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What the bloody choke cable....

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    #1

    What the bloody choke cable....

    I came out to my bike this morning and went to pull on my choke knob and the dang thing wouldn't move. So I got out the leatherman and tried to jimmy it and still nothing. Annoying...

    Anyway, it didn't stop me. I know my bike too well, I just did it by hand and pulled the choke out at the carb instead of using the knob and cable.
    Held it there till it warmed up and then released and took off. Easy.

    My question to you all is: Are choke cables able to lock up like that?
    I mean, it's a bloody cable in a sheath...there is no way it should freeze up like that. The temperature was in the low 30's this morning by the way.
    Should I lube the choke cable when it warms back up? This is the first time this has happened and I don't quite get it.

    I initially thought that some jackass put crazy-glue on my choke knob or something overnight. Yesterday I found a damn chickenleg someone was munching on sitting in-between my handlebars and the console. When I find out who put it there I'm gonna shove that chickenleg up their a......


    Thanks,
    Dm of mD
    Tags: None
    #2
    Any cable will eventually lock up if it is not lubricated fairly regually as they are prone to picking up moisture on the inside the sheath. This will lead to corrosion, failure and possible "freezing". My advice would be to take it off and force some oil down it. You might as well do your clutch and throttle cables at the same time.


    Cheers,

    Comment

      #3
      A chicken leg in your console? Man, I'd freak out.

      Lube those cables up- they will corrode and stick if you don't.
      Currently bikeless
      '81 GS 1100EX - "Peace, by superior fire power."
      '06 FZ1000 - "What we are dealing with here, is a COMPLETE lack of respect for the law."

      I ride, therefore I am.... constantly buying new tires.

      "Tell me what kind of an accident you are going to have, and I will tell you which helmet to wear." - Harry Hurt

      Comment

        #4
        Well, I do my clutch and throttle cables all the time. I just never expected the choke cable to require lube cause I barely use it compared to the others. But I will take them all off and give em a lubing.

        Thanks all,
        Dm of mD

        P.S. Yeah, the whole chickenbone thing really irked me. :x

        Comment

          #5
          I would be more than a little "miffed" at the chicken bone incident but it was probably only someone on thier way home from the local KFC, or......................... you don't live near any voodoo witch doctors do you? 8O 8O

          Comment

            #6
            Maybe a cat was eating on your bike.
            If your choke is like mine, you may be able to adjust the tension on the choke shaft.
            At the base of the shaft, lift up the rubber dust cover. There should be a plastic knurled tension adjusting ring. Turn it c-c-w a little to lessen the tension on the shaft. It should not take too much adjustment to make the choke pull correctly and still have enough tension to stay up when the bike is warming up. People over adjust and damage these things all the time. There are 4 small pinchers or prongs that grip the shaft tighter as the adjuster ring is tightened. Cold weather could help make the shaft stick too.
            And on the seventh day,after resting from all that he had done,God went for a ride on his GS!
            Upon seeing that it was good, he went out again on his ZX14! But just a little bit faster!

            Comment

              #7
              Sounds stupid, but, an un-lubed cable could have just 1 wire break in the strand & cause it to catch on the outer sheath from the dry use on rubbing. Dave

              Comment

                #8
                white lithium grease

                Comment

                  #9
                  Originally posted by locodave
                  Sounds stupid, but, an un-lubed cable could have just 1 wire break in the strand & cause it to catch on the outer sheath from the dry use on rubbing. Dave
                  That may sound stupid, but it is VERY true.

                  Pull the cable and re-lubricate it. If you see ANY strands loose, the cable must be sanded smooth or replaced.

                  The outer sheath can also go, but the cable is almost invariably the first to weat out and quit.




                  Re white lithium grease......I have little use for this stuff.

                  It may be just my experiences, but I find it dries out after a while, and leaves a near- solid non-lubricating residue behind.


                  I don't trust it to last, so I won't use it on cables.

                  On a dry cable/sheath, I would use a light machine oil dribbled into the sheath, let it hang for two hours or more, to be sure the oil has gotten into everything possible, and drained away sufficiently that nothing is left behind but a film, then slowly dribble a few drops of 10-40 oil ...or heavier... through the outer sheath.

                  Let it hang for another ten or more minutes, (to allow the heavier oil to coat the entire area filmed by the lighter stuff) then dribble a few more 10-40 drops into it, and install.

                  The dry cable gets a light sanding to remove any rust and feathered cable strands, and is cleaned with a dry cloth. If rusty, after sanding it would get the light penetrating oil, be allowed to sit for at least ten minutes, then be dried with another piece of cloth or absorbent paper towel.


                  After that, a coat of moly grease, pulled through a small piece of greased cloth, held TIGHTLY against the cable, and, finally, a liberal coat of moly grease with the now-smooth cable drawn through grease held between the fingers.

                  Once it is installed, a couple of drops of oil regularly dribbled into the sheath from the lever end, and you should have no problem for a long time.
                  Bertrand Russell: 'Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education.'

                  ​

                  Comment

                    #10
                    chicken

                    I would be mad about them leaving a chicken leg on my bike, cause Iam a breast man my self, and they can mount them on my bars any time

                    Comment

                      #11
                      I've had the same problem on extremely cold nights on my bike. its happened 3 times.....

                      I think I'm just going to replace the 25 year old cable I lube it up , so I think its just had its useful period of time.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        dude, the best solution is to remove the cable, immerse and soak it in posums pi55 (wd spray / fluid) for about a day or 2, then try to work it. if it moves, then wash it in white spirit, allow to dry, and then soak the insides with silicone spray. I do my cables every 3 months, never had a single problem.

                        about teh chicken bone,
                        solution 1: shoot the f*cker who put it there, we get to see you on tv when you are arrested,

                        solution 2: park your bike somewhere "away" from the general public (shed, backyard etc)

                        solution 3: sell ya bike.

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Originally posted by GS750
                          about teh chicken bone,
                          solution 1: shoot the f*cker who put it there, we get to see you on tv when you are arrested,

                          solution 2: park your bike somewhere "away" from the general public (shed, backyard etc)

                          solution 3: sell ya bike.
                          Definitely can't do any of those so I'm just going to absorb it and roll on.


                          Dm of mD

                          Comment

                            #14
                            LOL

                            Comment

                              #15
                              Sanding ? Rust removal? If the cable is that bad throw it away & replace it. Cables are not that expensive.

                              Comment

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