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Lubricating Cables/Throttle

glider

Veteran Member
CABLE LUBRICATION

When lubricating the control cables on your motorcycle, be careful what you use to lube them with. NEVER use chain lube on a cable. a lot of people use motor oil to lube their cables with. Motor oil does work and is a lot better than nothing at all, however, it does have its drawbacks. Motor oil can pick up road dirt, which will make the cable hang up and wear out faster. Motor oil is also pretty messy.

A good product I found for this is DRI SLIDE. It comes with the needle tip and is easier than most methods and works well. Used on the bars under the throttle sleeve, it gives excellent action and makes the throttle respond very well. It can stain the braided cables with the clear coating on them.

Available here Iron Braid - Product Index


From their web page....

Dri-Slide ® (also known as bike aid), a multi-purpose lubricant made by Lilly Industries, that coats and protects better than any other commercial substance. Unlike other oil based lubri-cants, which attract harmful particulates that can cause damage, Dri-Slide goes on wet but stays on dry. Made from a naturally occurring ore similar to graphite, Dri-Slide (Molybdenum Disulfides or MoS2) is ideal for cables and other key mechanical pivot points. Avoid downtime and replacement costs, by using the first choice of professionals—Dri-Slide.

Features & Choices:

Dri-Slide is a petroleum based liquid medium that can be applied to virtually any surface needing lubrication.

Goes on wet but dries to leave a long lasting film that resists wear, water, dirt and other harmful UV elements.

Because it goes on in liquid form, Dri-Slide can penetrate deep down into the smallest spaces.

Because Dri-Slide is a dry film lubricant, it may be used in extreme environmental conditions.

Withstands pressure up to 100,000 pounds per square inch.

The perfect lubricant for all general and household uses.

Caution: Dri Slide can stain fabrics.
 
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Dri Slide Cable Lube

I've heard this is a good product but will turn my diamond plate cables black? Has anyone used it and had this problem? I spent a lot of money on my diamond braided cables and certainly don't want them turning black.
 
Re: Dri Slide Cable Lube

Dri Slide is great for early style cables but for braided or cables on 07 & later Harleys I use a silicone spray lube you can get from most auto parts stores, or Harley's super oil for cables works well, Dri Slide will turn your diamond braided cables black if you use it.
 
The dealership used to work at sold this stuff and we used it untill bikes would come back with sticking cables. Personally it is a good lubricant, but i dont use it on cables. It tends to gum up inside the cable housing, causing sticky cables. Stuff works great on Exhaust slip fit areas(removing slipon mufflers). I usually use inox or triflowon cables, which is a teflon base lube that harley recommends.
 
The dealership used to work at sold this stuff and we used it untill bikes would come back with sticking cables. Personally it is a good lubricant, but i dont use it on cables. It tends to gum up inside the cable housing, causing sticky cables. Stuff works great on Exhaust slip fit areas(removing slipon mufflers). I usually use inox or triflowon cables, which is a teflon base lube that harley recommends.
How do you get the Tri-Flow in there?

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
I've been using Teflon dry lube to good measure; seems to last forever, but I don't wait that long for maintenance.
 
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