Sticky throttle

fcanary · Post by **fcanary** » Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:36 pm

Ok may be a dumb question but here goes. Last season I noticed my throttle sticking. I lubed it up with WD40 and it was fine. Toward the end of the season it happened again and I tried several different lubricants including SeaFoam. Nothing worked. So when shifting or slowing down I have to physically turn the throttle down. Again it was at the end of the season so I didn't worry about it. With the season approaching my question is...do I need to replace both cables, the whole throttle, or something in between?

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:49 am

fcanary wrote:Ok may be a dumb question but here goes. Last season I noticed my throttle sticking. I lubed it up with WD40 and it was fine. Toward the end of the season it happened again and I tried several different lubricants including SeaFoam. Nothing worked. So when shifting or slowing down I have to physically turn the throttle down. Again it was at the end of the season so I didn't worry about it. With the season approaching my question is...do I need to replace both cables, the whole throttle, or something in between?

This could be corrosion on a cable, or more often, it's a cable that is in the process of breaking. Strands of wire start to break, and they bind up inside the cable lining. Eventually you'll twist the throttle, and SNAP...you're stranded.

I would take the time and replace both cables. That will very likely solve your problem, and you won't get stranded somewhere down the road with a broken throttle cable.

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:26 am

Sometimes cables can get pinched in the steering....that bike is not safe to ride because if a cable breaks, you may not be able to decell!!!!

redial · Post by **redial** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 4:51 pm

When you come to put the cables back, as Wd40 is not much of a lubricant, you could try "White Lithium Grease" and apply to the length of the cable. (The lithium grease will stick and remain serviceable for quite some time.) As pointed out, by WA, it is probably being caused by strands coming unraveled, or broken, and no amount of trimming will repair them for any length of time. Get replacements, lubricate them, and then replace. May I suggest you do one at a time.

seelyark1 · Post by **seelyark1** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 8:03 pm

I would replace both cables, but one at a time to make sure the routing is correct. I lost a cable riding home one night, and was able to work the throttle by reaching down and moving the linkage by hand.

Just lucky that at that time I was not riding the Wing. Kinda fun working the throttle at the red lights

.

tom84std · Post by **tom84std** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:23 am

I'm kind-of "refurbishing" a bike to sell to a stepson. I want to get it as close to 100% factory serviceable as I can before he takes it. It's got 90* steel tubular bends, both cables, both ends. I had planned to start him with fresh cables anyway, but one of them has a failure I've never seen before. On the carburetor end it's got many broken strands and looks a lot like a bottle brush. It's been replaced and is now trash anyhow but still a curiosity how it got that way.

f1xrupr · Post by **f1xrupr** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 8:40 am

If that is a .gl1100, I think you may find that those cables are aftermarket, incorrect fit, or both.....(possibly intended for lighter duty use) ?? I can see how a curved steel tubing that has rusted slightly on the inside, could act as an abrasive against a inner cable and cause it to "fray"....

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:18 pm

When replacing cables, tape the twist grip end of the new one to the carburetor end of the old one, then pull it into place by pulling the old one out. This will ensure the routing of the new cable is exactly correct (assuming the old ones were installed correctly).

k1w1t1m · Post by **k1w1t1m** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 7:11 pm

I was going to suggest tying a string on the old cable and then using the string to pull through the new cable.

After installing the new cables make sure you have the recommended slack. If you have made the adjustment to tight the idle will likely increase upon turning the handlebars. Tight cables will also make the throttle stick which could be the cause of your current issue.

YouTube · Post by **WingAdmin** » Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:33 am

k1w1t1m wrote:I was going to suggest tying a string on the old cable and then using the string to pull through the new cable.

After installing the new cables make sure you have the recommended slack. If you have made the adjustment to tight the idle will likely increase upon turning the handlebars. Tight cables will also make the throttle stick which could be the cause of your current issue.

I've done that as well - tied a string to the old cable, then pulled the old cables out. I then tied the string to both new cables, and used it to pull them into place.

Actually, I used a piece of scrap wire that I had sitting around:

How to replace your throttle cables

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