Snapped my throttle cable...

[ChrisK]

Happened a block from my house on the way home from a friend's house that was 12 miles away, so I got pretty lucky.

Anyway, the round end pulled off of the cable up at the throttle tube. Has anyone repaired a cable using the method with drilling a hole in a piece of wood and melting flux paste and lead solder together? I'm kind of intrigued and thinking about trying it tonight.

Anyone else know of a good way to repair a throttle cable?

[ducpainter]

You might be able to find a barrel here... http://www.motorcyclemall.com/WPS-THROTTLE-CABLE-FITTINGS-detail.htm?productId=9841961#/0

They don't list the sizes, but maybe a phone call would get you the info.

[ChrisK]

I still had the old end piece, it stayed in the throttle tube housing when it snapped. So what I did was use the drill press to drill out the old bit of cable that was still stuck in the end piece.

Then I inserted the broken cable end back into the fresh hole on the end piece and cleaned both with carb cleaner. Then brush on some flux paste, making sure you get the paste in between strands of the wire end as well as inside the hole of the end piece. Then heat it up slowly from a distance with a blow torch, and once hot enough apply 50/50 solder to the cable end. The solder melts into the cable itself and works its way inside the end piece. After that I just used a file to shave down any excess and then reassembled. It works perfect, is probably stronger than it was before, and I didn't even have to remove the cable from the bike.

[ducpainter]

If you ever get the chance to do a clutch or manual brake cable, it helps to countersink one side of the barrel and flare the cable a bit in the larger diameter.

Then do just what you did and voila.

[Speeddog]

I wonder how many of the kids here know what a brake cable is?

[ducpainter]

I wonder how many of the kids here know what a brake cable is?

[koko64]

Stop it you guys, I was thinking the same thing. (ol' fart smiley).

[SpikeC]

If you ever get the chance to do a clutch or manual brake cable, it helps to countersink one side of the barrel and flare the cable a bit in the larger diameter.

Then do just what you did and voila.

Yup. That's what I used to do.

[joshuajcrouch]

Call your local motorcycle shops.  There is a local shop that made me a new throttle cable when mine snapped.

[ChrisK]

Call your local motorcycle shops.  There is a local shop that made me a new throttle cable when mine snapped.

I don't like to pay other people to do simple maintenance for me, fun for me to learn different things.