Cables, levers & controls

How it works

The controls on the bars and at your feet pass your inputs to the bike: throttle, clutch lever, front brake lever, rear brake pedal, choke. Many use sheathed cables: a steel inner cable slides in an outer sheath, and both ends can be adjusted to set the free play (the small slack before the control acts). Other controls are hydraulic, like most brakes and some clutches. Over time a cable corrodes, frays or binds in its sheath: the control becomes heavy, jerky or returns poorly. A sticking throttle cable is dangerous, because the engine won't drop back to idle. Levers can bend or break in a fall, and their pivots must be kept clean and lubricated. A badly routed cable can also pull tight when you turn the bars. Correct free play, neither zero nor excessive, is the key to precise controls.

Maintenance tips

• ✓Check the free play of each control (throttle, clutch, brake) against the manual and adjust with the adjusters.
• ✓The throttle must snap back to idle on its own, with the bars turned fully left and right.
• ✓Lubricate cables with cable lube and lever pivots with a little grease.
• ✓Replace a frayed or sticking cable straight away.
• ✓After a fall, check the levers are not bent or cracked before riding on.