Custom length Clutch Cable: Where to Buy?

Hi everyone,
My brother in law has a 75 Mark3, he just broke the clutch cable at the handlebar end.
The cable is old and was due to fail soon. His handlebar is lower than stock.
He is in the state of Minnesota, St. Paul area, USA.
Who would he call that can make him up a new cable with the proper end fitments if he gives them the overall length?
Any website to go to, or a name and phone number?
Appreciate the advice!

highdesert said:

His handlebar is lower than stock.

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Which "stock" bar? Western, Hi-Rider or UK/European?

As the standard the UK/Euro. cable would probably fit with most low bars that are not too wide?

What is the approximate overall length of the required cable?

I expect you/he could get a cable made up closer to home, but Venhill in the UK would certainly make a special one up: http://www.venhill.co.uk/

Thanks LAB,
just to bump this question to the top,
Anyone help me with a recommendation of a US source to custom make up a clutch cable?

Why not make one yourself?

tpeever said:

Why not make one yourself?

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Investment in tools, pot, etc.

Training to make sure you do it right.

Cheaper to buy.

Try contacting Motion Pro. They made up a throttle cable for my Elefant.

http://www.motionpro.com

swoochdave has is right.

I don't have the tools, or the knowledge and experience to make up a clutch cable.

So yes, it is a lot cheaper and faster to buy one.

So far, thank you, motionpro is suggested as a source, I will contact them today.
Anyone else have any times of another source?
thanks to all in advance

yeah, my little po dunk honda shop recommended moitionpro when i asked them

I must be missing something here - why go to the bother of making a custom cable when you can just buy one already made?

I also have a Mark 3, with handlebars lower (and shorter) than stock. Mine are 28" wide vs. the standard 31" for stock US bars. Got them from Fair Spares America (Part # 06-5748).

Sounds like the same bars you are talking about.

Naturally, when I switched from the stock bars to these, I needed shorter throttle and clutch cables, as well as a shorter hydraulic line for the front brake.

I got the cables from Old Britts. http://www.oldbritts.com/ob_start.html

They have a chart listing 7 different lengths of clutch cable, and it describes which cable goes with which bars. I think I got the 47" cable. Old Britts has: 47", 51", 51 1/2", 56", and the super long 60.5" (Hi-Rider). Should be everything you need right there. Just measure the length of the cable you already have and order one from OldBritts online. No need to pay to have one made and hope it works

Good luck.

Again, my brother in law CANNOT make himself a clutch cable, and neither can I for him.
Neither of us has the knowledge, experience, or parts and tools to to do it.
Yes, we WISH we did, but we don't, hence my request for who to contact here in the states.
Looks like motionpro and oldbritts are the recommendations.
Thanks all

Buy vs. build a clutch cable?

Option 1: buy
- go to Oldbritts.com, or another Norton parts supplier that sells a range of clutch cables that already fit Commandos
- place order
- 3 days later - it shows up in your mailbox

hours of effort expended in the process - perhaps 15 minutes
Cost = $30


Option 2: build
- get an outer cable the right length (or maybe reuse the current one?)
- get an inner and cut it to the right length
- buy or borrow solder tools to solder on the cable end(s)
- solder it the first time
- install it on the bike
- crash into the side of a bus because the cable end popped off as you were at a stop sign
- repair the bike and pay the medical bills for a broken wrist and leg

Hours of effort - who knows?
Cost = plenty

No brainer in my book. Buy the off the shelf cable. It's not as if you could save a bundle of money making one anyway, even for those who have the tools and materials and can make one themselves.

