Clarity in the Corn
Took off this morning with the intent of getting to Rochester, but only made about 70 miles of the 120 mi round trip. A nice ride, made me want to address this clutch problem so I bought a cable on eBay. The reason I’ve lost my certainty that it’s actually the clutch is because the function under hard use doesn’t materially change. No clutch disc failure I’ve ever encountered doesn’t vary with load and temp. When I do “hill launches” in my local parking ramp, it doesn’t get grabbier or looser. And since it is actuated by a cable that is 6000 miles old, there might be a little stretch-problem. Too bad they don’t make these cables like they do the shifter-cables on bicycles: wow! Those things are unbelievably stiff in both tension and compression. $25 seems a good investment. Although hand grips are seriously needed too: the tinglies after this ride were almost as bad as the helmet-pains. Just have to get the hat seated right at the start. Might be time for a haircut (Yes, it does make a difference, believe it or not). Rain for a couple of days, then the next riding days will be much cooler. Digging out the wind-pants now. Not designed for motorcycling, don’t match anything, but I think they’ll work, esp. if I can get some elasto-velcro sraps. More moto news than I intended, but if this is to become a habit, it must become habitual.
Remarks from 2013: A helmet that fits (2xl Arai Profile), and a German moto that's sewing-machine smooth have put light-years from the experiences related above. Suffering new clutch-problems simply makes me think how much remains unchanged amidst the hurricane.