Lubing the cables

Wow, lot's of replies today!  Thanks for all the info, folks.

Regarding the Motion Pro cables... apparently their lifetime is hit-or-miss then?  Because I actually made my purchase of that brand based on two posts I found here where folks were saying they've been using that cable for years.  I considered getting one of the NOS cables listed on ebay but when I zoomed in on the pics it seemed like most of them had rust on the cable... not really how I want to start out!  Guess I'll keep watching for a better looking one and grab it to have handy.

Motor oil down the cable?  Hmmm I would have thought a lightweight grease would be better, but ok, I'll give that a shot.  And yeah I've seen those cable lubing tools, they are all over ebay when you search for clutch cables.  As for the baggie method, we have tons of small rubber bands around here from getting aquarium fish, they'll be perfect for doing this.

I mentioned I never had a cable break on my old Yamaha, and I'm still surprised that lubing the cables is a thing... but it occurs to me that I've also been riding my KZ a LOT more.  I had the Yamaha from 1990 to 2011 and only put about 10,000 miles on it.  In the last two months since I got my KZ running I've already put 1600 miles on it, and that includes the daily drive to work in some pretty bad stop&go traffic, so yeah that clutch is getting a real workout.  I'll be sure to give the new cable a proper prep before it goes on the bike.  USPS says it should arrive Monday, so maybe I can be back on the road again Tuesday morning.

Breaking clutch cables often occurs at the barrel end that fits into the hand lever; lube is needed there so the barrel will rotate freely.  I'd use grease in that application but anything is better than nothing.

Shdwdrgn wrote: ..............
Motor oil down the cable?  Hmmm I would have thought a lightweight grease would be better, but ok, I'll give that a shot............

Do you own a Kawasaki Service Manual?  If not, you really should buy one, otherwise you are operating with a blindfold on.  The manual describes pretty much everything one will ever need to know about the bike including specs, repairs, and maintenance.  In it you will see how to lube the cables and everything else.  Be sure to get one that covers your bike's exact model.   Until you buy one you can always use the electronic version right here at KZRider, just see the link below.  Take a look at "GENERAL LUBRICATION" beginning on page 2-25.  Ed

www.kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/K...Service%20Manual.pdf

I don't know which Yamaha 650 you had, but the manual for the XJ600 very clearly says to lubricate the cables and cable ends every six months or 6,000 kilometers (4,000 miles).
archive.org/details/printermanual-yamaha-xj-600-s

XS650 manual says to lube them every 2,000 miles!

www.xs650chopper.com/wp-content/x/xs650-...xs650chopper-1.3.pdf

The Kawasaki Owner's Manuals say to perform General Lubrication (including cables) every 3,000 miles.  Ed

Yup, it's a thing.

Cable brand. OEM is probably preferable, but I installed a MotionPro clutch cable several years ago with no problems. The Kawasaki mid-cable barrel adjuster is more robust than the MP, but the mp barrel assy is the same length & I'm sure the it's plenty strong enough. I've never heard of a barrel failure.

Barnett is another option, assuming you can't find a suitable oem.


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I like the Dupont teflon lube because it's inexpensive, clean, and lasts a long time, And also serves as a fine chain lube with minimal sling-off.
I also use it on my chainsaw chain, and many other places where spray lube is useful.

If the cable is full of gunge, any spray could be used initially, such as carb cleaner, WD40, Liquid Wrench, etc., to help remove a lot of the gunge before re-spraying with your lube of choice.

Good Fortune!

Patton, I see that you like the Teflon Multi-Use, but I was wondering if you know whether or not Dupont now recommends the product for the drive chain? In a WebBikeWorld article from 5 or 6 yrs ago, Dupont no longer recommended the teflon multi-use when they changed the formula & said to use teflon chain-saver on the drive chain instead. Then I saw another wbw chain lube article comparing the multi-use to the chain-saver which was thicker. I use Liquid wrench chain/cable lube which is pretty cheap but have been thinking of switching to a Dupont product to reduce or eliminate chain sling. Thanks.

My cable luber. clear tubing shoved together & into the yellow funnel & fitted onto the cable, then hung from the eaves w coat hangers w some masking tape to make sure it stays together. the funnel helps to redirect any excess back into the cable. kind of red-necky, but it works.

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Hmm for some reason I'm not getting any more notifications for this thread (yes I'm still checked to be notified)...  Anyway...

So the new cable came in yesterday but we had thunderstorms all evening.  Went to put it on today, and yikes.  First thing I notice is this new cable is 3 inches shorter.  Well it does seem to just fit, so let's give it a shot.  Next thing I notice is that even with both adjusters out all the way, there's still 1/2 inch of free play in the cable!  Well crap this isn't even close.

Was able to find a part number stamped into the original cable though.  11-4005.  Hmm that's from a police bike.  WTF?  And yet it was a perfect fit.  Check ebay, oh yeah plenty of options for THAT cable number, so I have a NOS cable on its way, guaranteed delivery by Saturday (but will probably be here Thurs-Fri depending on how soon they get it to the post office).  Ah well, lots of rain predicted through Sunday so I probably wouldn't be riding this week anyway.

Back to lubing... The barrel end is where both of the cable have broken, so yeah some good grease in that area will definitely be happening, and I'll be doing the same on the throttle.

Service manuals?  Best I have is a Clymer.  Never had one for the Yamaha.  READ the manual?  What do I look like, some kind of computer geek?  Oh wait...  OK fine, I'll at least try to read through the service section.  But no, the Yamaha cables were never once lubed in 20 years.  To make matters worse, I could never even find the oil filter on that thing.  Yes that bike was horribly abused.  That was one of the reasons why I specifically wanted to do a full tear-down and rebuild of the next bike, so there was never any question as to where everything was at.  At least with this bike I know I can tear into every section and put it back together again.  And speaking of service, as I was putting the clutch cover back on I happened to notice that the chain was really loose.  It's only been about a thousand miles since I last checked it, and it was just about right at that time.  Ah well, easy fix, but I pulled the axle back nearly a full mark before the chain had the right amount of play in it again (it was a new chain so I expected some stretching, I just thought it would happen earlier than it did).  And I need to pick up some chain oil.  I'll get this all figured out eventually...

Nothing is easy on an old motorcycle. doh. I looked up the 11-4005 part number on EB but didn't see anything.
When I changed my handlebars the second time, I measured fairly carefully to figure out what cables would work. The 1st new clutch cable ended up being too long. It was the correct length that I ordered, but it just didn't fit right, so I got a 2nd clutch cable. doh. And one of the throttle cables didn't have enough slack. doh again. I still haven't change those 2 cables.

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