PS - Motion Pro says they make custom cables. OldBritts sells Norton parts only, and has plenty of cables in stock that don't need to be custom-made. They are already on the shelf

I have rebuilt several Brit bikes and make most of my own cables now. Most of my restorations have been on bikes older and rarer than Commandos so parts availability is considerably less. I got tired of buying off-the-shelf cables that were of crappy quality and didn't fit right. Cable availability for these older bikes is really spotty and that was the major motivation for me getting into cablemaking. If you only plan on working on Commandos, I agree that learning how to make cables is not necessary. However, if you want to restore something more exotic, cablemaking is an important skill. And its fun!!! I enjoy making cables and I think they can be better than those you buy from suppliers. I guess it comes down to what you like to do, how you like to spend your time, and how much control you want over the entire restoration process. Some people like to build their own wheels, paint their own gas tanks etc. as well. To each his/her own.

ludwig said:

Anyone who does not have the skill ( or the ambition to aquire it ) to do basic maintenance work should stay away from classic motorcycles .

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...and if you never try splaying the wire into a nipple, you'll never make acquaintance with what is generally known for self-evident reasons as a "cat's arse"

No harm in trying a choke cable first. It really is a useful skill, even if you don't intend to do it all the time and the potential is there to make a much more durable item than some of the dreadful commercially available cables with cast on pot metal nipples

Funny this thread should come along now. The other day I lost both my tacho and my speedo to crappy "Made in UK" proudly labelled cables. I now have three dead tacho cables and three dead speedo cables in my workshop. I was so peeved I've ordered some braided stainless coated brake line with the correct internal dimensions and I'm having a small batch of fittings made up so that I can make some prototype cables. Forget the aluminium fittings. I'm going to polished stainless and I'll have some of the flat wire springs made for the tacho cable as well in stainless instead of the horrible turd plated stuff that's on there. I'm actually going to make sure that they are all the same length as well, unlike the crap that is sold to us now. How they can't even get the inners to the same length is just unbelievable. I really am annoyed because if you use your Norton as I do (1800 miles in the last four weeks) you just don't want to be in the workshop sorting out rubbish like this. If they work out well and the price isn't horrible they will be available within months from the distributors of my heads (plenty in stock now by the way). Spare inners will be available as well. That is, you won't have to change the whole thing just because the outer looks like crap. Anyway, I'll keep you informed.

Not to be a fence sitter but there are times when ordering a premade kit is easy - say... you are replacing everything.
on the other hand...
Just last week I took my Norton after a summer's neglect, new fork seals and resleved AMALs. I took it for a ride to get the pipes nice and blue when I pulled up to a stoplight my clutch cable goes. Upon examination it pulled out from the top barrell. As luck would have it, the intersection was my parents street. 1/2 an hour of rummaging in the basement produced a plumbing torch and some 1950's paste and lead. I fixed the cable and rode home.

My final though - this board is filled with do-it-yourself types, advocating a "wallet fix" is bound to provoke some flack. I did everything on my bike - from wrenching to paint to soldering. I cold farm out the work, but I like it. Hence the '66 Puch barn find I just dragged home on Monday! I am contemplating buying a roll of cable to redo mine and my buddies bikes - we always seem to need a cable and I fancy having a spare set in my tool roll.

P.

As you say, this is a board for folks who like to (or in any event, have to) do their own work - so any tech tips, youtube video tutorials etc. would be most welcome!!!

I've bought a Teflon lined clutch cable from Venhill in England.
http://www.venhill.co.uk/
Nicely made and makes for an easy pull with that super slippery lining.
Ordered on line and took about a week to get.
Shipipng is a little spendy though.

bob

rx7171, clicked on the website you suggested, wow really good stuff,
can you tell me if they ship to the United States or is this a Britain only store?
thanks

A few years ago I bought a Venhill clutch cable from http://clubmanracing.com/ located in Connecticut . Probably reduced the clutch pull over 50%.

highdesert said:

rx7171, clicked on the website you suggested, wow really good stuff,
can you tell me if they ship to the United States or is this a Britain only store?
thanks

Click to expand...

I bought the cable directly through their on-line store with no problem.
They are set up to send anywhere in the world.
Very easy transaction.

Bob