Clutch cable/exhaust pipe contact

[dentheman]

While cleaning up my Shadow I found the clutch cable is routed under the exhaust pipe near the front cylinder and touches the pipe, so the cable housing has melted. I believe this is a safety concern and I will stop by the dealer tomorrow. I want to look at some other used and new Shadows to see if the cable is routed the same, and to hear what the dealer has to say.

If I see the other bikes have the same problem, I will contact the NHTSA.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by dentheman

While cleaning up my Shadow I found the clutch cable is routed under the exhaust pipe near the front cylinder and touches the pipe, so the cable housing has melted.

Is sounds like someone replaced the cable & routed it wrong.I believe that it goes above the pipe out of the way of the exhaust.
:cool:

[dentheman]

No, it has to go under the pipe for a straight run to the clutch attachment point, but I will update tomorrow after I look at the other Shadows.

ADDED LATER: I just looked at a couple views in the owner's manual and the routing is the same as mine.

[Water Warrior 2]

Sounds like you need to fashion some sort of clip and/or bracket to hold the cable from touching the pipe. A properly positioned tie strap might do the job.
Reminds me of a botched job by a so-called mechanic on a car repair. He used too long a battery cable and let it hang down on the exhaust manifold. Pure brilliance.

[mrlmd1]

You seem to be having many little annoying nuisance problems with that bike. Why don't you get rid of it and get a nice bike like a GZ250? :poke2: :poke2:

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

You seem to be having many little annoying nuisance problems with that bike. Why don't you get rid of it and get a nice bike like a GZ250? :poke2: :poke2:

Teething problems. They will pass.

[dentheman]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Teething problems. They will pass.

I'm happy with the bike. This cable is only the second problem, the first being fouled plugs and it has run great since they were changed. If I do get a new bike in a year or so, it might be a Shadow RS or possibly something like the NC700X. Or maybe another Spirit. I can't see getting a smaller bike.

Getting the Shadow as my first bike is turning out to be a good decision after all. At first the weight and size scared me, but not any more, and the cruiser configuration has turned out to be comfortable for me.

[Water Warrior 2]

Good to hear the Shadow is a good fit. A cruiser would probably be my next bike if I ever buy again. The only experience with them is the GZ, M-50 and a demo on a C-50 with a few factory goodies. The C-50 was most comfy and the M-50 was somewhat more powerful with better handling due to less weight and different forks. The GZ was initially a bad feeling bike to me but I was used to the Vstrom and there is a world of difference. The only thing in common was the number of wheels. After my initial evaluation was revised a lot the bike was just about perfect for it's intended purpose.

[dentheman]

I checked some other Shadows today and found there was a hook holding the clutch cable away from the pipe. I didn't see that on mine, but now that I knew where to look, there it was! Either the cable had come loose (unlikely), or the previous owner had messed with it (I think blaine was right). I slipped the cable into the hook and was good to go, although at some point I will cut away the burned part of the rubber sheath that goes over the cable housing to see if the housing has been damaged.

WW, the bike does seem to be a perfect fit. After I relocated the cable I went for another ride on the freeway. My intention was to run out of gas to see what my mileage is. She ran out with the tripmeter reading 150.9 (over several rides, I didn't do it all at once). So I got 53.3 MPG with about 90% of it at 65 MPH. Now I know to fill up at around 140 miles.

And it cost almost $12 to fill up! OUTLANDISH! But my fault. Since I was on reserve in the middle of nowhere, I stopped at the first station I saw to make sure I had enough gas to get home. [freeway gas station=expensive] I should have just put a couple dollars in, then filled up at a cheaper place when I got home.

[Water Warrior 2]

We have more outlandish than you do. Gas is $5.08 per U.S gallon here and my Vstrom will cost $30 to fill. $50 will jiggle the needle in my Ranger a fair bit.