Gyrobob
Serious Thumper
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Posers ain't motorcyclists
Posts: 2571
Newnan, GA
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Here's a technique I've used several times over the past few decades. It seems like a lot of trouble, but once you do it you'll see it is not all that big a deal,.. Plus, I have never had to do it more than once on a given motorcycle, except for an 84 Gold Wing standard I had for 26 years.
Take the upper end of the cable out of the lever. This is not mandatory, it just makes the rest of the job easier.
Get a good quality can of spray chain lube,.. the kind that goes on wet, seeps in everywhere, and then dries out, leaving a synthetic lube coating everything inside.
Glue the red plastic straw that comes with the can of chain lube to the end of the cable sleeve where the cable enters the sleeve with silicone seal. Find some way to hold the straw in position so it opens up on the gap between the end of the sleeve and the cable. The straw will be somewhat parallel with the cable. I just use masking tape to hold the straw in place.
Put on a thin layer of sil seal. Let it cure for an hour or so, then put on another layer. Let it cure overnight.
The purpose here is to make a leakproof seal between the can and the sleeve.
After it is firm, wrap the joint with a few layers of electrical tape, shake the can a lot, and squirt the lube into the sleeve until you see it running out the other end. Let it dry for a few hours and do it again.
The reason for getting so anal with the sil seal is so the runny chain lube is applied with a lot of pressure to give it the best chance to reach every speck of surface and cable inside the sleeve. Using a new can of chain lube with a lot of propellant in it really shoves that fluid everywhere inside the sleeve, and tends to grab particles/chunks/dirt/etc., and flush them out the other end.
When done lubing, just peel/scrape off the sil seal.
When a synthetic lube is applied this way, you probably won't have to do it more than once every decade or so.
p.s. -- one guy I taught this to said after doing it a few times, he rigged up a welding vice grip (the kind with the wide flat plates for the gripping surface) with the gripping surfaces temporarily lined with a stiff 1/4 thick layer of neoprene or some such. he said he could clamp all the stuff together in two minutes that way, still achieving the hydraulic seal between the red straw and the end of the sleeve. I have not tried this,.. but it sounds interesting.
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