Lubing the cables

My throttle cable snapped last month, and this morning my clutch cable started to go (luckily I felt the strands start to break and headed back home before I got stranded in rush-hour traffic).  Granted they are old, they haven't even been properly used in 5-10 years before I got the bike running again, but it still worries me.  As I was looking for compatible part numbers this morning I ran across several mentions of the need to frequently lube the cables on the Kaw.  This is actually news to me!  When I got my first bike (a Yamaha 650) back in 1990 the clutch cable snapped within a few months of purchase.  I replaced it with a new cable, never applied any lube, and it worked fine for the next 20 years.  So why the need for yearly lubing of the Kaw cables???

Regardless, I have a new Motion Pro clutch cable on order and need to figure out what I can use as a proper lube.  When I replaced the throttle cable, I sprayed some liquid graphite down the housing, worked the cable, then installed it on the bike.  Is there more I should be doing?  I saw a reference about putting grease around the barrels, would a synthetic axle grease provide a long-lasting solution for this?  That's actually the same grease I used after cleaning the clutch mechanism and it's been a good catch-all for a lot of things over the years.  Another thing I read about was the possibility of burrs in the tension adjuster, so I'll check that this weekend.  The cable length appears right, there's no excessive loops and it doesn't pull tight anywhere while rotating the handlebars, and the Motion Pro replacement appears to be of the same length.  Is there anything else I should be checking for?

Thanks in advance.  I'm gonna miss riding to work over the next few days.

I would think lubricating cables is a universal thing. I don't know the best lubricant, but I use Liquid wrench chain & cable lube on the inner cable & Permatex ultra brake caliper lube on the cable ends. Clean everything beforehand. In some cases you may have to file off any burrs or bad spots on the cable ends & maybe on the lever where the cable end fits.


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Here's a picture from the KZ650 Kawasaki Service Manual.  Ed

Motion Pro, sells a clamp-on luber and a can of cable lube. I've had one for years. Just Google it, and you'll see what it is. There's others like it too.

The baggie w/motor oil works just fine.  I've got a Motion Pro luber but the baggie works as well or better.  

BTW, OEM cables are better than Motion Pro.  If you got lower than stock bars look for some GPz cables or cables from a similar bike that came stock with low bars.  P/N's available on Partzilla or similar.

The baggie and oil trick is old skool. Used it like 30 years ago. You have to wait day(s) for the oil to seep through the cable from one end to the other using gravity and capillary action for it to work. Oil leaks past the baggie, coating the outside of the cable's sheath, creating a mess.

A modern cable luber is much better. Less mess, with lube designed for the specific application. Lube is forced through the cable by the aerosol can's pressure in literally minutes, and you're ready to reassemble and ride. Unlike the baggie and oil method, that is like watching paint dry.

Where are the facts to prove that Motion Pro's cables' materials and manufacturing methods are inferior to the OEM cables?

I'm sure the cable luber works fine and may have advantages over the bag method, but I've never had a problem using the bag method.  Of course I've only been using the old skool bag method for lubing motorcycle cables for 53 years, so maybe I've just been lucky.     Ed

Oil will work it's way down the cable using the baggie method in about 5-10 mins.  Use a rubber band around the cable/baggie and you won't get leakage.  

My evidence that OEM cables are better than Motion Pro is through countless posts about this on The GS Resources.  

The center adjuster isn't as long as OEM for one thing and they don't last more than a year or so. 
Steve
kzrider.com/forum/5-chassis/599386-cable-lube#686679

I use the Motion Pro tool. It is quick, easy and clean.

motion pro cable lube tool

I use the baggie and haven't found it problematic.  I'm done about 10 minutes and it's not messy if you're careful.  I don't use a rubber band, I use electrical tape to seal the baggie to the cable.

I've used OEM cables and motion pro.  The OEM cables felt infinitely better.  I never had a motion pro cable break because I only use them temporarily in emergencies.

How often are you doing these to the cabels?