Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: B.D.F. on September 09, 2011, 10:50:09 AM
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After extended time riding in the rain, just about everything that moves or rotates on my bike started feeling pretty stiff (easy boys!). So I lubed all the pivot points, cleaned the throttle tube and yet the throttle still felt kinda' draggy. So I lubed the cables with this new-fangled "dry" spray lube from Liquid Wrench. It is some kind of ceramic dry lube suspended in a solvent that evaporates. After using that I think the cables felt even worse. So back to the tried 'n true silicone spray. The throttle felt a lot better for about a day and then started to get sticky and draggy again. Silicone spray leaves some kind of waxy film behind and I know better than using that on cables but I did it anyway. So finally I used some graphite lock lube that is also in some kind of petroleum vehicle; the lube goes on wet but dries quickly and leaves behind a fair amount of graphite. I just drizzled it down the cable ends and now they are about 80% of the way to perfect. The lube probably didn't make it all the way to the end of the cables so I will do it again.
The moral of the story is not to use the incorrect lube on cables or things might get even worse than they were when you started. I seem to be slow learning this one but maybe someone else can catch on quicker....
Brian
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The right tool for the job. (http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/partno/08-0182)
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Yep, I have one and was using it when using aerosol lubricants. But my post was about the lubricant itself, not the tool used to install that lubricant.
Silicone spray comes in a pressurized can along with the red tube that fits the cable lubing tool but it is a lousy cable lubricant IMO. So are most types of oil and all greases, again IMO.
A couple of people have asked me what type of lubricant I used- it is this stuff but in a much older, rustier can: http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Ease-Graphite-Lock-Fluid-3-4/dp/B0006MWPZA (http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Ease-Graphite-Lock-Fluid-3-4/dp/B0006MWPZA)
The same company also makes an aerosol lube but I have not used it. The liquid stuff is so thin it readily runs down the inside of the cables and I find it very easy to just apply it to the end of the cable sheath and let gravity do the rest.
Brian
The right tool for the job. (http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/partno/08-0182)
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I may have consulted with Kirby first ;D
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Kirby seems to be anti- lubricants; he says they make him slide around too much. Something about not having pads on his feet anymore and having to walk on his claws....
Brian
I may have consulted with Kirby first ;D
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Try using cable life from protect all. power injected cable lubricant. also dont forget to clean up the inside of the throttle tube and handle bar end under it.
The best Thing I have found is to use a combo of the cable life along with steel wooling the bar and then using a little silicone di-electric grease on the pivot points and inside the throttle tube and on the little nubs on the end of the cables as well. Keeps everything nice and slick. The silicone grease on the cable ends and inside the track around the throttle tube also prevents corrosion in case your washing it a lot or riding in wet conditions.
Never had a cable failure or throttle stick using these methods. But I do service my bikes like they service a stealth fighter....thats all the time, by the book and over the top.
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back in the 70's, when we were all riding enduro bikes, and subjecting them to mud,muck, and goo, every opportunity we could, cable flush/lube was needed...today is different.
Modern bike throttle cables have come a long way, and are plain old super tech now. They are designed with teflon/polymer coatings impregnated onto the inner sleeve and cable surfaces. Adding the wrong lube simply makes them gummy and non-functional.
The only recomendation I have for cables that appear to become sticky, is to completly remove the cable, hang it up, and repeatedly flush the thing using WD-40, and the red snooter tube. It really is only to flush out any grit in there, and the residual film that remains will not deteriorate the factory applied coatings.
Modern cables are really lube free, and lubes are actually frowned upon in lieu of simply replacing a 4 year old cable when the coatings wear off.
We all learn by experience tho..... ;)
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I use this stuff. I used it on my Triumph Speed Triple clutch cable and it works great ! http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm (http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm)
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I use this stuff. I used it on my Triumph Speed Triple clutch cable and it works great ! http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm (http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/motorcycle-chain-lube/dupont-teflon-chain-lube.htm)
Concours' has hydraulic clutch...wer'e talking throttle cables....spray it on your throttle cables and give us a report on how that works. ;)
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This isn't pertinent to the discussion at hand...
Did you know that teflon can cut steel? We used to pack Haliburton water pumps (called "twins") with this as a sealant for the water pod shafts. Pack it too tight and it cuts through the steel.
Now back to your regularly scheduled discussion
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Gentlemen, it's lubing cables and it's nothing to get perturbed about.. If it works for you, that's great. It's all good. Let's all have a nice day and remember greater things.
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I apologize for the side bar...My post wasn't an inference to any wrong doing by any other or to minimize others experiences. I just never knew that something so slick could cut steel until I ruined two pot shafts packing them too tight. I have always found that fascinating is all.
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No worries...
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Try using cable life from protect all. power injected cable lubricant. also dont forget to clean up the inside of the throttle tube and handle bar end under it.
The best Thing I have found is to use a combo of the cable life along with steel wooling the bar and then using a little silicone di-electric grease on the pivot points and inside the throttle tube and on the little nubs on the end of the cables as well. Keeps everything nice and slick. The silicone grease on the cable ends and inside the track around the throttle tube also prevents corrosion in case your washing it a lot or riding in wet conditions.
Never had a cable failure or throttle stick using these methods. But I do service my bikes like they service a stealth fighter....thats all the time, by the book and over the top.
My 2012, bought NOS in 2015, is exhibiting signs of a sticky throttle cable. Ordered a can of this stuff and will try it out. Not quite ready to buy a new throttle cable. Bike has but few miles on it....
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Forgot to add that I will attempt to use a bore snake to clean out the throttle tube. Will try to report back how that works.
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I’d run alcohol or something through that cable to get rid of the crap that is affecting your cable.
I recently installed a mcruise and they state in instructions that properly lubed throttle cables are crucial for the system to work properly. They even supplied a small bottle of oil . I don’t remember the viscosity but do recall reading that if you used motor oil, it’d mess it up ( too high viscosity).
I’d use either a commercial plain oil ( no dry additives added) or sewing machine oil.
Btw, after lubing the cables and the bar end, throttle feels great .
I think I’ll do this everytime I change oil.
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This is the best stuff I've found for lubricating control and throttle cables on either motorcycles or bicycles. It's graphite based with a very thin carrier that gets it all the way down a cable if you squirt it in the high end of the cable. The carrier evaporates and leaves the slick graphite behind to provide the lubrication. The graphite doesn't collect crud the way petroleum-based lubes can:
https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Aid-Bike-Dri-Slide-Needle-Nozzle/dp/B001F2Y25G (https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Aid-Bike-Dri-Slide-Needle-Nozzle/dp/B001F2Y25G)
But if the cable is gummed up with something else, it may not work well. So you may need to clean the cable first. Remember that not all cables can be saved, so if yours is too far gone you may need to replace it.
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I use Motion Pro cable lube on my BMW with cable operated clutch and it works great. Motion Pro is a well respected company that also makes cables, so they should know a thing or two about cables. Plus, they make it with Red Line oil which is also a well regarded. Before they came out with this, they recommended silicone spray to lube cables.
https://www.ebay.com/p/Motion-Pro-15-0002-Cable-Lube/171242556?iid=312134773321&chn=ps (https://www.ebay.com/p/Motion-Pro-15-0002-Cable-Lube/171242556?iid=312134773321&chn=ps)