Dave Ett wrote:You think?

I'd have thought it would just stretch the cable. There's no friction going on if you have the clutch properly adjusted...

You will normally get a minute stretch in a new cable after which it won't get any worse.

You can get a small amount of disc flutter even when the cable is pulled in, which causes heat build up due to friction.
It is also in an unnatural state with the clutch springs coil bound and the lifter bearing under load. The end of the clutch lifter rod can also get hammering off the ball bearing.

Next time you watch a Moto GP see how long the riders are sat on the start line with the clutch pulled in.
It won't be for more than about 5-10 seconds max.

If the clutch is all ok and the gearchange is set ok as suggested by "lossa" then another cause could be a worn selector fork.

Hope you managed to get it sorted "dark8"