Push or Pull?

I need to replace a throttle cable, I know which one just not the right name for it....can't find ANYWHERE which one is supposed to be "push" and which is "pull," ...kind of arbitrary nomenclature since they both seem to push and pull at some point...open and close maybe? forward and aft? ...any help appreciated.
78 kz650b

When you give it gas it pulls the carbs open so that is the pull and the other is the return or push cable.

Seems hard to find both cables these days. They do have different part #s, but some have just bought 2 of the same cable and installed them both.
The difference bewteen the 2 seems to be the length of the metal elbow that threads into the switch gear. One is longer than the other.
Getting 2 with the same elbow makes it a little tricky to thread them both in.

alright, thanks. helps a lot...roll on = pulling on 'pull' cable. looks like z1 might have the right pn...

why do folks keep the push cable???

also the one nearest the tank at full lock (puller cable)
is really good to double check for tightness,as it can later rotate a tad un-noticed,and has ruined many a nice tank imo

trianglelaguna wrote:

why do folks keep the push cable???

It's a safety feature in case the carbs stick open. You can pull them closed.

Later, Doug

More info on the two cables in this post:
forums.kz650.info/index.php?topic=3177.0

o.k i just am always touching the clutch with a finger and my right hands thumb is auto tuned on kill switch over the throttle.....i guess to me the carbs have always seemed to "act" smoother/quicker responses......set right even stock carbs will snap closed/by eliminating the second pusher.....always wondered if i would regret it ,but still now is the first thing i do when setting up a bike for myself....


my first kz broke the pull cable at the beach in 1985... hitched a ride with friends home,and i left it there two days till a buddy pointed out that i could get a ride out there and switch the push cable over to pull and ride it back into town.....always just ran a pull after that......

trianglelaguna wrote:

why do folks keep the push cable???...

Also, besides the safety reason mentioned, the extra cable might come in handy if the open cable breaks.

The diagrams for the 650-CSR at Kawasaki.com list them as open & close cables. You might be able to find nos cables on ebbaayy. Did you try Z1Enterprises.com? They sell MotionPro cables. If they don't list one for your bike, contact them w your needs.

You can throw away the push cable. It's nothing more than a pain in the ass.

rstnick wrote:

More info on the two cables in this post:
forums.kz650.info/index.php?topic=3177.0

interesting discussion...nice how it abruptly ended. thanks for all the info...
looks like this forum split just as well as that one as far as single vs dual cable throttles go.

it seems that in all the cases i've read about so far the open cable is the one that fails, haven't seen any probs with the close cable yet...

JMKZHI wrote:

The diagrams for the 650-CSR at Kawasaki.com list them as open & close cables. You might be able to find nos cables on ebbaayy. Did you try Z1Enterprises.com? They sell MotionPro cables. If they don't list one for your bike, contact them w your needs.

yeah i was looking there and the feller at kzinfo said they worked for him. z1 has become my best internet friend the last few weeks...great replacement parts at super prices...much better than bikebandit and more reliable than ebay.