I put lower bars on my CB350F, but I only had the stock clutch cable. The bend was too large, and it eventually snapped while on a ride. I got home, and found the barrel that fits into the lever was the culprit. I looked around for shorter cables, but they were hard to find, so I decided to make one myself. I didn't take pics, but if you guys really want them I could provide.
Tools needed:
1) cable housing cutter
2) snips
3) drill with 7/64" drill bit (measure your cable diameter to make sure you have the correct drill bit)
4) soldering iron, flux, and silver solder
5) ruler
6) new cable cap (or just re-use the old one)
1) take clutch cable off bike and measure how far the cable sticks out of the cable housing when the other end is pulled up to the cable - this is the "free length" of the cable.
2) determine new cable housing length by attaching the cable to the clutch, and routing the other end up to the clutch lever to find a good length (make sure to move the handlebars to ensure there is sufficient length to keep from binding)
3) pull cable out of the way, and trim the cable housing using a cable housing cutter (I used one for a bicycle)
4) push cable back through cable housing, and ensure there is no binding at the newly cut location, clean with snips/files if there is.
5) put new cable end cap onto cable end (I just re-used the old one)
6) cut free length of cable to length that you measured from the stock cable plus 1/4" and clean any grease off the cable by washing it (I heated the cable until the oils burnt off, then I cleaned it with dish soap)
7) drill a hole just large enough (I used a7/64th drill bit) to pass the cable through a hollow copper tube (I actually used a threaded aluminum rivet with a 1/4" OD)
8 ) push cable through the holes in the copper tube with 1/4" of cable sticking out the other side
9) spread the threads of the cable inside the copper tube so they splay out, then fill the center of the tube with silver solder
10) trim off the end of cable sticking out the other side of the copper tube and put on your new clutch cable
I have used my cable for about 1000 miles of highway and city driving. It has not failed me yet.
Camelman
