As I was ripping the twisties, all of a sudden my clutch cable breaks. Luckily I was in town when this happened and stalled the bike safely on the side road. Tried to put it in neutral but was able to safely stall it.

Now I’m stuck on CA-49 in Sierra City. Waiting 3 hours for a tow from AAA



Snapped cable

 

Been there done that! I'm glad my 2020 UL has a hydraulic clutch. I'm hoping Harley brings it back.

 

Original clutch spring plate? Bowden cables will wear very quickly if overloaded, so unlike hydraulics require pretty anemic springs.

If you have a pair of pliers you could pull on the cable end and get it into neutral at least, so you can roll it around and get it onto a flatbed... but I see this happened yesterday, so hope you got it to a shop!

 

doug62 how did you make out?...

Trucky911....

 

I was able to get it home today. They didn’t have a guy qualified to tow last night. Kinda upset since it’s a 2 hour drive with no reception unless you have VZ. Had to time the call for AAA to come since they were 1.5 hours out

The bike is stock with almost 50k on it.

I would like to do a hydraulic clutch conversion if that’s even possible. Luckily I found a part at the dealership that had it in stock. Unfortunately that part was 150 for a freaking cable

 

Similar thing happened to me, But i was only 10 miles from home. I cranked it in 2nd and up shifted carefully, then down shifted carefully. slowed way down before lights so I wouldnt have to stop completely, then found neutral when rolled into driveway. It was an experiance.

 

thanks for the heads up, jic, I ordered new cable for '06 RK @65K. I recently changed out mini apes for "classic" bars for a traditional aesthetic but I'm thinking it might also reduce the strain on that cable end. It is definately a must look pm at this milage.

 

Though a broken clutch cable is definitely a PITA, the bike is rideable with some patience and care. I would start the bike in gear (give yourself room) and rev match shift as needed. Not super easy, but in a bind it will get you home. Been there done that. If the inevitable red light appears, and you can't get into neutral, just shut the bike off and wait for the green.

Good "stranded in the middle of nowhere" skill set to have, good luck to all of us.

 

It was rideable. I just freaked out and panicked. I was riding an unknown road for the first time. Have I known that there was no stop signs finishing my trip, I definitely would have made it home or at least break down the highway so I would have been towed that day.

 

While I was 2 hours from home I was near a dealership and was able to "limp it" there. Ran a stop sign or 2 and cut it off in gear. It was a mess!