Deceleration Cable

Hi!

So I've been riding my 81' KZ550 ltd for a few month now and everything is going just fine. I haven't started to work really on it yet, but looking at motorcycles and parts online I've come to notice that I'm missing the deceleration cable on my bike... I mean, it runs well so I'm actually wondering how important is the deceleration cable? Should I install one ASAP? After a sharp acceleration, when i release de throttle the bike does backfire a bit. Is this normal? If not would the problem be cause by the lack of deceleration cable?

Thanks a whole lot guys, I'm still new to all this.

Removed mine over 30 years ago and haven't ran into a issue yet.

The bike shouldn't backfire, but I don't see how the lack of that cable could cause it. That cable is intended to let you close the throttle if for some reason the carbs stick in the OPEN position. This could be a serious problem if you cranked the throttle wide open and it stuck that way! Personally, I would install the cable, but if you decide not to you may want to practice up a bit hitting the "Kill" switch just in case. Ed

I was told in a pinch if you snapped the throttle cable you could just switch over to get you home. Never had to but it was comforting.

The push cable (deceleration) is for safety. I have read here that it is not an absolute requirement but some guys caution that the throttle can get stuck open without it. Lack of the push cable will not cause the back firing that is a tuning issue. I would suggest getting a manual if you don't already have one and go through and preform the entire maintenance section. If you need one some of the guys on the site have a downloadable version.
Good luck