[gooroo]

Ok…here we go…this post is for those M109 owners who are having difficulty with clutch cables breaking. I said if it worked for me I would share the information. For the rest of the M109 owners who are not experiencing this problem…that's great and I hope none of you have to.

Parts Required for the Conversion:

• HD Clutch Lever and Perch: Part Number: 26-276 clutch lever assembly from custom chrome, I am sure other vendors have this part.
• The fitment is for a 1982-1995 Harley-Davidson clutch lever and mount.
• Barnett Suzuki Cable with custom HD end at perch. Barnett has this custom cable listed under their Suzuki cables as a custom HD mount. Thanks to Joe and Mark who assisted me with this custom design. Make sure you specify +3 if needed.

HD Perch


HD Perch end on Custom Barnett Cable


Suzuki end near engine for Custom Cable

Replacing the stock or after market clutch cable with the custom HD end clutch cable is the same concerning the routing and the engine end mounting.

For the clutch cable replacement with a step by step and pics. Please see my following post:

http://www.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123531&highlight=gooroo




Remove cable from stock perch

Other things to remember:

Make sure you splice the two electronic wires together for the electronic clutch disengagement that are connected to the stock Suzuki perch. Failing to do so will keep you from starting your bike upon completion because on the stock perch pulling the lever back closes the circuit and allows you to crank the ignition. Pulling the clutch in, to start your bike with the new HD perch will no longer be required after splicing the wires and permanently closing the circuit. I can just see you guys cursing me because your bikes won't start if you make this modification.






You will need to remove the hand piece on the left side of the handles bars to get the stock perch off. The HD perch has two set screws so after you replace the hand piece on the bars, you will be able to mount the HD perch and make the required adjustments for fit.



You may need a standard/metric converter for your mirror depending upon the thread type.

After you have the new HD perch in place you can route the new clutch cable just as you normally would. Mounting the cable at the motor end is the same. Mounting at the new HD perch is easy and self explanatory.

Adjust you slack at the engine side and then fine tune the adjustment with the in line adjuster located 27.5 inches from the perch. This should be located adjacent to the frame and radiator, but hidden behind the plastic radiator shroud. You can use this adjuster to tighten the cable when it stretches some after being used for awhile.

Adjuster is hidden behind shroud

Finished and it works great...hopefully this will solve the breaking problem.


Thanks again to Joe and Mark at Barnett cables and to Lisa and Rick at Horney's Custom Cycle in Florida.

I'll let the rest of you know if I have any issues in the future 8)

 

[Alien109]

Awesome I will keep this in mind if I have problems. :bigthumbsup:


Thanks :yourock::2cool::2cool:

 

[CBR1000DUDE]

I hope this is not a problem.........

Somewhere, sometime, I read that disabling the clutch release switch by just connecting the wires together would not work. Our ECM is programmed to receive clutch release signals along with gear position changes, and if it doesn't, after a while, I don't know how long, it will either throw a code, or put the bike into limp home mode.
I'm just going from my old faulty memory, I'll try to locate the original post, but it may be on the old board.
I hope it's not a problem, I'd like to disable mine. I hate having to pull in the clutch to start it, and it's one less thing to go bad. I did it on my 1500 Intruder, but it was a carb model with a different ECM.
But I did read this somewhere, that's why I didn't do it.
I guess yours will put this theory to the test since you've already done it.

 

[CBR1000DUDE]

Clutch switch

Well this is a different post than I was referring to, but apparently disconnecting the switch has consequenses!
http://www.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98898&highlight=clutch+safety+switch

 

[Zoom]

Well this is a different post than I was referring to, but apparently disconnecting the switch has consequenses!
http://www.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98898&highlight=clutch+safety+switch

I remember it happening too, and not the one in the above posts. It was one of the older members that isn't on here any longer, maybe JR. But I do recall that they ran it bypassed for a while and it caused the bike to do something.

 

[gooroo]

Thanks for the heads up

Thanks for the heads up on this, it will cause me to research it even more, although the issues on the posts you listed are "kinda" different. I can understand that the bike wont start if the switch is bad and a closed connection does not always occur. From the post it appears it was a symptom of a bad switch getting loose and not making a connection.

However, the lag in accelaration is strange and not something I have yet expirenced after the mod. (Fingers Crossed). You would think that this would also be automatic after the mod.

First place for reasearch is the wiring diagram...If worst comes to worse I can always add a switch back into the equation. I would find it hard to believe that the Suzuki switch is a proprietary part. after all a plain switch opens and closes a current pathway. Unless Suzuki has somthing else going on with the switch a can't see it making a difference as to who manufactures it.

 

[gooroo]

This maybe the reason:

http://wotid.com/tls/content/view/18/56/

This might explain it.

 

[CBR1000DUDE]

Good find!

