Hoping new levers and cable lube helps!

[mjesenovec]

I've ridden my "new to me" 2007 FZ6 a handful of times so far in a the past few weeks. I've noticed the stock levers are pretty awkward for me. I naturally try to 2-3 finger the clutch lever, as it feels more natural, but just end up squishing the rest of my knuckles. Plus, I don't have huge hands and the stock clutch lever is a bit of a reach. I don't know why using all 4 fingers feels weird to me...might be from the years of riding mountain bikes, but who knows.

I just got my Mad Hornets foldable shorty adjustable levers in. Can't wait to install them! Initial quality and feel is good, click adjustments feel solid. Overall weight is surprisingly light as well.

I also found a 4 pack of ink cartridge syringes on Amazon for $2-$3 that I will use to lube my cables with synthetic oil. Figured since i'm swapping levers anyway, it'll be a good time to get the clutch cable lubed at least. I've heard a lubed cable makes a big difference in smoothness, so i'm excited to see how it feels.

I'll try to get some pics and after-install impressions once I'm able to get the levers on.

 

[thisisbenji]

You really are dumping the money into the new bike huh?

 

[mjesenovec]

Lol you know...it's funny how this has played out so far. I originally had it in my head that I was just going to buy the bike, and just ride it and be happy. I had no idea there was so much little stuff that I would want to change to make it feel the way I want it. Before I knew it, on top of all the maintenance stuff, I have levers, bar risers, and a bunch of other smaller things I had no idea even existed a few weeks ago. Oh well. Once I get all this stuff out of the way and the bike feels the way I want it to, i won't have to spend so much money! This initial "setup" of the bike is a lot of random $20-$50 mods, but at least they're all one-time purchases.

 

[FIZZER6]

I believe I'm the one who recommended the ink cartridge syringes for lubing the cables.

The trick is to add oil slowly. If the syringe tip wont go down the sheath some you may have to flatten the tip by lightly crushing it so it's slightly flattened. add oil very slowly as it takes time for it to run down that narrow cable sheath. When it's full of oil it will start to seep out on the transmission housing end of the cable. Enjoy! It will make a huge difference. :thumbup:

 

[thisisbenji]

I dumped some of this Tri-Flow stuff down my cables on Sunday. It does wonders.

 

[mjesenovec]

I believe I'm the one who recommended the ink cartridge syringes for lubing the cables.

The trick is to add oil slowly. If the syringe tip wont go down the sheath some you may have to flatten the tip by lightly crushing it so it's slightly flattened. add oil very slowly as it takes time for it to run down that narrow cable sheath. When it's full of oil it will start to seep out on the transmission housing end of the cable. Enjoy! It will make a huge difference. :thumbup:

Yep! Pretty sure you were the one that I heard it from. Sounded legit, so I didn't mind the $3 or whatever it was for a 4 pack of syringes. I even got my brother a pack for his bike, or any other bike he works on. He's been my mechanic so far and has done most of my maintenance and installs. Only things i've installed myself so far are my new battery (after getting stranded and having to call for a tow last week) and my new grips.

 

[mjesenovec]

I dumped some of this Tri-Flow stuff down my cables on Sunday. It does wonders.

Did you do your throttle cables too? I'm comfortable with my clutch cable, as that's no big deal. I'm just kinda iffy about having to disconnect my throttle cables.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

I lubed my clutch cable just yesterday and left the throttle cables alone. I adjusted the throttle slack so that I could open the throttle to WOT and then let go and I could hear the throttle plates snap back shut.

 

[thisisbenji]

Did you do your throttle cables too? I'm comfortable with my clutch cable, as that's no big deal. I'm just kinda iffy about having to disconnect my throttle cables.

Just clutch, throttle feels fine. I don't think I'd mind doing the throttle cable though, I'v done it on past bikes.

 

[mjesenovec]

Just clutch, throttle feels fine. I don't think I'd mind doing the throttle cable though, I'v done it on past bikes.

I'm sure it's not that bad, I've just never done it so i feel sketchy about it. Once I do it or see it done, i'm sure it'd be fine.

 

[nitroheadz28]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bike-Dri-Slide-4oz-Needle-Nozzle/dp/B001F2Y25G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1427297417&sr=8-4&keywords=cable+lube"]Amazon.com : Bike Aid Dri-Slide 4oz. Lube with Needle Nozzle : Bike Oils : Sports & Outdoors[/ame]

I used this last year on all my cables, worked great.


I bought my FZ with shorty levers already installed, once I rode a stock one it felt fairly uncomfortable. The reach on them was long for me and I have large hands.

 

[FIZZER6]

I'm sure it's not that bad, I've just never done it so i feel sketchy about it. Once I do it or see it done, i'm sure it'd be fine.

