Topic: Carburetor cable question! Can you make it a single cable pull?

[Dr. Honda]

Hi All,

Do any of y'all have experience or know anything about making a cb500 with a push/pull trottle cable into a single cable pull.

I am going to use a different throttle body with a single cable and wanted to get any advice i could, figured i'd get all of y'alls brains working on it.  I figured altering the carbs with a different return spring situation would work, but i dont want to get stuck with an open trottle, that could end up bad quick.

Let me know!

[TwoTired]

Some have run a single cable.  No one has admitted it killed them.  There are also people that eat glass, swallow swords, jump off roofs, too.

The pull closed cable can save your butt if the single return spring breaks/fails.

Cheers,

[Hondell]

I have a single pull on my nitrous 836. I also have a kill switch.

[bollingball]

If you don't want to get stuck then leave it alone. Taking away one cable would just add more reaction time to a bad situation. I'm over 60 and need all the extra time I can get.

[SOHC Digger]

Other than the safety-back-up aspect, going to a single cable should not have any effect.  I've run a single cable on my CB750 for a few years now with no performance problems.  Make sure you do have a kill switch though.

[Duanob]

I have a single pull on my nitrous 836. I also have a kill switch.

Yes but, Canadians have universal healthcare!

[jacquesleclochard]

Let me know!

Go for it. I did the same conversion. No regrets on my part. It's nothing noticable you'll miss in everyday and every other day driving.

[mrbreeze]

I have a single pull on my nitrous 836. I also have a kill switch.

This is how I roll also. The kill switch is a must have though. I have Yami 650 twin controls and there is no push cable. I guess it could happen but I can't see that return spring breaking.

[Deltarider]

I guess it could happen but I can't see that return spring breaking.

Neither can I. Mine didn't in 30 years.
Funny thing is: the only time throttle didn't return, it had both cables on. In fact I just came from the dealer where the bike had been serviced. Can't recall what was wrong then. Anyway, made me decide to service the bike myself from then on.

[nilsey]

I guess it could happen but I can't see that return spring breaking.

this sounds a lot like "famous last words."

[vames]

Does anybody have a story of a spring breaking and the push cable saving their life?

[BobbyR]

Does anybody have a story of a spring breaking and the push cable saving their life?

No you will probably not find one since you will never know. In my case when I go to grab some brake the palm of my hand pushes the carbs closed automatically. Since my K8 has fast idle on choke, I can close them down to under 1000 from 3000 to kick her into gear. I find it gives me more fine motor control on twisties since the response is immediate. 

[mrbreeze]

I guess it could happen but I can't see that return spring breaking.

this sounds a lot like "famous last words."

;DYeah.......like "Trust me...I do this all the time!!!"

[TwoTired]

I guess it could happen but I can't see that return spring breaking.

Take a piece of wire and bend it back and forth.  It will eventually break at the bend.
Guess what a wire spring is?

Have you never seen a broken spring of any kind?

I didn't know what the service life of that spring is.  I'm sure it is not forever.  And they all have had 30 years of bending...so far.

Apparently no one has lived to tell the story of a broken throttle spring. 

Lastly if you jump off a cliff, you can say that there is no problem 50ft into the fall.  So jumping is no problem, right?   

Cheers,

[mrbreeze]

 

[Steve_K]

When I got my Mikuni flat slides, they mentioned that under some conditions the engine vacuum can hold the slides open.  They said you should use push pull cables.  I set mine up with a single pull cable to insure I got the routing correct.  I then added the push cable and adjusted so I could not tell that it was there. (engine off) I have noticed that backing off the gas (86 GSXR 750), I can feel the extra drag and it does slow down the closing of the throttle.
Not the same as your setup, but you know you can make your own choice.
Steve

[BobbyR]

I guess it could happen but I can't see that return spring breaking.

Take a piece of wire and bend it back and forth.  It will eventually break at the bend.
Guess what a wire spring is?

Have you never seen a broken spring of any kind?

I didn't know what the service life of that spring is.  I'm sure it is not forever.  And they all have had 30 years of bending...so far.

Apparently no one has lived to tell the story of a broken throttle spring. 

Lastly if you jump off a cliff, you can say that there is no problem 50ft into the fall.  So jumping is no problem, right?   

Cheers,

+1  except the fall is not the problem, when the fall ends you have the problem. 

Everyone counts on that kill switch, you would think people rest their finger on it.

[Steve F]

+5
Aside from our old Hondas, what other bikes, old AND/OR new use a push cable?
I've been without a pull cable for several years now, and YES I admit it.  No problems, and don't expect any either.
This thread reminds me of the "how many SOHCers does it take to change a light bulb" thread.

[TwoTired]

Aside from our old Hondas, what other bikes, old AND/OR new use a push cable?

You have to take the designs on a case by case basis.  Many other bikes have return spring redundancy, ie more than just one.
The SOHC4 design does not (apart from the very early K0's which have four return springs and a single cable).

(Reminds me of the kids that believe they are invisible when they cover their own eyes.)

Cheers,

[MattFreeman]

Replace the spring from time to time?

[Dr. Honda]

Thanks guys, that was a lot of responses, i thought i'd get a couple only!

thanks, again

Have a look at my bike build in the project forum. 

[754]

  For those of you that shudder at the thought or running with out the return cable...

 Guess that leaves more vintage bikes for the rest of us..

Like my Whizzer, with no return sping on the throttle, it stays where you put it, AND its thumb operated..

 And all the 65 and earlier H-D(actually even newer than 65) and Indians (not to mention all the others.)..with wire cable throttles..

 Some folks just are not cut out to have that kinda fun..

[scottly]

Millions of cars on the road rely on a single return spring on the throttles. Granted, racing sanctioning bodies sometimes require dual (redundant) springs, so that if one fails, the other is still strong enough to close the throttle. Not a bad idea to have a simple backup!

[TwoTired]

Millions of cars on the road rely on a single return spring on the throttles.

They also mostly have butterfly style throttle control rather than slide type throttle control.
There are also various fuel injection styles which aren't directly comparable to the slide style carbs either.  Same goes for CV style carbs.

And, if you recall, there was a recent spate of accidents/controversy about sticking throttles on cars, too.  So clearly, sticking throttles DO happen.

Granted, racing sanctioning bodies sometimes require dual (redundant) springs, so that if one fails, the other is still strong enough to close the throttle. Not a bad idea to have a simple backup!

I can agree with that.

Why assume extra risk if it is unnecessary?

Have all of you single cable/single spring advocates avoided reading the many threads asking how to un-stick carb throttle slides?
Nobody thinks solidly stuck slides can't begin with intermittently sticking/dragging slides?

Is myopia THAT prevalent?

[Deltarider]

Is myopia THAT prevalent?

Sorry, but I could only read THAT... now where are my glasses?