Topic: double to single throttle cable?

[edbikerii]

Of course!  Cables should last for 10s of thousands of miles, as they have on all of my other bikes/cars/etc.  That's why I posted this.

All this occurred very soon after I purchased the bike.  The prior cable had been lubed by a previous owner, as there was gummy, black lube residue visible at the lever end of the cable.  On the day I bought the bike, I remember thinking, "damn, this little bike has a really hard clutch pull -- or am I just a wimp?".  I tried lubing the cable (I even bought the stupid little cable lube tool and spray) to make it smoother, but there was no discernable difference.  The cable broke soon thereafter.

Then, as discussed, I replaced it with a Motion Pro cable, and lubed it.  It broke within about a month.

I replaced that cable with an OEM Honda cable, installed it using the same routing (per shop manual), and it has lasted beautifully for nearly fifteen years with no lube.  Granted, she resides indoors now, and doesn't get ridden daily in such adverse conditions anymore.

I blame the premature failure of the Motion Pro cable on the lube, which was advertised as being for chains and cables.  I don't remember the lube type or brand offhand.  I used to live in New York City at the time, so the bike used to reside outdoors, so was subject to snow, rain, extremes of heat and cold (6F to 100F), dust, emissions, etc.  I believe that the lube gummed up badly, and the cold made the lube even less viscous.

When I installed the OEM Honda cable (dry), I remember being really impressed with how easy the clutch pull became.  It was like night and day.  It still is, nearly 15 years later.

Again, this is just my opinion (based on my direct observation), but I believe that the lube attracts dirt and gums up, shortening the life of the cables.  I've also read (here on these forums and elsewhere, including BMW forums) that OEM Honda cables have Teflon linings and require no lube.  They should last quite a long time, but when they are done, they are done.  I've read (hearsay?) that some lubes may, in fact, cause the Teflon linings to separate and fail, causing premature failure.

Your mileage may vary.

Ed

"It didn't even last a month before gumming up and snapping, leaving me stranded for the second time."
What happened the first time???

It must be binding or rubbing some place, the cables should last for 10s of thousands of miles with or without lube.

Check cable routing
Check alignment of cable guides and rotating mechanisms.
Make sure noting can pinch cable, like the tank or triple tree.

[mystic_1]

Where did the cables break?

mystic_1

[edbikerii]

both right near the lollipop end in the lever.

Where did the cables break?

mystic_1

[TwoTired]

That "lollipop" is supposed to turn freely in the clutch lever socket in order to keep the cable itself from experiencing sharp bending.  A bit of lube on that, or careful fitment/shaping to ensured its rotation capability, can save some cables from breakage.
 Bend a wire often enough and it will fatigue and break.

FYI

[Markcb750]

Of course!  Cables should last for 10s of thousands of miles, as they have on all of my other bikes/cars/etc.  That's why I posted this.

All this occurred very soon after I purchased the bike.  The prior cable had been lubed by a previous owner, as there was gummy, black lube residue visible at the lever end of the cable.  On the day I bought the bike, I remember thinking, "damn, this little bike has a really hard clutch pull -- or am I just a wimp?".  I tried lubing the cable (I even bought the stupid little cable lube tool and spray) to make it smoother, but there was no discernable difference.  The cable broke soon thereafter.

Then, as discussed, I replaced it with a Motion Pro cable, and lubed it.  It broke within about a month.

I replaced that cable with an OEM Honda cable, installed it using the same routing (per shop manual), and it has lasted beautifully for nearly fifteen years with no lube.  Granted, she resides indoors now, and doesn't get ridden daily in such adverse conditions anymore.

I blame the premature failure of the Motion Pro cable on the lube, which was advertised as being for chains and cables.  I don't remember the lube type or brand offhand.  I used to live in New York City at the time, so the bike used to reside outdoors, so was subject to snow, rain, extremes of heat and cold (6F to 100F), dust, emissions, etc.  I believe that the lube gummed up badly, and the cold made the lube even less viscous.

When I installed the OEM Honda cable (dry), I remember being really impressed with how easy the clutch pull became.  It was like night and day.  It still is, nearly 15 years later.

Again, this is just my opinion (based on my direct observation), but I believe that the lube attracts dirt and gums up, shortening the life of the cables.  I've also read (here on these forums and elsewhere, including BMW forums) that OEM Honda cables have Teflon linings and require no lube.  They should last quite a long time, but when they are done, they are done.  I've read (hearsay?) that some lubes may, in fact, cause the Teflon linings to separate and fail, causing premature failure.

Your mileage may vary.

Ed

"It didn't even last a month before gumming up and snapping, leaving me stranded for the second time."
What happened the first time???

It must be binding or rubbing some place, the cables should last for 10s of thousands of miles with or without lube.

Check cable routing
Check alignment of cable guides and rotating mechanisms.
Make sure noting can pinch cable, like the tank or triple tree.

If it failed that quickly you have something misaligned or binding.  MotionPro cables are fine, I have been running over a year., 5000 mi.

[Inigo Montoya]

I am doing an old honda cable for clutch but motion pro for throttle and it is so nice.

[dave500]

im running both cables,ive have the pull cables locknut come loose and cause a non full returning throttle on a twisty road just cruising and it takes you by surprise,i fixed it on the road side ok,if the spring broke in traffic with a handfull of throttle with no b cable the room for error is much less ,i wonder what regulations at race tracks pertain to these bikes or carby type are?

[edbikerii]

Yes, that makes sense.  I just assumed the excessive force required to overcome the friction caused mine to break, though.  Certainly could have been a combination the force plus work hardening at the lollipop, of course.

That "lollipop" is supposed to turn freely in the clutch lever socket in order to keep the cable itself from experiencing sharp bending.  A bit of lube on that, or careful fitment/shaping to ensured its rotation capability, can save some cables from breakage.
 Bend a wire often enough and it will fatigue and break.

FYI

[Deltarider]

Tip: when adjusting the clutch cable at the handlebar, make sure the slot in the fixing nut (near the adjuster) faces back- or downwards, so water and dirt can't enter here.

[edbikerii]

Hey, I found the old thread about dri-slide and cables:

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=27530.msg280981#msg280981