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Throttle cable replacement

9K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  DesertBike 
#1 ·
It finally happened. I was about half a mile from home tonight when one of my throttle cables simply stopped working. Naturally, it was the one that opens the throttle, so I ended up pushing my DL1000 home. Boy was that "fun."

My "warning" was that the throttle got sticky for a few minutes. It seemed to take an inordinate amount of force to open the throttle, but it closed normally. I had about enough time to think "Huh, that's weird, should probably look at that when I get home" when the throttle stopped working altogether (other than going closed).

Any tips on swapping the cables? The shop manual doesn't show the procedure, unless I missed something. It only shows how to adjust them post-installation.

This post (http://www.stromtrooper.com/maintenance-how/68336-throttle-cable-replacement.html) makes the job sound awful, but the single reply makes it sound not so bad after all.

I would think I'm in for lifting the tank, at least, if only to get at where the cables attach to the throttle bodies & be able to route them through the bracket that holds them to the frame behind the triple tree.

I searched this board too, but only found general comments on how to replace the cables, not anything like a detailed walkthrough. Does one exist?

Should I get a set of OEM throttle cables, or are there worthy aftermarket replacements?

FWIW, the cable seems to have broken where it was brushing up against some sharp part of my Strebel horn over who-knows-how-long a period.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
No unfortunately not.

Not having luck elsewhere either.

I had another look at stuff this morning. I'm really perplexed. Turning the forks all the way from one side to the other, the cables did not touch anything anywhere near the point of the break.

update: ok, looks like they SOMETIMES touch a sharp corner on the bracket that holds the Strebel horn in place. Why this wasn't a problem for the previous 16000 miles, but suddenly sawed through the cable, is a mystery. Or maybe it just took a really long time?

In any case, I'm down for closer to 2 weeks if I'm replacing with stock cables. I called Partzilla this morning & they do not stock replacement cables. The local Suzuki dealer, like most motorcycle shops, is not open on Mondays, but I doubt they stock cables for a 10 year old bike either.

I'd rather have OEM, but hell, if I can get aftermarket cables sooner, that's what I'll do.
 
#4 ·
Local Suzi shop was looking at the same 5-7 business day wait for shipping.

Rocky Mountain ATV had the Motion Pro cables in stock, so I ordered a set. Came out to about the same price as OEM cables, even with 2-day shipping. Not too shabby!

Since a walkthrough doesn't seem to exist, I'll take some photos and show the process of replacing the throttle cables.
 
#5 ·
Well, crap. :(


This is what I saw when I suddenly had no throttle response. Looking up and to the bike's left from in front of the forks, just to the right of the front fender.

Near the top middle of the picture is the throttle pulling cable (#2 in shop manual terms) that's been just about cut clean through, somehow.

It also turns out my left fork is leaking a bit. FML. :(
 
#6 ·
Got the plastics and crash bars pulled, tank lifted, airbox removed this evening.

Now it's down to removing the old throttle cables & installing & routing the new.

It's not too tough once you have all that done. There's limited room to swing a wrench to loosen the nuts that hold the throttle body ends of the throttle cables in place though. I'm glad I bought that tiny adjustable wrench (1/2" max. opening) a while back.

Throttle cables connect to the left side of the rear throttle body. Is there any reason one can't route the cables to the right of the steering stem? There's a threaded hole for the associated bracket on both sides. Seems to me it would make sense to route the cables right rather than left, since they're going to the right side of the handlebars.
 
#7 ·
FWIW, it turns out swapping the throttle cables is covered well in the Clymer Vstrom DL650 manual.

There are some small differences between model years, but the DL1000 and DL650 throttle designs are similar enough that you can go by the Clymer pics if working on a Vee (at least a first-generation Vee; dunno about the Vee2 as it has a different engine).

Some observations, to help anyone doing this job in the future:

-You'll want a set of stubby open-end wrenches, because there's not much room to swing a wrench without hitting the frame. Maybe even some kind of ratcheting open-end wrench. I just bought a set of stubby open-end wrenches at Horrible Freight because it was cheap and quick and I'm pretty sure I'll need them for other jobs.

-You'll have to use one wrench to hold the locking nut while you turn the hexagonal fitting body about 1/3 a turn at a time. It's tedious. Take your time.

