Gear lever stuck / loose clutch cable?

[f2dz]

Was just riding back from lunch when I was at the lights and my gear lever felt like it was stuck. It happened last night too when I was putting it away in the garage as well as before I went to lunch. It feels like it's getting stuck between first and neutral.

Not sure if this is related, or unrelated, but the black sleeve around my clutch cable has split near the clutch lever itself. I didn't think much of it because the cable still looks fine but now my clutch seems to be really loose. When I was parking after lunch I was struggling to get it into neutral with my gear lever sticking and I also had to keep my hand on the brake as my clutch would not fully engage and the bike kept wanting to slowly slowly inch forward.

I've got to ride home in a couple hours. Just looking for advice on what I can check/modify before heading home and not ending up on the side of the road in the process. Sorry if this is a really stupid question but I'm still pretty newbie when it comes to motorcycles in general.

[SMOKEU]

Does the problem persist with the engine switched off?

[f2dz]

When I was trying to shift into neutral to start it up the gear lever felt pretty jammed too, yea. When I was riding I didn't notice it. Just when I started and then when I was coming back and stationary wanting to get into first.

[FJRider]

You can try adjusting the cable. There should be an adjuster at one (possibly both) end(s) ... But if the outer is damaged ... the cable wont get better. Any benefit will be short term.

Murphys law ... if it can/will go bad ... it will at the worst possible time. Get a new one and have one less issue hanging over your head.

[f2dz]

I'm guessing the clutch issue is related to the sticking gears then? Because this only happens when I'm not moving and trying to get into first.

Fingers crossed it holds until the weekend then. The bike is my daily ride into work. I won't have a chance to fix it until Saturday.

[Subike]

How long over due is it for an oil and filter change?

[Akzle]

sounds like cable needs adjusting. pretty simple. look it up in the haynes manual you bought when you bought your bike.
if you DIDN't. go buy one now.

(FWIW, levers are on the bar, pawls are at the feet.)

[FJRider]

I'm guessing the clutch issue is related to the sticking gears then? Because this only happens when I'm not moving and trying to get into first.

Fingers crossed it holds until the weekend then. The bike is my daily ride into work. I won't have a chance to fix it until Saturday.

Whats the bet it will split completely on the way home from work tomorrow ...

[Laava]

Just out of interest, does neutral select easy when the motor is not going and does the gearlever feel normal? If so, it will be clutch drag which often is an adjustment issue.

[Subike]

Sticking gear levers, stiff gear changing, a loose feeling or dragging clutch, can all be a symptom of dirty oil,
This is a daily commuter bike, so will log up the miles fast
thus my question about the oil change, as this is very easy to let go by the once every 5000k point.
especially when you are on a budget, do lots of miles , and have low maintenance skills.
So I would do an oil and filter change and see if the problem improves, and adjust the clutch at the same time,

[f2dz]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. The bike is due for a full service of pretty much everything in 1.5k kms. I've got a 400 page service manual for it in PDF form so I think I'm sorted, goes through everything.

Got a more bike-savvy friend to have a look at it for me last night and he reckons the cable is fraying somewhere along the length of it inside the casing, and that's mainly causing the lever to not return to its original position.

The gear lever feels fine, I think I just thought it was sticking because I was trying to shift when stationary with not enough clutch.

We adjusted the clutch a bit to make it shorter and it sorta returned it to how it was earlier in the week but the lever still doesn't pull back to where it should when its released. I'll be calling a few places this lunchtime to find a replacement cable.

Could anyone recommend a good/cheap place?

[f2dz]

Ordered from Mr Motorcycles over the phone, $65, nice guy too. Picking up tomorrow.

Thanks for all your suggestions and help guys, will post back if I have any issues fitting it.