Throttle Cable Anti-Chafe Sleeve.

Throttle Cable Chafe:

As previously mentioned on another page the throttle cable route through the bike is planned to cause the least amount of interference with other cables and components to give smooth operation of the throttle mechanism. It was discovered however that the slotted bracket at the front of the bike attached to the steering mechanism did keep the throttle cables tidy and away from other cables and components but the slotted bracket had it's own inherent problems. The main cause of concern was the amount at which the outer plastic sleeving was wearing away from the throttle cable due to the movement within the slotted bracket, it was quite evident that the bracket slot was chaffing against the throttle cables when used under normal conditions which was a bit of a concern.

What To Use:

What I decided to do was put something flexible around the throttle cable at the point that it was wearing, this would be a sacrificial item that could be replaced at any time. What I found was some 4mm bore spiral binding that is usually used to tidy up wiring looms, (figure 1). It is made from nylon and has a wall thickness of about 1mm and should make an ideal outer cable protector. It is easily stretched apart because of it's spiral cut along the length, (figure 2) this makes it easy to start the wrapping process around another tubular object, (figure 3).

The Fix:

Cut a piece of Spiral Binding to a length of approximately 150mm, (6" inches) using a sharp modeling or Stanley Knife. Stretch the Spiral Binding apart near the middle and start the wrap around the throttle cable at the point at which it touches the slotted bracket. Wrap from the centre point up and down the throttle cable pushing the spiral join together as you go keeping it even, (figure 4). There is enough residual tension in the Spiral Binding to hold it securely to the throttle cable outer plastic sleeving but I guess some sticky tape could secure the ends if so desired. This modification is pretty simple to do and can be done without removing any parts from the bike even though it is a bit tricky working through the slotted bracket. More views are shown in figures 5 & 6.

Figure 1: Spiral Binding loom tidy sleeving shown in it's natural free state (Un-stretched).

Spiral Binding (Free state).
Figure 1.

Figure 3: By stretching the Spiral Binding apart you can easily start off the wrapping point as shown here wrapped around a pen.

Spiral Binding (Wrap)
Figure 3.

Figure 5: Top view showing the spiral binding around the throttle cables to protect the outer plastic sleeving from chaffing.

Throttle Cables Top View.
Figure 5.

Figure 2: Spiral Binding loom tidy sleeving shown in it's Stretched condition.

Spiral Binding (Stretched).
Figure 2.

Figure 4: This picture shows the route the throttle cables take through the slotted bracket and the added 150mm length of spiral binding around the throttle cable roughly at the centre point at which the chaffing would occur.

Throttle Cables Side View.
Figure 4.

Figure 6: Another side view showing the spiral binding around the throttle cables to protect the outer plastic sleeving from chaffing.

Throttle Cables Side View.
Figure 6.