1983 R100 clutch cable

[chrishea]

No, you don’t need to file the hex edges, only if there are burrs or it doesn’t rotate freely in the barrel.

[drpetemurray]

Late reply on this.

BMW changed cable suppliers in the early 2000s. The new vendor introduced the hexagonal die. This has been written in other forums in the past, some of those were slightly oversized or had a burr and did not rotate freely in the “barrel”. That binding caused premature breakage of those clutch cables. So inspect those newer style hexagonal crimps for any burrs and make sure they rotate freely in the barrel part. Lightly lubricate the components with your favorite light grease and clean and relube on occasion, depending on your riding style.

+1
I will add the cable must rotate/move freely in the lever. I would recommend light filing of the pointy edges, try to create a round end of the cable.
Snowbum does discuss this issue with the new cables for /5 /6 bikes.

[SDCR]

Kurt, Chris, Pete,

Thanks, I plan to do it this weekend.
Especially like the the pics with red arrows. Like they say, one picture is worth…

Btw, white lithium is the grease that I usually lubricate the pivot points, like the barrel,etc.

John

[SDCR]

One additional question…. I have a new cable, #32732324958. It is a Low bar cable.
Can you confirm from these pics, if my R100 has the low bars? These have a slight, 1.5” upward bend.

Pics…

[schrader7032]

Well your bars are not like the high bars I have on my /7!! So they're definitely in the low category. To be sure your new cables will work, you can try and lay it out along the cable run on the bike to get a sense of the length. Certainly, when you remove the original cable, you can compare side by side.

[SDCR]

Thanks Kurt. After I posted, I realized that just matching it, along side my old cable is probably the best way to proceed.
Thanks.