Push/Pull Throttle only?

woody1981

Coast to Coast
DTT BOTM WINNER
On my CB350F I just noticed that down by the carbs it is setup for a push-pull dual throttle cable setup. The throttle that was on it was just a single cable type and the return spring was doing its job just fine. I am replacing the throttle grip and I was wondering if I should get a dual type throttle and go back to dual cables, or if its okay to just run the single cable throttle I was going to use?

Thanks.

- Woody
 
OK, this is MY OPINION ONLY; as always, YMMV...

IN MY OPINION, Honda used dual throttle cables mainly to reduce the chances of having the throttle stick open while riding. They also used ridiculously over-sized throttle-return springs, again, mainly to help ensure that the throttle would close properly under any circumstances. IIRC, they installed the SAME (heavy) throttle-return spring on just about every set of carbs they used, regardless of engine size... It's also entirely possible that the Honda corporate attorneys saw ANOTHER benefit to the dual-cable setup; using dual cables probably helped to reduce the possibility of lawsuits resulting from, you guessed it, a stuck throttle...

Back in the day, it was fairly common to see only one throttle cable being used; riders removed the second cable knowing full well what the consequences might be. As long as you know WHY Honda used the dual-cable setup, and accept the risk, however slight it might be, that the throttle could stick open while you're riding, I don't see any reason why you should worry about the presence or absence of one of the throttle cables, which is really only there for a worst-case scenario.

In the final analysis, this is your call; if you're happy with the way things work with only one cable, and you know what to do in case the throttle sticks open, then I for one don't see any reason why you shouldn't run your 350F just the way it is. Over the years, I've bought a few '70's-era Hondas that had both cables installed, and a few that had only one cable, and I never felt the need to install the second cable. I never cared one way or the other if the second cable was there or not; as long as the motorcycle worked as I expected with a single cable, I was happy.

Other might feel differently about this, but if you're not sure what to do about this, just flip a coin, or consult a Magic 8 Ball, and enjoy your ride, whether you continue to use only a single cable, or install a second one. I think that the only REAL benefit to having a second cable installed is that if the pull-cable ever broke, you could probably rig the push-cable to work the throttle, and not be stuck by the side of the road. That second cable would probably get you home without a lot of fuss and bother...

OK, I'm just about finished ranting about the dual-throttle cable setup; whatever you do, don't get me started about the ridiculously strong throttle-return spring... -- kd
 
kneedragger said:
...I think that the only REAL benefit to having a second cable installed is that if the pull-cable ever broke, you could probably rig the push-cable to work the throttle, and not be stuck by the side of the road. That second cable would probably get you home without a lot of fuss and bother...

That's what I was going to say, happened tome the other week.
 
mysta2 said:
That's what I was going to say, happened tome the other week.
Thanks for posting that; I always suspected that the second cable could come in handy for something...

-- kd
 
Works great, my throttle went slack as soon as I turned into the parking lot of Lowes (a very fortunate destination as I needed plyers, a wrench, and a screwdriver) The only issue with it is that you can't tighten the grip down or it will bind the cable up, so I ended up basicly holding the break lever with my index finger to modulate the throttle relative to it, otherwise the whole grip would twist and do nothing. I'll be puting both cables back on when I get them :)

Any day the bike arrives back home under its' own power is a good day!
 
I run only one cable on my 400 twin the spring is more then enough to close the throttle and I think 1 cable looks cleaner then 2. If it sticks I can reach the linkage while riding the bike. One time back in the day my gandpa rode around with no throttle cable by having his passenger reach down and control the cards directly. how do people get into an accident with a stuck throttle when the bike has a clutch, neutral, kill switch and brakes?
 
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