Cable lube - Should I? With what? Will it gum up?

[Andrew Vanis]

Should I?

With what?
Will it gum up?

I am doing a rebuild and the cables seem to move smoothly but should I lube anyway?

searching on here I found how-to-lube but not what to use.

https://www.thegsresources.com/_foru...ble-lubricator is a good how to. I like the baggie idea. I also have the Pro-motion clamp-on lubing tool that takes the aeresol tube.

[LAB3]

The manual says to use engine oil, seems like the best choice to me. I'd considered using a solvent to clean it up but there's probably plastics or other synthetics in there so following the tried and true seemed like the right plan.

[Fjbj40]

Spray silicone lube works best, I find anyways. A product such as http://www.lpslabs.com/product-details/564

[80s cars or gtfo]

Thirty years ago oil may have been the most cost-effective way to lube them but nowadays graphite lube is $5 a can at home Depot or AutoZone. It's dry so it won't gum up and is safe for plastic. Use it on the clutch,choke,throttle,speedo, and tach cables.

[bwringer]

Ya know, it's 2018. They make cable lube now. And it really is the best stuff for the job.

The manuals were written in the Dark Ages of the 1980s where all you had to work with was what you could find at K-Mart, so you'll see stuff like using gear oil for chain lube (VERY messy), motor oil for cable lube, and motor oil/ATF used for fork oil. These substitutes get the job done, but the real deal chemicals really do work a lot better.

So lube your cables with, uh, y'know, cable lube.

You'll find a can in any powersports emporium, along with a clever little widget you clamp on the cable to force the lube through.

On some modern bikes, you're not supposed to lube the throttle cables, so check the manual.

One issue with substitutes is that they can thicken and misbehave in cold weather. (This is a really fun thing to discover on the way to work on a frosty November morning. That was interesting.) Cable lube is designed for all temps and machines (snowmobiles through wave runners) and won't cause this issue.

[Andrew Vanis]

OK bwringer...I like that approach. So how to get the old gummy stuff out? NOW I've used oil since that is what the early responses said....

[Gorminrider]

kerosene or paint thinner to flush. By the way, the tach and speedo can use some lube too. they pull right out of their housings so be careful not to kink em.

merely opining here but it seems to me common Oils will settle to the bottom of the cable and leak out. "3in1" for instance is not as "sticky" as a grease, gear oil or or even motor oil. but on the other hand it's going to flow better in the confined space and hold less rust or dirt. Early and often I guess

[bwringer]

Cable lube uses a solvent to carry the lube. It'll flush the old gunk out.

Yeah, it's a little messy, so tuck some paper towels around the other end of the cable.

[748cc]

Okay, re-visiting a dead horse topic I guess:

Clutch & throttle cables merely pull in & out of their tubes, so a light graphite lube is good 'nuff. But what about speedo & tach cables that spin at a high rate...don't they need something a bit heavier to keep them chafe-free? I almost want to go with white lithium cause it'll never run out of the tube ends & cling to the cable better while in action, but that might be a mistake in colder climates. What do you guys think?

[bwringer]

From the factory, tach and speedo cables have a white grease on them and don't need additional lube.


Pondering my garage shelf, if I were to lube a cable instead of replacing, there's a nice clear Teflon grease called SuperLube (it's the stuff in a silver tube, available lots of places) that I would probably use. It doesn't harden at low temps, and it's meant for use on mechanisms.



Speaking of factory, the aftermarket cables (Motion Pro, Parts Unlimited, etc.) are universally junk. Absolute crap. Unless you're really in a pickle, it's worth ordering up OEM Suzuki cables. And most of the time, the OEM cables cost about the same or less as the imitation crap.

[748cc]

Yeah, I'm familiar with Super Lube & hadn't considered it here (too good for the job??). Nice idea! But I've had this spray can of Zep White Lithium layin' 'round the gararge for long as I can remember, & It feels I'll never find bottom of the can in my lifetime now...think I may go with that. Closer to factory I guess (Super Lube didn't make market til 5 years after the bike was built-applying it here feels sacreligious almost

Thank you for the insight, most knowligeous one. Greatly appreciated as always

[standswithabeer]

i use mobil one 15w-50 in all my machines w/flat tappet engines, from my 79 corvette, all my motorcycles, and down to my push and riding mowers. just under 700 hrs on my 13 year old riding mower. i order the mobil one online from walmart for $23/5 qts, and go pick it up when it comes in.

i keep a little in an oil can too and that's what i use for oiling cables, including the speedo/tach. anything good for engine service will be fine for your speedo/tach cables, BUT they must be clean. i'll take the cable out of the sheath and wipe it down (interesting construction if you've never seen one, how do they wind those?). then i'll coat the cable and hang for a few days after assembling back in the sheath, while i'm doing other things. this will prevent you from mis-diagnosing a tach seal leak or speedo weep.

on control cables, i'll secure one vertically in a vice with the inner cable poking up. then run a few drops down the cable itself and let it soak down into the sheath. this takes minutes, so it's done during other projects over a few days. when you notice a few drops on the floor under the "exit" end, you're done. on a new, off-season project i also fully disass the clutch lifter assy and clean/lube that too. clutch lever pivot and throttle tube also. if this hasn't been done recently or your project has been sitting, you'll realize a nice improvement. am sure there are better methods, but this one has served me well.

[limeex2]

Here's a new version of a cable lube tool that works and doesn't leak. I use Tri-Flow. The Tech's swore by it back in the day and it has fixed many squeks on my old house that other stuff wouldn't work on. I wouldn't use grease on speedo and tach cables, unless it was wiped down liberally after cleaning and re-lubing. Letting them hang works great too for excess lube. Clutch cables feel real nice after a "oil change". https://www.denniskirk.com/motion-pr...d=228600803220

[chuck hahn]

I use Cable Glide