Cable Lube Recommendations

[Phil]

What are people using for cable lube out there? Any recommendations?

Thanks!

[tkent02]

Cable lube.

[azr]

Cable lube.

Bah, ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha

[Phil]

Cable lube.

I guess I was hoping for a particular product or brand.

[tkent02]

Whatever's on sale works fine.
I got several cans for a couple bucks at a garage sale a few years ago, lifetime supply.

[7981GS]

I usually just remove the inner cable and spray it down with dry graphite spray.
Reinstall the cable and you are good to go for many, many years. Decades.


Daniel

[bwringer]

Any powersports store sells spray cans of cable lube along with a little widget for injecting the lube down the cable. About $15, problem solved.

The shop manual contains a bizarre procedure involving making a funnel out of modeling clay and motor oil, but trust me -- just get the widget.

http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/articles/view/340/cable_maintenance_101/

[sedelen]

For clutch cable, I disconnect the cable at the clutch lever so it sticks straight up, then I make a little funnel out of tape, then use oil, most any type will do, you can be as particular as you want, and pour it in the funnel and allow it to work it's way down the cable. Any lube is better than none.
For Speedometer and Tach, I pull the cable out and use powdered graphite from a tube and try to get as much even coverage on the cable
and put some inside the sleeve.

[salty_monk]

This is by far the easier way & I have one of those widgets too....

http://wizarddistribution.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=3149#.Tw-FwKVSSRg

Harley (ugh) also does this same stuff in very small quantities for twice as much money...

You just stick the needle down the hole alongside the cable & squeeze...

[1_v8_merc]

I use old motoroil, or lithium grease.

Normally I just glob the Cable ends with wheel/bearing grease, and work the cable in and out a buncha times. The corrosion and breakage happens near the exposed ends, so I just coat that part.

[GSexpress]

I use this. http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/amh.aspx

Amsoil Heavy Duty metal protector.

I use it for alot of things. Chains, cables, locks, latches, hindges, and levers. Just about anything that needs something heavier than WD40

It sprays out thin and gells to a light grease. It's synthetic and waterproof. Lasts for years in cables and never dries out.

Soaks into chains doesn't fly off (if put on a warm chain and allowed to set up) and repells water.

You can order from that site.

[argonsagas]

If your concerns begin with a dry cable then you should pull it apart before adding new lube and be sure there are no loose bits of metal that may have come off the cable or the sheath. It often means little, but the bits can come together and the friction will throw the reading off, or even jam the cable enough to knock off the end fittings.


If you need to clean it, use a bit of your wife/girlfriends nylon and tape it to the DRY cable end, then oil it and pull it through. Once out, check for loose bits. If any, remove the nylon, re-insert the cable, and then repeat, using a fresh bit of nylon.

After that, add a few drops of oil (NOT WD40) to the empty sheath and let them run all the way through. Coat the cable with a light grease and reassemble.

[razor02097]

In the past I have used break free CLP. But I'm open to try something different if there is something better.

I usually rub the cable end with paraffin wax to help protect it. Grease will get nasty.

[bwringer]

I will also issue the following warning based on firsthand experience: do NOT use chain lube or anything that thickens, or you will find one frosty morning that your clutch lever is nearly impossible to pull when it's cold enough for the lube to solidify.

Seriously.

Real cable lube is well worth the $10 - $15, ya buncha cheap so-and-sos.

[GSexpress]

I will also issue the following warning based on firsthand experience: do NOT use chain lube or anything that thickens, or you will find one frosty morning that your clutch lever is nearly impossible to pull when it's cold enough for the lube to solidify.

Seriously.

Real cable lube is well worth the $10 - $15, ya buncha cheap so-and-sos.

This doesn't happen with the Amsoil lube I recommended in my post. Another reason why I use it. It also resists high temperatures. I have seen in cases where there cable is short and touches, or gets close to the head, that the lube will burn up and crystalize in the cable. This can also cause it to bind up and jam. Disassembly and cleaning is needed for these contamination related problems. But a shot of lube won't usually help those problems. If it frees up right away with a shot of lube, You should be OK.