It's actually much less to it than you think. If you can change an air filter on your bike you can open up the throttle cable housing and lube the cables and then put it back together.

It's just 2 screws from underneath that are removed, separate the upper housing to expose the cables and then you may be able to lubricate the sheathes without removing them at all.

Also it's a good idea to remove the throttle grip tube completely and lubricate where the tube rides on the metal bar end. I did mine finally last year and it was dirty and a bit of rust under there! cleaned it up and polished it with an air buffer and then coated with silicone grease and the throttle has felt much smoother ever since. Plus now it won't rust more.

 

[mjesenovec]

It's actually much less to it than you think. If you can change an air filter on your bike you can open up the throttle cable housing and lube the cables and then put it back together.

It's just 2 screws from underneath that are removed, separate the upper housing to expose the cables and then you may be able to lubricate the sheathes without removing them at all.

Also it's a good idea to remove the throttle grip tube completely and lubricate where the tube rides on the metal bar end. I did mine finally last year and it was dirty and a bit of rust under there! cleaned it up and polished it with an air buffer and then coated with silicone grease and the throttle has felt much smoother ever since. Plus now it won't rust more.

Hmm. If it's just a couple screws and I can at least look inside and see how everything's connected, i'm sure i could handle that. Once you open the housing, is it easy to remove/inspect the throttle tube? I just recently replaced my grips, but didn't really look to see how it was all connected.

 

[FIZZER6]

Hmm. If it's just a couple screws and I can at least look inside and see how everything's connected, i'm sure i could handle that. Once you open the housing, is it easy to remove/inspect the throttle tube? I just recently replaced my grips, but didn't really look to see how it was all connected.

Once you remove the top of the throttle housing you will see the cables running around the end of the throttle tube. There are 2 cables, one opens the throttle when pulled the other is called the return cable which helps the throttle grip return to closed when released. Both cables are connected to the throttle grip tube end using barrels, just like the end of the clutch cable.

The important thing is to take a picture of how they are attached before dissasembling, makes it much easier to reassemble!

You turn the throttle grip to give one cable enough slack to pull the barrel out of the throttle tube and then turn the grip the other way to remove the second cable. Installation is the reverse. Just make sure you dont' mix up the cables. The cable tubes only go into the lower housing one way so it's usually pretty obvious how the go back together.

 

[mjesenovec]

Once you remove the top of the throttle housing you will see the cables running around the end of the throttle tube. There are 2 cables, one opens the throttle when pulled the other is called the return cable which helps the throttle grip return to closed when released. Both cables are connected to the throttle grip tube end using barrels, just like the end of the clutch cable.

The important thing is to take a picture of how they are attached before dissasembling, makes it much easier to reassemble!

You turn the throttle grip to give one cable enough slack to pull the barrel out of the throttle tube and then turn the grip the other way to remove the second cable. Installation is the reverse. Just make sure you dont' mix up the cables. The cable tubes only go into the lower housing one way so it's usually pretty obvious how the go back together.

Oh...that looks super simple. Now I feel dumb for letting it scare me. lol

 

[mjesenovec]

Got my shorty levers installed, and clutch cable lubed. WOW what a difference.

The levers feel great, and the 2-3 finger method feels much more natural. Also, pulling the levers in a couple clicks really made the reach a lot better.

For the cable, I got some ink cartridge syringes off amazon. My brother ended up putting 4mL of Royal Purple 5W-30 in my clutch cable, and it made a world of difference. The friction zone has 10x more feel to it. It's a night and day difference when it comes to smoothness and feel now. Feathering the clutch is almost effortless. Feels a lot less jerky from a dead stop, and every shift even feels more crisp. I even stalled it a couple times because of how different it felt. I will DEFINITELY make cable lube one of my annual maintenance tasks for sure. I couldn't believe how much of a difference it made. My brother has only been up and down the street twice on my bike, and he noticed a huge difference as well.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Glad to hear it's helped! I lubed mine up this season as well and the clutch is a completely different beast after, it's MUCH more manageable.

 

[mjesenovec]

Glad to hear it's helped! I lubed mine up this season as well and the clutch is a completely different beast after, it's MUCH more manageable.

Like I knew it was going to make a difference. I just didn't know the difference would have been that huge. Feels completely different, and in a very good way!

 

[FinalImpact]

My interval is 2k - 2.5k mi. and the clutch needs lube. So thats a couple times a year for me.

If you buy syringes, non-steril, oil resistant, applicator type as its cheaper and lasts longer. In addition, those with Luer Lock can be fitted with dispensor applicator tips so your tubing doesnt shoot off the end.

Chain lube applicator:

Cable lube applicator fitted with 0.032" teflon tube. It easily fits inside the sheath so no oil comes out the top.