How Long does a Clutch Cable Last?

[RedShift]

I would like to share a question that cmit37 asked in the Sprocket Cover Cleanout & Clutch Adjustment thread over in the FAQ Forum:

Does anyone know when it is time to change the clutch cable(other than when it snaps)?  I would rather change it when its time than wait to be stranded somewhere.

Anybody have theirs snap?  What did the odometer have when it did?  Did you ever lubricate or in other ways care for it? 

Inquiring minds want to know...

PS. I've got 9,780 miles on my clutch cable with the occassional graphite lubricant treatment (two, spaced 4000 miles apart), and it hasn't done more than stretch about 0.25" (less than a centimeter).

[RVertigo]

I have 15,000 or so on a clutch cable that I KNOW has NEVER been maintained.

[scratch]

I got over 29,000 miles on mine with only the occational (yearly) lubing with some graphite stuff. Be sure to lube the barrel end connectors.

[ninja_steve]

i've had a cable snap on my xr70, mostly because there was too much tension on it and it started to fray.  as long as you keep it well adjusted and lube it properly, i assume it could easily last the lifetime as your motorcycle 

[john]

Usually they last decades unless a lot of water or corrosion gets into the wire. 

[dmanben]

My cable snapped at just under 15,000.  But that's after a year of abuse with no lever cover(lost it after replacing the handlebars).

[Cal Price]

I usually squirt some WD40 into the cable when cleaning, 9000 miles on this one, never known a problem. My other bike the Yamaha had the speedo cable go, this is a fairly common result of water ingression and subsequent corrosion right at the bottom of the cable.

[budget speed demon]

I've broken a clutch cable while riding on my old 1975 cb400f. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was the original cable. You can tell when they're going to break because they start getting harder and harder to pull in. once you feel that the cable is noticeably harder to pull all the way in, change it. You DON'T want it to break while you're riding. When mine broke I had my gf on the back and was going up a small hill. Pulled in the clutch to shift from first to second and bam, the lever lost all tension. Luckily I was already shifting as it broke and instead of going all the way into second gear it just went into neural. But imagine if it broke when coming to a stop for a red light. The bike would jump forward into traffic before you had a chance to hit the kill switch and brake. This would really suck.
I've also broken a speedo cable on my GS. I think it had something to do with coming down a little hard off of a wheelie and the fact that it was kinda old. Riding in the rail a lot probably doesn't help either.

[The Buddha]

I basically went through 3 cables with the 48K bike, if I remember. The virago recently lost 2 cables in a 2 month window. Why ... Not a clue ... Maybe the second cable was a sloppy one. It was a home made one. The one that replaced it was made better I think. So I lost the one that came with the bike (god knows what its situation was ... and one that possibly was badly made in 2 months)
Cool.
Srinath.