Clutch Cable Issues for 1980 KZ1000 Shaft

My clutch cable broke on my KZ1000 the other day at the handle. It frayed and luckily didn't snap completely while I was driving. I ordered a replacement cable on ebay, installed it, and realized the clutch was EXTREMELY hard to pull in. Even weirder, pulling it in all the way BARELY engaged the clutch. So while my friend and I were testing it and trying to adjust it to make it engage properly, it broke at the bottom... just snapped! I got a refund from the ebay dealer, but I have a few questions.





Do I need to adjust something before I try and install another one?
Where should I buy a quality cable?
Does everything look okay in that picture (turned 90 degrees for some reason)? Besides the broken cable of course.

Thanks!

*note, by motorcycle is a custom cafe racer, so the cable length might be a factor to consider, but we got this one installed just fine before we were testing it and it broke.

Other than the total length, is the replacement cable the same as the old one? slack, mid-adjuster, that sort of thing. maybe there isn't enough slack in the new cable --- the clutch lever is pulled in but it gets hard to pull before the clutch release engages the pushrod. I would compare the new cable to the old one to see if the amount of slack & stuff is the same. Of course, make sure it was installed correctly. a cotter pin helps the end stay in place. Is there a clutch release spring that keeps the cable seated?