Choke cable sticking - why???

[Anonymous]

Hey,

Recently, I've noticed that my choke cable has been sticking, and it got especially bad tonight. Many times in the past, it has been somewhat difficult to slide in/out, but is especially difficult to push all the way back in. You can push it down, but it usually springs back up about 1 cm. Tonight, I had to pull it all the way up to get the bike warmed up, and then couldn't get it to go back down (and stay down) at all. I could push it all the way in, but it'd spring all the way back up. Ended up fixing it by finding a long piece of plastic and using it to push the choke cable just above where it attaches near the carbs. After much wiggling of the cable and easing the choke control in a little at a time, I finally got it back in all the way. Is there any way to fix this? I assume it's grabbing somewhere or not sliding well at some point. Any suggestions?

Also, I don't know if this is related or by how much, but another problem was highlighted as this was going on. Sometimes when I start the bike and it's in first, it grabs just a little and jerks forward a couple inches. Tonight, when I was riding a little with the choke all the way out (while trying to get it back in), it seemed to be grabbing a lot more, including when in second and going around corners (even if I wasn't using the throttle). Is this linked at all? or a separate issue? Either way, any suggestions on how to fix that as well? Thanks a ton.

--Tyler

[argonsagas]

Have you had your levers off the bike recently? Or adjusted the cable routings?

Lubrication can help, and is often what is needed most, but routing is critically important as the cables can get drawn too tight, or bend and crimp, causing the problems you mention


First check the routing to ensure everything is clear. then remove the cables from the levers and lubricate them.

There are spray cans with adapters that allow you to do the job without removal, but an old-fashioned way is to drip light oil slowly into the cable end and let it run through to the other end. Depending on your bike set-up, you may have to remove the throttle and/or choke ends and let the cable hang loose for a freer flow of oil.


While you are doing that, check the cable connections at the carb end. You may have dirt that is clogging the movement.

If that is the cause, you still must oil the cables, as they will likely have had dirt drawn into them, and the oil will help to clear that, but it would be better to remove the cable from the bike and clean/lube them thoroughly.

[Dink]

Sounds to me like it is time to replace the cable, it sounds like it is frayed inside the casing and that is why the sticking, pay careful attention to routing when fitting the replacement as Ron suggested, and lube it before fitting it.
Dink

[Anonymous]

I haven't rerouted the choke cable or touched it at all since I got the bike at the beginning of the summer. From what I can tell, no one else has really messed with it in the past either. The routing of the cable is clear, so I don't believe that's the issue. Probably either dirt or frayed then.

Regarding lubing it, are there any cons to doing that? Someone mentioned to me that putting oil on it might actually be more apt to draw in more dirt in the future, thus being more harmful than good in the long run. Is that true?

Also, any specific suggestions on good cable lubes? Thanks.

--Tyler

[QuaiChangKane]

Oil good. Poor advice bad.


That would be akin to never lubing your chain, since it's just going to attract dust.

It stands to reason that a little dust will get into the cable sleeve at either ends, but greasy dust at either end will still lubricate better than dry dust. And the grease will keep the cables from oxidizing...


-Q!

[Anonymous]

Does WD-40 work for lubing?

--Tyler

[Anonymous]

WD-40 is not a lubricant per se. It removes water, and has some lubricating properties, but it's probably not the best.
A better idea is 3-in-1 oil, or sewing machine oil. If you wanna go balls out, they even make lubes specifially for cables, look at bike shops or motorcycles dealers.
I used 10w-40 motor oil when I installed my clutch cable.

Here's an interesting link to some WD-40 info:

http://www.snopes.com/business/names/wd40.htm#add

[Anonymous]

toolman

Hey, no one sad anything about jerking when starting in first. I have the same problem. It's a very small jerk, but I can feel it. Almost like it takes clutch a second to unstick or something...

[Anonymous]

It's the nature of the clutch. It's bathed in oil, so even disengaged, there going to be some viscous coupling. The higher the crank speed, the greater the effect. Rev the bike up to 8 grand in nuetral, then pull the clutch and put it in gear, and you'll see what I mean(J/K). And sticking plates can be a cause. So can worn or warped plates or notches in the basket.

[Anonymous]

What about rigging up a direct lever... like on the left end of my flatslides?
I havn't missed having a bar mounted choke yet.


Jim

[Anonymous]

Dink's right

I'm with Dink. Sounds like the cable is frayed inside. It's about to break, replace it.

BTW, Dink, I had a dog named Doink

[Anonymous]

Ok, I worked on the choke mechanism today, and it seems that it wasn't the cable at all. I went out and bought some 3-in-1 light oil to spray on the cable, but when I went to spray it, found that I'd have to be tearing a lot of things off to get down to the cable.

So, instead, I tried spraying the top of the mechanism (the knob that you pull up/push down), and then the piece that attaches to the carbs. There's a metal rail that goes through all the carbs with additional pieces that go into each of the carbs. When the choke is pulled, this rail is moved left/right and rpms are increased/decreased. I sprayed that down pretty well with the 3-in-1 and things got moving a lot better.

At this point, the choke goes up and down, although still probably not as easily or smoothly as it should. However, it no longer springs back up and refuses to stay down. It seems that the rail next to the carbs was sticking and thus not allowing the cable to be pushed back down. What I did seems to work for now, but I plan on cleaning everything up much better when I pull the carbs off (hopefully later this year). Thanks for the help.

--Tyler

[Billy Ricks]

There are spring loaded steel balls that hold that rail in the closed position. The lube obviously freed those up.