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Snapped throttle cable?

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by fatabebabe, Nov 14, 2011.

  1. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Invest in one of these: (A cable luber.) Less than $20.

    [​IMG]


    Available at most "dirt bike" shops (most contemporary street bike riders don't do their own work anymore apparently.)

    It clamps onto the cable sheath, and you insert the "straw" from your favorite spray lube in the little hole in the side, and spray until lube starts to spit out into the rag you have wrapped around the other end of the cable. It allows you to force lube through the cable without making a big mess or removing the cable.

    I do all of my control cables (throttle, "choke" and clutch) every spring.

    Personally, I prefer this: http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Tri-Fl ... icant.html but you can use any good quality LUBRICANT or "cable lube" from the same bike shop.

    DO NOT USE WD40!!!! It will gum up under heat, and can cause a stuck throttle. This happened to me and I almost wrecked my Norton.
     
  2. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Fatabe.........when you get the new cable, it will be a complete cable and housing, not just a bare cable. You'll have to disconnect the other end of the cable inside the right-hand control where it hooks into the right-hand throttle tube. Once that is disconnected, you'll pull the whole thing right out of the control clamshell after you remove the little fork or wishbone that holds the cable sheath lip in place.

    When you have that out and the rest of it is pulled out of the bike, throw it away and install the new one. Re-assemble everything and go for a ride.

    Dave Fox
     
  3. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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  4. fatabebabe

    fatabebabe New Member

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    fellas, thanks for the help so far. got the new cable from ebay and it was NEW....got some triflow lube and a luber thanks to fitz. sadly i dropped the can while using it and broke the top off. my luck. anyway one last question. i have the cable lube and put on using all the techniques you guys suggested, and the throttle will turn and snap back like its supposed to, but now there is a little extra "slack" in the wire. so the handle jiggles instead of being firm. what did i do wrong and how do i fix it. thanks
     
  5. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Nothing is wrong. Adjustment required.

    On the cable at the top is a curved metal piece (or should be anyway.)

    Where that piece meets the cable is a locknut and a threaded sleeve; this is used to adjust the slack out of the cable. Loosen the locknut, turn the adjusting sleeve "out" (not too far) to remove the excess slack and then while holding the hex on the adjusting part, tighten the locknut. A pair of miniature adjustable wrenches (about $3 ea. at Home Depot) comes in very handy for this and many other cable adjusting and tightening tasks.

    This assumes the new cable exactly matched the old one and has the aforementioned adjuster.

    If you don't have a service manual, you might want to at least jump on eBay and track down an owners manual for your bike. Don't spend more than $15~$20. The guys asking $50~$75 are on crack. I paid $5 for a brand new one.
     
  6. fatabebabe

    fatabebabe New Member

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    Fitz, i adjusted the sleeve until it was nearly disconnected, however the throttle is still loose. any suggestions or am i just gonna have to live with it?
     
  7. MercuryMan

    MercuryMan Active Member

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    How much slack do you have?

    And no you don't have to live with it. That cable can be modified if required, but unless it's not the right cable or your bike has been modified-you should be able to take out the slack. Do you still have the old cable so you can lay them side by side and compare them? Even though the old cable itself is broke you should be able to tell if they are compatible.

    Oh and seriously I would consider changing your signature line about sucking - you don't want a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. How about the first part and "student who's learning the trade of..."

    That's a funny line bigfitz about the price gougers! I think they are trying to get some money to buy their crack!
     
  8. fatabebabe

    fatabebabe New Member

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    prolly a little more than a quarter of an inch. i ordered it off of ebay and it seems to be the same length but the j shaped part is shorter. ill take a look at the old cable tomorrow and compare and let you know.
     
  9. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Run both adjusters in all the way, and lay the cables side by side. Unfortunately, the truly important dimension (cable inner-to-cable sheath ratio) will be impossible to compare since the old cable broke.

    If there's any signifcant difference in the two, it's probably just the wrong cable. eBay is NOT a good reliable source of spare parts if you don't know exactly what you're looking at. eBay sellers commonly mis-list or claim parts from one bike will fit another when they simply won't.

    Chacal (XJ4Ever) can supply the correct cable for you.
     
  10. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    If it's just a fraction of an inch, ...
    Loosen the Fasteners securing the Handlebar Control.
    Run the Cable-length Adjuster to give you a few turns to add some slack.
    Move the whole Handlebar Control until the excess slack is removed.
    Give it a teeny-tiny bit of slack.
    Tighten it up.
     
  11. 44Dave

    44Dave Member

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    Awesome instructions. Surprisingly my shop book didn't mention any of the handle bar items whatsoever.
    Check one chore off the list; a hundred more to go :/
     

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