Okay, I know it's not a proper choke but my lever (2004 ZX6R) doesn't do anything anymore. I think it might feel looser than it used to so I'm suspecting the cable's broken or something? Sound right? Easy fix or can I use this as an excuse to buy a new GSXR750?!
Aye, I know... I test rode a 750 last year and it's the nicest bike I've ever ridden.
Hated the 1000 though (too fast to have fun on the roads with, you couldn't really wring it's neck... well I couldn't anyway!) and the 600 seemed a bit gutless after my 636 (not THAT much in it but noticeable.)
The 1000 was too much for me, call me a big fairy puff if ya like but I didn't enjoy it. I'd like it on a nice big sweeping track I reckon... but on OUR roads... not for me. The 750 was just plain good fun all the way.
Okay, I finally got around to getting a new choke cable and decided to "have a bash" at replacing it myself... I'm not really mechanically minded but I like to learn by experimentation!
Anyway, I've got this far -
My problem is at the blue circle where I cannot remove the cable housing. I figure I need to undo the nut at the red circle to release the blocking bitty. Trouble is I can't get to it, the frame and the bottom of the airbox are in the way. Never taken off any more of the airbox than the lid and air filter so kinda stuck... can't really see how to get the bottom off or whatever. Any advice!?
If you follow the line of the cable you will see a lead lump at the end. this is what holds the cable in place and you need to unhook it by creating slack and working the end free from it's housing.
Pull in the choke cable using the lever. then clamp the cable with some pliers just in front of your blue circle. This will create the slack you need. then look for a gap in the housing next to the end of the cable. This is where you feed the cable the free the lead lump.
Once it is free you should be able to pull the cable free from the housing without the need to remove bolts.
But... that'd just be for replacing the inner cable though wouldn't it? My replacement is a full cable, including the sleeve/housing, etc. I can't just replace the inner as it has the lead lump bits at both ends and cannot be removed from the sleeve.
Edit : It's all they'd sell me - the complete thing. I guess if I was more mechanical I could have bought some raw cable and done it somehow that way...
Very true, but the sleeve and cable should form one unit.
Try to release the tension on the cable and see if the sleeve frees up I can't see anything in the pic which holds the sleeve in place other than a wee metal clip which looks more like a guide (or keeper).
This is what the new cable looks like at that point -
The shoulder bit (you can see I have NFC about technical terms! )moves quite happily between the gold coloured bits on the bike, but it's impossible to actually remove as far as I can see. If the protruding bit to the right of the shoulder on teh above pic was shorter it's be okay... but it's not... it just slides back to the little "catch" thing you can see at the very left of the blue circle... which is held in place by the bolt in the red circle!
If as originally supposed, the cable IS broken, then pulling in the lever as Zathos suggests will not be required as the cable ought to be slack already. Try pulling on the cable and see what happens.
If it's not slack, then the problem could well be inside the carburettor. Possibly the shaft that is rotated to open/close the choke is broken for example.
Thanks for the tips and offers of help, much appreciated. I'll persevere a little and see what happens. Found some basic instructions for how to remove the whole airbox so will give that a try.... it's not that I WANTED to leave it in place, it's that I had no idea how to get the buger off!
Thanks again, will report back... possibly with a "For Sale: Unfinished Project" post in the Sales and Wants forum.
Took the whole airbox off and it was easy to get to that bolt and get the retainer off then... if I'd known how to do that before I'd have saved a lot of time... but oh well, lessons learned.