Clutch pull rod upgrade?

[bush turkey]

Has anybody come across a stronger aftermarket clutch pull rod replacement that will last longer than the rubbish that Kawasaki supply , the one on my 2013 klx450 with less than 1000 klms on it just broke where the ball on the clutch cable connects to it , looks like poor design if you ask me , I've had a bit of a search on here but couldn't find the answers I'm looking for , is this a common problem?, I know it's happened to a few people in the past , thanks

[crazyal426]

This is the first one I have ever seen break.  My 2008 has the original and never a problem.  I might suspect something else is the problem.  I would not hesitate to buy another OEM rod and make sure allnis adjusted proper.

[wielywilly-g]

I have not seen this either.  I did notice that the bracket to the jug holding the cable, can be put on in such a way that it is not pulling straight on the rod. Can you post a pic of your bracket?

[bush turkey]

That's how it came straight from the dealer I haven't touched anything on this motor yet , I hope there's nothing else wrong with it , thanks for the replys

[bush turkey]

Just found this picture on another thread I think my clutch cable was assembled wrong , it's on the wrong angle causing stress to the rod 

[bush turkey]

Righto iv worked out what has gone wrong, not long after i bought this bike it dropped a valve (long story) and I had to get a new top end put on so that got done by the dealership I bought it from , they have put the bracket holding the clutch cable on around the wrong way , instead of the cable pulling the rod straight up it was being pulled sideways which I believe has caused it to break , I'm now arguing the point with them I'll see how I go

[wielywilly-g]

Good luck!  I hate to see dealers like that.  I am happy we were able to point you in the right direction.

[ozglenn]

It's an easy mistake to make,dealers should know better though,when I first got the bike from new I looked at the bracket and thought surely they have it mounted wrong so I rotated it like they did to yours and the rod snapped on the first clutch pull

[bush turkey]

I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did , Did you replace the rod yourself ozglenn or did you get a mechanic to do it? Just wondering if I'll be able to fix it myself

[wielywilly-g]

It is pretty easy job if you have common sense. Are you a good mechanic?

[ozglenn]

I did it myself,also replaced the seal at the same time,just don't let the rod fall down into the case otherwise you will be taking the cover off to retrieve it

[bush turkey]

Yeah I'm not to bad of a mechanic I only know the bare minimum about bikes though , so what's involved in changing the rod? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I wouldn't have a clue how it's changed out , I thought I would be pulling the case off?

[wielywilly-g]

Looks to me like you pull the left side cover to get access the the lower cable ball and disconnect it from the lower part of the pull rod.  Please note, one of the stator cover bolts is under the torque limiter. Once you pull the torque limiter, see if you can get to the lower cable ball from there. Probably have to pull the whole cover. Be slow and careful, watch for any shims falling out.

Putting the cover back on I got it close and square but still a little loose and bumped the kick starter while pressing by hand to get the gears to align and drop in that last 1/8".  bump the kick starter a couple times while tightening to make sure the engine is not starting to bind from a part being in the wrong place. (happened to me once)

[crazyal426]

[bush turkey]

Looks easy enough to do myself , Where did you find that diagram wielywilly-g?

[ozglenn]

It's in the workshop manual

[wielywilly-g]

Service manual. Have you got one?

[wielywilly-g]

9 hours ago, crazyal426 said:

It doesn't look like you have ridden it since the makeover?

[crazyal426]

1 minute ago, wielywilly-g said:

It doesn't look like you have ridden it since the makeover?

About 3 hours, going tomorrow?

I just clean it really good every time?

[wielywilly-g]

I am getting ready to head out for three days of riding. I may need to take you up on that torqdrive offer. Send me some prices.