KZ400 Clutch Cable Routing + Clutch Lever Actuation "stutter"

BIKE: 1977 KZ400D
Current Clutch Cable: MotionPro 03-0005

I have come across a few other threads about this (routing not the stutter), but they were either for other bikes or the photos were incomplete or no longer active.

My cable just doesn't seem to move as freely as it should. It can often "stutter" when pulling on it (like a creaky old door hinge in operation haha). (old cable I just replaced did a similar thing although more noticeable, it was the same length as the new one). Not enough to keep it from working, as it works fine when riding, it just doesn't "feel" as smooth as I think it maybe should feel. I am wondering if the cable routing has something to do with it, but I don't have any decent pictures to ensure I have the routing correct. (I also believe the handlebars that are currently on it are lower that the stock ones which may also be adding extra slack, which leads to more/tighter bends, which may be contributing as well).

So if anyone has any pictures showing the routing on the top half, it would be greatly appreciated. Or any advice on other things to investigate.

Cable was lubed prior to install, all parts seem to move freely. The clutch works fine, it just doesnt seem to move as freely in operation as i think it should. I finally got around to getting my full endorsement this past week, and the cable clutch on the suzuki I used felt much smoother in operation. Maybe its just a KZ400 thing, I have a peddle road bike where the brakes feel similar with the stutter, so maybe I am over analyzing the issue, it just seems like maybe something isn't quite right. The new cable did make the situation a smidge better, again I could just be over analyzing.

I also have a message into MotionPro about getting a shorter cable. I have new set of handlebars coming in, I will likely test fit the current lever on those and try operating the clutch with the cable nearly fully straight to see if the feeling persists to rule out bends as a possible source of issue. Sorry for the long ramble, half asking questions, half thinking out loud haha

Just a quick update, no change as of yet. Weather has been a little crummy around here so not much time to work on stuff.

My plan of attack:

Pull the cluch adjustment cover, verify the little ball-bearings are greased up, then readjust the freeplay at the clutch cover adjuster.

Just wanted to keep this thread updated incase someone else runs into the same problems.

GetSlideways wrote: Just a quick update, no change as of yet. Weather has been a little crummy around here so not much time to work on stuff.

My plan of attack:

Pull the cluch adjustment cover, verify the little ball-bearings are greased up, then readjust the freeplay at the clutch cover adjuster.

Good plan.

New Update:

Rode the bike over to my dads house, and he started poking around with it.

Thats when he discovered that the pivot point on the sprocket cover (the one with the helical spline) seemed really dry. There are two screws that hold this part of the unit and the inside of the front sprocket cover together. One of the screws was really stuck. Since I was at my father's house, and 20 miles from my own, I didn't want to risk snapping it there, and then having to walk home haha. So instead we worked the grease into the helical splines on site as best we could without removing the assembly from the case housing. I did that by running the pivot point up and down and packing grease into the exposed areas. This made a HUGE improvement.

So it seems the "stutter" I was feeling may have been friction of these parts rubbing against one another. Based on other videos I have seen, it looks like there is a ball bearing type setup within that assembly, so that may likely be in need of some attention as well. Once i get some spare time, I will try to fully remove the pivot assembly and re-grease the entire thing thoroughly. When I do, I will try to snap some pictures of what part I am talking about in-case someone else runs into the same issue or is unclear about what I am talking about. However, already the clutch lever is smoother and more linear in its movements.

In the mean time, I hope this information may prove useful to someone down the line.

I would still be curious to learn about the proper routing path for the clutch cable though, as I have a lot of excess on the stock length unit.

Clutch cable routing. Does your bike have the stock handlebars or are they lower & narrower?
When I changed bars, the stock oem clutch cable was too long, so I got a shorter one.




....

I am not 100% sure how far the bars I have now deviate from stock, as I dont have another one to compare to, and looking up kz400 pics often returns a lot of different results. They do not look as high as the bars I see on a lot of original looking LTDs but they are not clip ons or drag bars or anything like that. I would guess they are likely close to stock if not a smidge narrower or shorter.

I know this isnt a great pic, but these look similar in shape and rise to whats on mine now:



What did you do for the shorter cable? A custom unit or is there something else out there that is more readily available in a shorter length? Thank you, very much