Replacing the throttle cable on an '82 XS400

[Metroknow]

I recently noticed on my '82 XS400 that the throttle seemed to be sticking a bit - sure enough, [edited] the throttle housing [/edited] was broken at the handlebar end and "repaired" with some electrical tape by the previous owner (I've had it for a couple months or so).

Rather than monkeying around with it to try to fix it and just hope it holds, I just ordered a replacement cable and plan to install it this week. Having not done this before, any tips? Will I need to pull the tank to route and secure it, or can I thread it through with the tank still on? Either way it will get done, but I'm hoping I can avoid draining the tank and disassembling too much. On the other hand, the petcock appears to be leaking so it may be a "two birds" kind of weekend...

 

[JaredK]

You should be able to replace the thing without taking the whole tank off - which only takes about 30 seconds anyway, so if you want to make sure you have lots of room to work you might as well do it.

I'm guessing the cable housing is cracked? I can't imagine the cable itself would hold together with electrical tape for very long. If it is the housing, have a close look at the cable and make sure nothing is frayed or bent.

 

[Metroknow]

You are correct JaredK - it's the housing. Here's a photo.

Thanks for the tip - I should just do it to make it a little easier on myself .

 

[Sesty]

taking the tank off adds only 45 seconds to the process, so might be easier to just take it off. some people fasten some string to the end of the cable so when they pull it out they you can easily see where it was routed.

 

[Metroknow]

Excellent - so it sounds like I don't need to drain the gas and disconnect hoses and such - just pull the seat so that I can get to the tank bolt (I need to look at the service manual when I get home to be sure - just guessing from previous experience), take that tank bolt out and then I can prop the tank up a bit?

 

[JaredK]

Yup, take off the tank bolt and then wiggle the tank backwards. The two tank mounts on the tank frame are just a friction fit.

Don't forget to disconnect the fuel line and vacuum line from the petcock if you want to take the tank all the way off (if the petcock is set to ON instead of PRI, no fuel will flow, unless your petcock is in really bad shape)

 

[Metroknow]

Thanks JaredK. I took the seat off tonight to check it out - looks very straightforward. When I get the cable it *should* be a quick job.

One thing I noticed - the reason the throttle housing busted is because when the PO replaced the stock bars with drag bars, the controls now hit the tank when the handlebars are turned sharply to the right or left (enough so that the choke has scratched the rattle can paint). I'm going to try to adjust the rotation of the controls (not sure if there's a notch that they have to fit in, but we'll see) to see if I can avoid that. If not, I may have to do something hokey like put a small rubber pad as a spacer...yuck...OR, get totally crazy and put some knee dents in the tank .

But maybe that's just the bike fever talking...

 

[ScottLuke]

After installation. Be sure to turn the bars left to right, making sure the idle doesn't change. If it does, the cable is bound someone. Just a tip. I am in NE Portland, once I get my head and cylinders back we should try and set up a ride if your down. Goodluck

 

[Metroknow]

That would be great ScottLuke. Now I'm just waiting for the cable. I will likely add a riser to the handlebars as well to get them off the tank and hopefully preventing the cable housing from breaking. Thanks for the tip on checking for binding too.

 

[JaredK]

You can rotate the controls to see if it helps with clearance. There is no notch in the bars to line up with. You might also be able to adjust the height/angle of the drag bars to get it to clear the tank. Can be tricky though, the Maxim tank is pretty bulky up front.

I'll be putting clip-ons on my Maxim when I take it out of winter storage next week or so, and to get tank clearance I'll probably end up modifying the turn stops, either on the frame or on the tripple. I'm running clubman bars now and everything barely clears.

While you're waiting for a cable, I'm sure a bit of Gorilla super glue would do the trick... just don't get it on your cable