A distinct SNAP, my bike and the ole lady on the side of the road. (WARNING - long)
 

Yesterday was 75 degrees and partly sunny in central Virginia. We had a benefit ride planned which was to start about 70 miles away from home. Had five bikes pull out of Richmond for a nice hour and a half ride to the benefit's registration point.

We grabbed some lunch, registered, and started the ride. Five miles into it, pulling onto the Colonial Parkway, I pulled the clutch to downshift. Then, it happened. SNAP and the clutch lever went limp.

I quickly downshifted grinding through the gears to find neutral. I coasted to the side of the road, followed by the rest of my Richmond group. I knew as soon as it happened, I had a broken clutch cable. What I didn't immediately know was what to do about it. After a couple minutes standing there with a stupid look on my face, I decided an 80 mile return trip to Richmond to get my truck and trailer was needed.

One of the guys riding with us was my wife's brother, who was on the first long ride with his new 09 Gold-wing. He graciously offered to sit with my bike and for me to use his to return home to get my truck and trailer. I didn't feel comfortable taking his brand new bike, a bike I was total unfamiliar with, and riding it the 80 mile route home. Then, my wife offered for me to take her Sportster. I did, so she and her brother sat on the side of the road, watching my stranded bike, for over three hours till I returned with the trailer.

As I was driving back to fetch my sick Dyna, I started worrying about how we were going to get it on the trailer. My trailer is set up with two chocks, both a pretty tight squeeze near the side rails. It would have required us to push the bike from soft and muddy terrain, up the ramp, onto the trailer with no room on the left side of the bike for someone to help. In addition, I am nursing a partially torn ACL and a wearing a knee brace.

Instead of trying to push the bike on the trailer, I ended up spitting the clutch cable at the adjustment and slid off the upper half of the housing. I wrapped the exposed and frayed end of the cable around a short metal bar I found to make a "handle". My right hand on the bars, my left tugging on this broken cable working the clutch, and my asshole sucking on the seat, I was able to drive the bike on-board and into the chock. It wasn't a very smooth maneuver, but it worked. Trailered the bike home and got it under cover till I can get a cable.

My wife and her brother can not know how much I appreciate their selfless act of standing there for over three hours baby-sitting my bike. I would have been worried sick if I'd had to leave it unattended.

I guess I will end this long post about my inconvenience by asking, what would you have done? I was lost about what else to do. How would you have (or, how have you) gotten a stranded bike home?

John

Id be ****ed!! I dont own a trailer or know anyone with one...

Road side assistance from my insurance company is the only option I would have.....

In a pinch you could havetied the loose end of the cable to something and hand clutched it all the way home using the clutch as little as possible. because you can power shift a harley or anything for that matter,it's just to get going. So technically you had already solved it.but too late you had picked up the trailer. You see i have no trailer and I would have had to try that! I once had to ride a freinds bike 40 or so miles. It was a small engine so all I did that time was run jump on and shift to 2nd and powershift untill I had to stop again. Had to be hard a on the tranny.

a lotta years ago a friend and myself road from new jersey to georgia to rid eth blue ridge mountains. i had a 85 kawasaki gpz550 at the time. my clutch cable snapped in the twistys there, and i thought i was totally screwed.

the friend i was with was way more mechanically inclined than i was. he cheated up the clutch cable from tranny housing. he took a small nut off his bikes luggage rack, spilt the cable at the end, pulling half through the clutch lever and wrapping the braid of wire through the nut. it was good enough to get me to a shop where i was able to get a replacement cable.

if i was there alone, i never would have thought to try that.


also snapped a throttle cable on my sporty a couple years back. luckily i was around 5 miles from my home. i road home pulling throttle cable manually a couple of inches from where the cable hooked to the carb. that was no fun.

Wow.. I don't know what I would of done. Can you just downshift without pulling the clutch in? That'd be an akward spot. Glad you managed it safely though man.

You can, but it takes some muscle and isn't terribly good for anything.

Not much choice when you are rolling with a broken clutch cable.

man that sucks! least it is just a clutch cable and that is an easy fix... is that a stock clutch cable? i think i have one you can have...

Uhaul trailer = $25, unless u don't have anything to tow it with. I wonder if anyone carries an extra cable on long runs?

my option would have been: call my insurance company for towing.