[Stattz]

I removed a Vetter fairng (ugly!) and installed some clubman bars on my CB550; now the throttle and clutch cables are too long. What can I do? Can they be shortened? How? Can I do it myself? Do I need custom cables and where can I get them at a good price?

Also, what kind of tubing should I use to replace the old fuel line?

Ideas, thoughts and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Stattz

 

[texmawby]

talk to joe "not kc" c. he just did it on his a month ago. said it was a pain in the ass.

tex

 

[FR]

You might try re-routing the cables first. Sometimes having them on the other side of the top frame rail will take up enough slack. Or where the throttle cable comes out near the frame, you might zip-tie it to the frame, and just have a bigger loop to the throttle.
But be careful, you don't want to pinch the cable at full lock.
Get some decent fuel line at your local motorcycle retailer. Don't waste your time with the shitty vinyl tube at the hardware store.
Then again, I might not have a full grasp of your specific situation, and my advise could be totally useless.

FR

 

[jbranson]

I make cables all the time, and shorten them all the time. It's a snap with the right stuff. Typically to shorten an OEM cable you need to heat and remove the cable end on the end you want to shorten, then heat slightly and remove the ferrel. Pull the wire out, use a dremel with a cutoff wheel and cut the conduit to the right length, slide the wire back in, heat the ferrel slightly and slide it over the wire and back onto the conduit. Then locate a new matching cable end, solder it on...and you are good to go.

For fuel line...use TYGON... that's what most of the shops sells as fuel line...good stuff. Like the man said...don't bother with the hardware store stuff.
JohnnyB

 

[Stattz]

I've already tried rerouting, but the cables are just too long. I guess shortening is the way I'll have to go.

JB,
Will a soldering iron get the pieces hot enough or do I need a torch of some kind? Can cable ends be reused?

Thanks for the help.

Stattz

 

[jbranson]

Stattz,
Here's the deal with soldering...the only right way to do it is DIP the cable end and wire into molten solder. After shopping around for a solder pot and being unwilling to spend $200 for one I did this. Took a piece of exhaust pipe...about 1.25" in diameter and 1.5" long, welded one end down to a small 2" square piece of 1/4" thick steel so that it sealed up, welded on some little legs and a handle. Dumped a bunch of pieces of solder in it...heated it up with a propane torch...and presto, professional type soldered ends for about 10 cents worth of metal. After melting just leave the solder in the pot and heat it up again when you need it.
When you install the cable end, fray the wire a bit at the end so the cable end won't slip off, dip it in some liquid flux...commonly sold at hardware stores...then dip in the solder. Wash off any flux residue when you are done because it's corrosive to the cable wire.

It sounds complicated...but if you build race bikes or a lot of custom street stuff $200 in cable supplies can build dozens of cables that would have cost $30 each.
http://www.flanderscables.com/index.html
Can supply you with just about any cable part you can think of.
JohnnyB

 

[Stattz]

JB,

That's what I needed: info and a source for parts.

Thanks a lot,

Stattz