Triumphrat

Zansongs

While sitting in traffic the other day developing a cramp in my hand from holding in the clutch I wondered if it would be possible to design a clutch lever that would have a catch point where it would stay engaged untill squeezed a second time. Sure I know I could just put the bike in neutral but thats a pain too. Does this make sense, has someone already done it??

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My Pony is a B/W 07 T100
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PAAS

Buy some hand exercisers from a sports shop. I'm surprised you find the clutch stiff. The action of the cable clutch on my T100 is light as a feather compared to the god-awful hydraulic job on my previous bike.

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Paul.

Herts. UK
Opal & Tangerine 05 T100 (865cc)
(Previously Ducati Monster S4 and numerous UJMs)

bgaz

Like a car, you should not be holding the clutch in for long.
When I stop, I am in neutral before I even stop rolling, then the brake foot goes down and the other stays ready to shift into gear.
That is in case I have to dart someplace, dont pull right up on someones bumper and have no place to go....

In stop and go traffic, you can go slow and leave space, so full stops are not frequent, and when you do stop, you can sit a while with the clutch out.

The clutch is turning, and the arm that operates it is not, and it takes a good amount of force to open a clutch, so there is a lot of force on the bearing
(if the motor has one, the old ones did not), and also on the cable.
Parts last a lot longer without a lot of use.

The new Triumph clutch seems an easy pull though, so you need to get used to it and build up grip strength, or you have a bad/cheap cable.

Brett

sepper

For safety reasons, I prefer to stay on first gear when waiting for green just in case I have to escape a crazy cager not seeing me.

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Sepper - '07 Bonnie Black
AI Removed, TT handlebar, Rear mudguard stay, sump guard.

CAPTDON

I always do neutral in long lite waits- less clutch wear. Figure those little plates are draggin @ 1000+ RPM"s even in oil still not good for it. Also got cable stretch (albeit not much) . Chances of escaping a craszy cager while stopped @ light by being in gear are slim. I know the safety course says to do it . If that should happen , I would hit the throttle & slamit in 1st w/ no clutch.Figure in split sec you are only moving a short distance to "be oughta the way".

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CAPT D

Drinky

I always try to pick a route in town that has few lights to stop at. I'll take neighborhood streets around all the tools in their cars that sit at lights on their cellphones. If I do have to sit at a light it is in neutral with an eye to my mirror in case Mr. Von Stupidhead is coming up from the rear.

bendavanza

Make sure that your cable is lubricated and routed well. Get a quality cable lube and a adapter thing that forces the goo into the cable housing. It helps.
\Beyond that I would not reccomend anything that locks your clutch in position, it could be easy to trip and launch or difficult to release.
-Ben

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01 Bonneville, 56 Thunderbird, 68 TR6, 71 reversed head Bonnie (chopped), 79 HD Shovel, 67 MW Benelli 350 single, 46 BSA C11 plus many piles and projects.

http://www.bendavanza.com

3Moons

For what it's worth -

About a month ago I was caught in "stop and go, crawl an inch or two traffic" on my T100. After 8 minutes or so, I and another bike rider did an unsanctioned U-turn and got the heck out of there. I decided then to find something easier on my clutch and break fingers (soft, you see, from only holding a writing instrument in my line of work) and found a report on WebBikeWorld that described Leverskins. They're only $4.99 a pair, come in a variety of colors, and, once installed, make a world of difference when you're in stop and go traffic. They are thin, foam, tube-shaped covers with indentions for your fingers that slide over your break and clutch levers, decreasing the strain on your digits.

However, there is a trick to installing these babies. The instructions state to "use a bit of soapy water before attempting to slide them on the levers." In doing this, one of mine split in half going over the round section at the end of the lever. I called Austin, Texas, where Motovations Accessories, who sell these, is located. The nicest folks I've talked too in a LONG time. They sent on another pair, free of charge, including postage. A buddy who installed a pair on his Thrux used HOT water and soap, and these suckers slid right on.

For such a low price and such a minor addition to the bike, it's amazing how shifting and breaking now is much more comfortable.

MES

Neutral at lights for me.
Use your rear view mirrors and flick your brake lights when a car comes up from behind. Position yourself in the lane slightly off center so if you do have to bust a move it's easy.

a clutch lock (for lack of a better word) is unsafe.
Get a squishy ball and do some exercise. The clutchs on these thing are light.

Baltobonneville

I do what MES says.

Neutral's in a nice convenient location between first and second, and you have to be there with the gearshift anyway at a traffic light.

I have a brake light flasher, so I touch the brake if I see a vehicle coming up behind me.

The cable luber gadget with a can of "cable lube" is a good thing to have. I still have the gadget from my Honda CB450 days in the 70s, and it still works well. I lube the clutch cable once or twice per season, and adjust most of the slack out of it at the engine end while I have it detached at the lever end. It's quick and easy.

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Marty
2005 Bonneville Blue 790cc, AI removed, Staintunes, Unifilter, no snorkel, 120/40/Thrux needle/1 shim/3 turns, fly screen, tacho, D9 gauge panel, center stand, Ikon 7610s, Hagon fork springs, gaiters, Pirelli Sport Demons, 3 seats.