highways I would never stop on the freeway if the car/bike would still move.

[jonnyking]

How healthy for the engine and gearbox is it to "bump" start the bike without clutch?

[Corona White]

How healthy for the engine and gearbox is it to "bump" start the bike without clutch?

Shouldn't do any great harm to engine or gearbox. A little tough on the starter but seriously to get you home if you plan ahead coming up to lights you will probably get away with doing it less than a dozen times. Wouldn't want to make a habit out of it but to get you home wouldn't worry to much.

Push forwards a bit to give the starter a bit of a hand when you kick it in the guts will help a bit.

[Surly]

Other option is to try to leave the bike running in neutral or restart it in neutral...paddle off from a stop and click it into first.

Many bikes will not start in gear without the clutch pulled in.

cheer
Surly

[Ryven]

How healthy for the engine and gearbox is it to "bump" start the bike without clutch?

One of those things that I wouldn't overdo. Once or twice and it won't make a great deal of difference, just may not particularly sound too good. All the time and the person who services your bike will start to love you... Like a mentally retarded child, but they'll still love you.

That reminds me, Surly. I don't think the Triumph will start at all without the clutch pulled in. :/

[icebliss]

I didn't think hyosungs could achieve high speed (no offence)

heya Maxo, not meaning to brag about hyo's because I'm concerned about their built quality ...etc ...etc, however, for a 4-stroke 250 it's got an acceptable *cough* speed

Check this out: [ame=http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=mYM4RRGgaxI&NR=1]YouTube - Hyosung Comet GT250R Maximum Speed Test[/ame]

[jonnyking]

ah thanks guys. i was thinking u might need a little bit of a rolling start.

handy info to know if you ever do come across this senario.

@video
thats not stock. i used to ride with a hyo and there is no way his bike could pull that number

[Ryven]

I was thinking the same thing. But speedos don't tend to read all that accurate. At 170 on the speedo you're probably doing about 150-155 in reality, not sure about the accuracy of the Hyosung speedos. That said, I think that's still a little faster than their alleged top speed which from memory was in the 140s.

[Ev]

If you do have to stop click to neutral where you would normally pull in the clutch ( or a little earlier incase you miss ) once stopped kill engine select 1st and be ready with your thumb near the starter for when you need to go..

As mentioned one would have to disable the clutch switch on most modern bikes after that...Anyone tried it?, Would that work with all bikes???

How healthy for the engine and gearbox is it to "bump" start the bike without clutch?

As a ??possible?? alternate way of starting I have mental images of a rolling start then clutchless shifting from neutral creating nasty grating noises, anyone tried or know better?

[tinytoolmans274]

clutch makes absolutely no difference to riding unless you need to stop or start. a little clunking wont damage the box if you only ride a short distance.

[Maxo]

As mentioned one would have to disable the clutch switch on most modern bikes after that...Anyone tried it?, Would that work with all bikes??

The switch is mounted on the lever isn't it?

No need to disable it, just pull in the clutch as per normal. (?)

[icebliss]

Thanks for all the info guys. However, the hyo is a bit capricious when you need to find the neutral, so riding it back home without the clutch working would be a little bit of a challenge (at least for me).

I think you're right about the video jonnyking. My fastest with the hyo was 155 on a straight. I didn't have a chance to push it past this speed (besides this I'm a little concerned to push it too far to be honest).

Oh yeah, another thing... to my disappointment my insurance (Swan) told me that I'm not covered on the racetrack

[franger]

hey icebliss that happened to me 2 cruises ago haha down near armadale and rode home to morley on tonkin hwy. like ppl have said changing gears is no prob without your clutch just need to feel for the right revs. i just kept my vision right up to the lights as soon as i saw them and timed them so i didnt have to stop and when i did have to (turning off tonkin) just pull up sit in neutral and give yourself a car length in front of you to push some speed up and whack er into 1st and your on your way.

[Ryven]

Oh yeah, another thing... to my disappointment my insurance (Swan) told me that I'm not covered on the racetrack

Pretty typical, really. Some insurance companies will cover you for say advanced riding courses, but I don't know of any that'll cover you on the track - without taking out specific, expensive one off insurance for it. Likewise you can void new car/bike warranty by taking it on a track depending on make/model.