1997 cr250 Really hard clutch pull

yteka99

Member
Nov 16, 2013
4
0
It's really hard to pull the clutch lever on my 1997 cr250. Just bought the bike and it clearly wasn't taken care of very well. I lubed the clutch cable and it helped a little bit but not much. I'm used to the really easy pull on my street bike, isn't it supposed to be the same for a dirt bike? The clutch is pretty much shot (new one on the way). Should I get a new cable and lever? Or is it pretty normal for a dirt bike?
 

dirt bike dave

Sponsoring Member
May 3, 2000
5,349
3
If it's hard to pull, it's usually because the cable is bad,or someone routed the cable incorrectly.

I would replace the cable first. If the old cable is frayed on the inside, lubing it will not help much.
 

yteka99

Member
Nov 16, 2013
4
0
Is there anywhere online I can find a diagram of how it's supposed to be routed? If it's routed right then I'll start with a cable and see what happens. Is ASV pretty much everyones go-to levers? Or is there something better?
 

rmc_olderthandirt

~SPONSOR~
Apr 18, 2006
1,533
8
I am not aware of any diagram that shows the proper route for the cable. Try to find a similar year bike and look at it.

But routing the cable isn't rocket sceince. Avoid shart bends. Like others said, I highly recommend a new cable.

Suggestion: Get a new cable, and hook it up without routing through the frame, just as a test. Keep the bend as large a radius as possible and then see what the clutch feels like. If it gets significantly worse once the cable is routed then it is a good indication that you have too tight of a bend.

I would not expect the lever to make any signifcant difference. If your lever is too short then it could be the problem, but I still suspect the cable.

It is also possible that the problem is in the cluch itself. I bought an after market clutch for one of my bikes once and it came with new springs that were a LOT stronger than the original. I hated it, and eventually went back to the OEM clutch/springs.

As for the levers: I am a fan of the ASV levers, although as I said above I wouldn't expect the lever to make a difference in the clutch operation. I have put ASV levers on all my bikes and have never had to replace one. Before I started using ASV levers I would go through the stock and cheap afer market levers like crazy.

Rod
 
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