Clutch Lightener

[starman]

Has anybody fitted a clutch lightener to their bike?
I have purchased one from Sammy Miller to be fitted on my Scotish Trials bike. I think it is supposed to be fitted next to the clutch leaver / handle bars. I am thinking of trying to fit where the cable is rooted in the recess of the frame just below the steering. I wondered if fitting it there would reduce lightener’s performance.
Andrew.

[dave higgins]

Hi starman, it should not make any difference how far down the cable you set it, the gearing in the box is a brilliant idea though, but don`t forget, the lighter you make the action, the less travel you ultimately get at the clutch arm.
I use them on the front brake as well. really gets some heat into the l/link front drum. dave.

[starman]

Dave

Hi Dave,
thanks for all the info, I appreciate it.
Andrew.

[Brian Catt]

I presume this to be the IN/OUT cable type, rather than the arm extender type. If so you should have a short cable that fits to the lever and you use your existing cable from the gadget to the clutch.

[starman]

Brian

Your correct it is IN/OUT cable type I was hoping I could hide it in a recess in the frame below the steering.
Andrew.

[Brian Catt]

Yes it's an idea, but you need custom made cables, making sure the primary is long enough to accommodate the steering and fork movement. Leaving it on the bar helps by adding about 3 inches into the main cable, ideal for people who have changed forks and geometry. My little HXXXX only needs a little extension on the arm to make it "modern".

[Dick F]

clutch lightener

Over the years of riding in trials, I have found that by fitting the long arm which are readily available from villiers services, and a VENHIL cable run in a nice easy loop, with a spring or other means to prevent chafing on the barrel you can have a very light action, my beta trials is not much lighter than the Anglian.

[starman]

Thanks chaps.

Thanks chaps.
the long arm seams a simpler better option but I have already purchased the adjuster I intend to replace clutch cable at the same time.

Will a Venhil cable fit in the original cable tidies along the frame of a Scotish? Their cables do seam thicker than the original?
Andrew.

[dave higgins]

hi starman, just to add to what brian is saying, i did have one on my griffon mounted just below the air box ( roughly six inches from the g/box ) which worked superb, but you do have to have good quality outer cable sleeves, if they are to thin the extra force generated may compress them & end up losing more than your gaining.
One other point is that these little boxes have three settings & a much better chance of finding a happy medium between ease of action & loss of travel.
Also a dog leg lever will have less travel than a doherty type blade lever, its a question of playing around with it untill your happy. dave.

[Peter Rotherham]

Clutch Lightener ???

Sorry, you've lost me. I've never seen one, however the old dodge as listed by Dick F was the most common I've seen. I think the long arm was made for Bond Minicar applications and was soon picked up on for this purpose. In general, on a lot of bikes, poor cable routing causes harsh action in many applications. Likewise, the original Wassell cables were pretty thin, even Bicycles these days have better cables than those around in the 60's. My original Greeves back then had extra coil springs in the clutch, and another behind the locking cap. A longer, and heavier cable, presumably from a car? had been fitted in a long smooth arc. This worked perfectly.
Another point was that if you had a cut down cover on the Mag side, you lost some strength on the 'ear' that held the cable end. I've seen cable stops fitted to the engine plates, with a custom length cable fitted. Nylon lined cables are a godsend, esp if they get muddy often.
Some clutches though are frightening. Ask anyone with a 3 Cyl Laverda without the hydraulic adapter !

Perhaps someone could post a photo of this device ?

[Brian Catt]

Your wish etc....It contains an arm pivoted at the narrow end with 2 positions for the cables. The short one goes to your lever and you fit the existing one to the other side. It provides a lightening by using differing leverages. Clutch adjustment has to be spot on due to losing some movement in direct ratio to the distance between the pivot and each of the 2 cable attachment points.

[dave higgins]

Hi, starman, i bet you wished you never asked now!! confused or what?....... dave.

[Brian Catt]

I'll do a drawing tomorrow for those still confused, next, Pythagoras in words of one syllable...

[starman]

Hi, starman, i bet you wished you never asked now!! confused or what?....... dave.

My wife's worried, thinks I'm asking about a crutch lightener

[156trials]

Be a bit careful when using this type of clutch lightener, as while the lever pull will be reduced a little, so will the push rod travel. Make sure the clutch clears completely without dragging, as on some bikes a dragging clutch will mean plates overheat and distort, which makes the dragging worse.