My bike has 40K miles and I have made one other half-assed attempt at lubing throttle cables. I was only able to get lube out of the bottom end of one of the cables (lower). Reading about how much of a PIA replacing a throttle cable is motivated me to try again.

Found these at Applicators & Dispensers - Precision Oiler Plus for a grand total of $2.50+shipping:



Worked really good, by sticking the needle down the cable sheath next to the cable. Clutch cable took a little longer than using the clamp on lube tool, but it worked really great on the throttle cables. Had lube out the other end in less than 5 minutes. It takes a little patience to get the needle positioned right for the upper throttle cable.

Couple of action pics:

Out of curiosity, what are you using for lube?

Wife is a nurse and "forgets" things like this in her pocket all the time. Never thought to use them like this.

That look like a better option than the clamp on style. I absolutely hate lubing my cable. With that set up I think I might do it more often.

Just regular cable lube, my local dealer sells it on a spray can. I just sprayed some into the syringe.



Like I said it take a little longer doing the clutch cable because there isn't as much pressure behind it, so you have to wait for the lube to trickle down the cable. But nowhere near as messy

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I think I have to get a few of those.

I got a big boy hypo from the Vet Supply store. Used to give cows and horses shots. Lower your oil level, brake fluid, or fork oil. Take off needle and slip a 3/16" vinyl tube over the end. Then use the smaller one to lube with.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the old Luer Lock syringes. Used all over industry for epoxy applications amongst others.

I use em very often here at work.

That is one long mutha of a needle, though!

Yep, it's a long mutha alright, but it helps getting to the top throttle cable without having to remove the cables from the housing.

"Excellent"

Monty Burns

Dude, it looks like your bike has developed a "habit"!

The signs were there...bloodshot headlight, slurred exhaust note, inconsistent fuel consumption, smelly exhaust....I should have seen it

Thats a good idea but looking at the website with all those needles makes me cringe

I just installed a throttle cable and realized too late that I'd need to lube. Had to back out carbs on a v-4 to get the cable in and didn't want to undo any of that work. This lube idea is just what I was looking for!

Glad you pulled this thread back up, pemc - I hadn't seen it yet.

+1

Excellent find, just ordered a few things. I got one of their tapered tip sets too, looks like it'll work great for making the AR slippery inside.

It looks just like an ink syringe for Printers.

I've never lubes my cables. Oil collects dust, dust will build up and cause the bind, then you keep oiling them to clear the bind making a never ending loop. I did replace my cables at 40,000 just because I put new handle bars on, but, they still looked and worked freely.

it's a sealed assembly, no dust can get in.

It's in my manual to lube but I don't.

dont lube with oil, but you should lube it for sure. teflon wax works great!

FYI The rubber end of the plunger in the syringe will break down with petrol based lubes. You will get a little more life out of them if you wash lube off plunger when finished....

Good to know! I usually rinse with hot water when done

How often do you plan to lube the cables?
For as cheap as syringes are, I suspect you can just lube, throw away, repeat in a year or two.

Also, for cheap syringes, couldn't you go to a methadone clinic and act like a tweaker or something? Don't they give those out free?

I just stop and look under all underpasses.

You could walk around the beach at the Jersey shore barefoot, I'm sure you find some...

I use KY on mine .......

Is using WD-40 for cable lube bad?

Yes. Especially since 1: the USAF banned it because it actually promotes some kinds of corrosion and 2: WD-40 isn't really a lubricant. It's a water disperser.

yes, it's water based which will dissolve away rather quickly and it also attracts a lot of dust. use a graphite based or teflon wax based lube for best results.

The needle comes in 3 different diameters - .015" (fine), .022" (medium), .038" (large) - will all of these fit into the cable housing?

This looks like it'll work much better than the clamp-on tool.

I just ordered the set with all 3, for $4 I don't think I can go wrong

For lubing the clutch cable, I think the clamp on tool is faster because it pressurizes the cable to push the lube through, but it's alot messier. With the needle it's clean but takes longer. As a matter of fact, next time I do the clutch cable, I am just gonna stick the needle down the sheath with the plunger removed from the syringe and let in feed by gravity.

I think they will probably all fit in the sheath. Large may be a little tight. I got one of each, but I mostly use fine. It's lets plently of lube through and most of all it's very flexible, which helps in getting to the upper throttle cable.

The fine one I have is the blue one pictured in my original post. I am pretty sure it was 0.012". Maybe those weren't selling and they pulled them. If I could only buy one I would get fine.

Thanks! I'll get the fine.