-The locking nuts that locate the throttle-body-ends of the cables, are 12mm. The longer, threaded body of this end of the cable takes a 10mm wrench.

-It's not too difficult to keep straight which cable is which. Don't know whether it was intentional, but my Motion Pro cable set uses slightly different finishes on the metal fittings to distinguish one cable from the other, as well as the fact they will only install one way in the casing on the handlebar.

-Do take note of how the existing cables are installed, and maybe some photos, before you remove anything. Take some time to observe and understand the principle of operation. It works the same way at the throttle bodies.

-I recommend doing the handlebar end of the job first, both because it's easier, and because then you can work the throttle to remind yourself which cable does what, when you're installing the engine-side ends.


Next task is "major adjustment" of the throttle body cable ends, for correct clearance & play.
 
#8 ·
It's done!

Still not sure why the original cable got mangled.



Does anyone know what this bit of plastic is? Found it lying in the engine valley after the airbox was off. No idea where it's supposed to go. Do not see it in any of the parts diagrams.

 
#9 ·
Believe that is a bumper for under the tank, there are more than one. Good write up, and use a sealmate first before changing seals. Of course if the fluid has never been changed or been a while, might as well change the seals.
 
#10 ·
Did you reroute the new cables to the right side of the bike? Before I put my motor in I figured I'd give myself a little more slack in my throttle cables, and I'm wondering if moving them to the right of the steering head will give me what I want, or if they're just going to have to reroute farther around the motor, and not gain me any length.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
I did not. The throttle cables must attach to left side of throttle bodies, so would have to cross over to go the way proposed. I believe there's stuff in the way (airbox snorkel and perhaps radiator) that prevents doing so. I'll check later to confirm.

Rotating the throttle grip forward provided all the slack needed, even for somewhat extreme Rox risers (3.5"). No side effects of doing so, near 2 years and several thousand miles later.

Speculation time:
If you routinely ride in the rain, there is perhaps some chance of water getting trapped inside the throttle grip housing since the drain hole is no longer pointed down (compared to angle from factory/as specified in service manual). I taped over my drain hole just in case. You could fill in the original one with JB Weld and drill a new drain hole in the desired orientation, if you want to be extra cautious. The rubber boot where the cables leave the grip housing should keep water from coming in there.
 
#12 ·
BTW, I had the throttle grip housing opened up to make some adjustments recently. No evidence of corrosion or trapped water due to the "incorrect" drain hole orientation. It might possibly be an issue in a very humid climate, due to condensation. But not here in the desert.
 
#13 ·
Thanks! I'll move mine back to the left side in that case, and rotate the housing forward.

Any issue rotating it far enough that the cables go under the brake lever?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
#14 ·
You have to disassemble and then reinstall the throttle grip housing to get it rotated far enough, since the brake lever's in the way.

I had to do that anyway, since I was installing new cables.

I still haven't solved the mystery of how the heck my old throttle cables got severed. Damnedest thing. I've checked for damage many times since installing the new cables. No hint that anything is or was rubbing on them in any way.
 
#17 ·
I still haven't solved the mystery of how the heck my old throttle cables got severed. Damnedest thing. I've checked for damage many times since installing the new cables. No hint that anything is or was rubbing on them in any way.
Could be from repeated bending back and forth as the bars are turned lock to lock. Look at it while turning full lock to lock and see if it kinks.
 
#15 ·
I removed the front brake lever mounting bracket (2 bolts) and the brake switch (a phillips screw), and that allowed me to move the lever above the throttle cables. Losened the throttle grip housing and rotated it forward. Clamped the brake lever bracket back on and added the switch. Easy Peasy. :)
 
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#18 ·
Fortunately, it's almost impossible for the throttle cables to kink. They're much too stiff. If routed correctly & with sufficient slack, they should not get pinched or rubbed anywhere either.

The original cables may have been pre-stressed. Due to boneheaded install of handlebar risers by PO, the cables were stretched tight with bars at right lock, with their jacketing partly worn through from rubbing against the master brake cylinder.

That isn't where the one cable broke. It broke lower down. It really shouldn't have broken from simply touching the Stebel horn bracket, but who knows.

I didn't know at that point that throttle grip orientation was user-adjustable, and that it was perfectly OK for the cables to go below the brake hardware vs. over. Once I figured that out I was even more annoyed with the PO.
 
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