throttle broken

Tried to start my 81 xj650 maxim this morning. The starter sounds fine but engine didn't start.

Found the throttle sticky and loose-- feels kind of gritty and doesn't spring back to position.

I'm assuming (hoping) the two problems are connected. And that I won't need any special skill to deal with this. I have an xj cd that I got on ebay (not the official cd) but I don't think it has dis-assembly diagrams for the throttle. Any recommendations about what I should look for?

Thanks-

 

OK the throttle cable broke inside the grip. I got the part # from stadium yamaha. Looks like the gas tank has to come off for me to get in there?

 

Yes, but it is an easy fix. You can do it on the side of the road, if necessary. How do I know? Don't ask. Let's just say I had an experience once.

Anyway, take the tank away, push the throttle linkage up with your thumb, and kinda get that lead cylinder off of the little hook it is in.

Then pull the whole cable jacket out, noting how it was run.

Undo the screw holding the other end of that cable jacket to the right handle. Also loosen the screws holding the starter button housing, so that the throttle handle slips out.

Put a little silicone grease in that little hole where the new throttle cable will go, on the handle.

Now, just reverse the order!

Once it is on, if there is any "play" in the cable, it can be adjusted by the long hex looking thing under the throttle handle.

It has a stop nut holding it in place. Loosen the stop nut, and turn that long hex looking thing and feel the throttle until there is no play, before the carb linkage startes to engage. Tighten down that stop nut, and go ride that pig!

 

You ought to be able to get a Brand New Cable and Sheath "Made-up" for you at a decent Bicycle Shop.

They'll match-up the Sheath and Ends.
Make a New Cable with Bullets matching yours for 10-bucks or so.

 

Thanks guys. That's just the info I needed. I've got a replacement coming in tomorrow afternoon.

On the upside, I got to spend some quality time with my bike today, installed new windshield, scrubbed off some rust...

 

Installed the cable this afternoon. Thanks for the directions-- it worked out great. Throttle feels wicked smooth now, so much better than before.

I'm curious about why the bike wouldn't start when the cable was broken. Maybe a loose strand kept the throttle stuck open?

If anyone else has to do this-- I paid $15 for a cable made by MotionPro. (I think oem would be about twice as much?) Identical to oem except the metal cuff at the carburetor end of the sheath is a quarter inch longer. So it looks like it's not properly seated in the the little cup. I spent like 5 minutes trying to push it in until I thought to compare it with the oem cuff.

Thanks again for the help.

 

I took her out for 15 miles this eve. The bike rides completely different. I must have gotten used to the old stiff throttle because now I am very jerky.

The windshield is really cramping the cables. At one point it was pushing open the throttle when I had the handlebars turned far right. Really bad. Also the friction zone seems to have moved out a lot, which is just weird. Is that because the clutch cable is bent up?

 

Run the Cables efficiently to not be bound with the Handlebars straight ahead.

Pull the Cable Sheath toward the rear of the Bike to insure the Throttles are not being opened.

Duct Tape the Cable to the Frame Center Pipe.
Tape the Cable in SEVERAL Places.

 

Thanks Rick, I'll do so.

I heard from a "reliable source" that I'm supposed to leave 1/5" freeplay on the throttle and clutch controls. Haven't heard this anywhere else, what do you guys think? I set up my throttle to have NO play, and I'm planning to loosen it up... unless I hear otherwise.

Rick, also plan to follow your clutch adjustment directions.

Dunno where I'd be without this website. Prolly stuck $500 and riding the bus everywhere.

 

You should always have some play in all of your cables. Otherwise they will continually rub inside the sheath under tension and wear prematurely. About 1/8" turn on the throttle is fine, and as long as you can easily pull the clutch cable sheath about 1/16" out of the clutch perch, that's OK.

 

or approx 2mm if using metric measurements.

 

This was a few weeks ago. Just wanted to thank everyone again for the help-- and big thanks to skippy for the directions.

I found the amount of play in the throttle cable varies depending on where the handlebars are pointed, so I adjusted to have the minimum play at the far left and right. It ends up that have a lot more play than I'd like when the handlebars are pointed straight, but I figure that's fine.

Anyways, going through this definitely gave me confidence to do some more work. I ordered new clutch and choke cables, and I'm getting ready to replace the tank with a 750 tank.

 

Nice fix. Congratulations!