That's a very interesting acticle about the function of the clutch switch and the ECU. It looks like (after reading all the way to the bottom) you could just wire in a relay (same kind as I used for my cruise control stoplight shut off))to solve the problem, if it affects your bike at all.
Since it appears to affect the ECU's map (starting or running mode), I wonder what effect a Power Commander or FI2000 thrown into the mix would have.
Thanks for keeping us posted. I love this "thinking outside of the box" stuff.

 

[gooroo]

I believe this is the cure - comments requested.

I have a power commander 3 on mine, but they are wired in after the ECU so there will be no affect there. I do believe the fix is to dissonnect the pin running into the ECU from the clutch control switch.

 

[gooroo]

The Plot Thickens

Well...CBR...I found some posts here concerning the issues with bypassing the clutch switch. It comes to find out that Suzuki changed the wiring into the ECU effecting mapping in 2007 that if the splice was made and the switch is bypassed it will affect the mapping and performance of the Bike. The bypass discussed earlier is a work around to this problem.

However, the 2006 M109 is not set up the same way and the removal of this switch from the equation does not affect mapping or performance because it has 0 affect on the ECU. Fortunately I ride a 2006. All this was confirmed through my local Suzuki shop. But, I am still trying to do even more research and confirm my confirmation because I don't always trust the people at my local Suzuki dealer.

It sure would be nice if Suzuki had done the right thing from the start and made it a hydrolic clutch.

 

[CBR1000DUDE]

2006 different?

Well...CBR...I found some posts here concerning the issues with bypassing the clutch switch. It comes to find out that Suzuki changed the wiring into the ECU effecting mapping in 2007 that if the splice was made and the switch is bypassed it will affect the mapping and performance of the Bike. The bypass discussed earlier is a work around to this problem.

However, the 2006 M109 is not set up the same way and the removal of this switch from the equation does not affect mapping or performance because it has 0 affect on the ECU. Fortunately I ride a 2006. All this was confirmed through my local Suzuki shop. But, I am still trying to do even more research and confirm my confirmation because I don't always trust the people at my local Suzuki dealer.

It sure would be nice if Suzuki had done the right thing from the start and made it a hydrolic clutch.

I wonder where they got that tidbit? It sure seems strange that Suzuki did all this FI mapping work for 2006, and then changed it for the next year. It just doesn't sound like the Suzuki I know and love/hate. The other site said it affected all Suzuki FI models. That sounds more like it to me.
So the only way to tell is to put some miles on yours..........have you been able to do that yet? I hate to mess with mine until I know for sure.
As for the hydraulic clutch release, my 1500 had one, so I guess they felt a sportier bike should have a sportier type clutch release with more "feel".
The 1500's was dead feeling and had an off/on feel to it. It engaged almost at the end of lever travel, and wasn't well liked or reviewed.

 

[gooroo]

Still Researching and Searching, Searching

I agree, it does sound suspicious that the mapping would be changed only within a year of the roll-out edition. Maybe Suzuki felt they could gain something in doing so....who knows. But I was reading some local posts concerning adding alarms to the bike and remote starting...bla...bla…bla, which is where it mentioned that the mapping was changed between 2006 and 2007.

I called the local stealer to see if they could shed more light on the subject and they said that there was a mapping change, but couldn't/wouldn't be more specific as to what it was. They didn't believe that bi-passing the clutch start switch would have any other effects other than the safety aspect. Of course, they wouldn't comment on the piss poor design of the clutch perch, which in my HFO is the root of the issue.

I have put about 250 miles following the HD lever mod and have not noted a difference in performance. This was done mostly double up riding and riding the bike in traffic. But yesterday I took the back seat off and took her out on an long empty stretch of road and let her fly. (GOD I LOVE IT) No notable difference in acceleration or high end performance. The bike definitely has more power then I have balls. Speed that high makes my hair turn white fast.

But, for the purposes of investigating this issue to the ennth degree, I have also placed a call into a local shop that has a M109 guru that will definitely know the answer and I am waiting for his response. It does seem strange that the other post concerning the FI Zuki GXR1000 spelled it out so profoundly. With your responses and that post, it put that little voice of doubt in the back of my head….I wish we could find the old post you previously mentioned which indicated the problem. MAYBE ONE OF THE MODS CAN HELP OUT WITH THAT - WITH A BIG THANKS IF THEY CAN.

As for as a Hydraulic Clutch, I don't disagree that they can feel soft or doggish and may not be as exciting for a "sportier" bike like the 9, but with the power and torque delivered from the 9s engine, and the number of folks that are snapping clutch cables, there has got to be something better.

I know, I know….you got keep slack in the line on the 9. Tried it and all the other tricks, got the T-shirt and still broke the cables. But, with as many bikes I have worked on and owned, I can without a doubt, say that they all have there little issues. I still love riding the 9, no cruiser like it and thank God for a great site like this with riders/owners who have so much knowledge and share it.

That is why I try to pick the minds of the members here…if you don't ask the questions you won't get the answers.