Clutch lever oil

What oil to use on clutch lever pin and lever/cable end, three in one or a little engine oil? R100RS

I'm not sure I've done my "oiling" of that. I do know that I try and put some silicone lubricant on the hand lever end to ensure that there is rotation at that end and the cable is not bent each application. BTDT when my cable failed at the hand lever while on the road. As for the transmission end, I'd probably think about more or less the same lubricant used on the transmission input splines...a tacky grease with some moly wheel bearing grease mixed in.

Lube

I have never lubed them on either my 78RS or my 84RT. St.

Grease (not oil) the barrel where it is supposed to pivot smoothly in the lever to avoid bending the cable. And while you are at it you might as well grease the pivot too.

PGlaves said:

Grease (not oil) the barrel where it is supposed to pivot smoothly in the lever to avoid bending the cable. And while you are at it you might as well grease the pivot too.

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+1 Grease. Make sure cable is pivoting not hinging...

And the owners manual states oil...grease certainly makes more sense.

Motodan said:

And the owners manual states oil...grease certainly make more sense.

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Owners, and BMW have learned a lot of things since an owners manual was written for an R100.

White lithium grease seems to work well at those pivots.
I think it is more resistant to getting washed off.

grease

When I bought my first airhead back a long time ago, I greased the barrel of the clutch lever a couple of times only to find out the grease washed off or attracted grit from the road. I should have written I have never greased since then, instead of never greasing.

I have 37 years and 248K miles on my bike still running and using the stock lever. I understand the point of greasing things but sometimes, as I found it can be counter productive in some cases.

Take it or leave it, that is my experience, Cheers, St.

STEVENRANKIN said:

When I bought my first airhead back a long time ago, I greased the barrel of the clutch lever a couple of times only to find out the grease washed off or attracted grit from the road. I should have written I have never greased since then, instead of never greasing.

I have 37 years and 248K miles on my bike still running and using the stock lever. I understand the point of greasing things but sometimes, as I found it can be counter productive in some cases.

Take it or leave it, that is my experience, Cheers, St.

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This is more about cable end than the lever. You still on same cable?

Picture

So I am again going goofy with reading or the picture posted of the clutch lever just showed up. I am wrong in assuming you all were talking about the transmission end of the cable, the "clutch lever". But you were apparently talking about the "clutch lever". Brain fade on my part.

I DO grease the hand clutch lever pivot points with a good water resistant grease. I DO NOT grease the transmission clutch lever at all. I have during times of service, removed the lever on the transmission and regressed the sleeve in my RT. On my RS, there is a grease fitting and I grease it from time to time. But the end of the cable gets no grease. I am still running with the original hand clutch lever and the original transmission clutch lever.

I have never had a pivot point wear out on a clutch lever. Cable replacement has always been due to either internal cable wear or stretch or breaks. Rubbing wear on the ends has never been a problem.

Does that confuse things more? St.

If the pivot is seized and doesn't allow the cable to move freely through the arc of the lever movement, eventually the cable will break at that point
Woodgrain