How To Clean/Lubricate Your Throttle Cable: 

Regularly checking and lubing the throttle components will prevent the cable from early damage. It will ensure a smooth throttle action and prevent the chance of the throttle getting stuck wide open. In order to clean, first, spray off the dirt using compressed air and a light degreaser or brake cleaner. Then, use a lubricant designed for throttle cables. My two favorites are dri-slide and sprayable gel lube. If you don’t lubricate and clean your throttle cable it can stick open, causing the bike to be stuck full throttle. 

This happened to me recently on my Honda Elite Scooter, and it was a scary ride at full throttle for a couple seconds. It took me a second or two to remember I could hit the kill switch to stop the scooter. I would highly recommend you avoid this happening to you, by keeping up on cleaning and lubing your throttle cable.

You should clean and lubricate your throttle cable not just for your safety. A smooth throttle cable also helps lower the chances of arm pump (tendon pain in the wrist).

When my throttle cable got stuck I went to my local old school motorcycle mechanic. He simply handed me a bottle of dri-slide and told me to work it up and down the cable. In no time my cable was smooth again.

He has been working on bikes for 30+ years and told me it was the best cable lube he had ever found. Check the price of dri-slide lubricant on Amazon here.

When was the last time you lubricated your throttle cable?

How often should you lubricate your throttle cable on your car, scooter or motorcycle?

I recommend checking and lubricating your throttle cable on your motorcycle, car, or scooter every oil change.

A couple drops of lubricant applied frequently will make sure everything stays friction free. It takes literally 5 seconds to do if you don’t have to take it all apart and can prevent a lot of future headaches. On cars, it is less necessary to do often, but on any old vintage motorcycles or scooters, it can be really important.  

How To Clean & Lubricate The Throttle Cable On A Scooter In A Few Easy Steps:

• Find the throttle cable near on the handlebars. You may have to remove a bolt (mark it so you know how tight it was before taking it off.)
• It may have a rubber type sleeve– in which case peel that back to expose the cable.

Important: Most modern dirt bikes and motorcycles have two cables instead of one – a push and a pull cable. This ensures that the throttle will release and not get stuck. My 1985 Honda Elite Scooter’s throttle cable did not have the accessory and is why it got stuck on a wide open throttle.

• On my Honda Elite, I didn’t even mess with the cable at the top on the handlebars, because I could feel the cable was sticky down by the carb. However, I recommend lubricating it from the top down (let gravity help you).
• Remove the fuel tank and seat so you can get to the carb.
• Release the end of the throttle cable from the carb so you can take it in your hand and hold it up in the air (so gravity will help you).
• Usually, the way you release it is by pulling the carb throttle wide open (twist your wrist at the top) and hold it open then maneuver the wire around and pop the cable out of the carb. Video here will show you how to do this.
• Once you have the cable released from the carb, start putting dri-slide down the cable while holding the cable vertically (so gravity helps).

Keep applying the lubricant until the throttle feels like it is loosening up:

• Then using a helper or doing it yourself, work the cable in and out. Do this by opening and closing the throttle with your wrist while applying more lubricant.
• Keep doing this, and keep applying lubricant. You want it to really work its way up and down that line. Don’t use the whole bottle, but keep applying a couple drops then work it, then apply couple drops. Once you feel it sliding around nice and smooth you can reinstall it by following the same steps in reverse.
• Make sure to adjust the throttle cable so it has enough slack to let the throttle plate close entirely (otherwise the scooter or dirt bike will have a racing idle RPM and no adjustment will fix it). That is because the throttle cable isn’t allowing it to return fully closed.
• A lot of people buy a special product here that helps you force fluid into the cable (here’s one on Amazon). I don’t think these are necessary, and they tend to cost a lot of money / not have great reviews.
• Today, when I stopped at my local motorcycle mechanic he told me the best lubricant he has found in all his years was dri-slide (link to Amazon) with the needle tip nozzle.
• He handed it to me today when I asked for some lube for my sticky throttle, and the label was missing it was used so much.
• It seriously worked like magic and immediately fixed my sticky throttle cable.

Be aware of Teflon Coated Throttle Cables:

Some modern cables are Teflon coated. They shouldn’t be lubed according to the manufacturer. Personally, I like lubricating everything, and you can probably get away with using a Teflon lubricant like this.

Tip: Don’t use regular grease on the throttle tube as it will only gum it up over time and attract dirt. It is perfectly fine to use a fine spray lube like WD40 or CRC.

However, I personally recommend the dri-slide lubricant, you can find it here (click here to check it out on Amazon).

If you notice that the throttle cable is damaged or frayed then you need to replace it.

A broken throttle cable may not seem like a big deal, but it can either get stuck wide open or leave you on the side of the road.

Tip: Make sure the rubber sleeve goes back in place and adjust the play using the throttle adjuster where the cable enters the housing.

You want a bit of slack, too tight means it will never fully allow the throttle to close (racing RPM’s at idle).

That is about all there is to fixing a sticky throttle cable on a motorcycle, scooter, ATV, or even a car.

Anything that uses a cable is prone to getting sticky, and all cables can use some lubricant (except those pesky Teflon ones).

Pro Question: How often should I clean and lube the throttle cable on my Scooter?

Answer: I would do this every oil change which is about 1000 miles on my Scooter.

That may even be overkill, but since you can easily lubricate it with the dri slide needle applicator– you don’t have an excuse not to do it.

Other Possible Causes Of A Sticky Throttle:

• Damaged throttle tube (make sure everything is intact / not ripped)
• Worn and frayed cable (if it can poke you, it is frayed)
• Cable tracking incorrectly down through the bike – could be kinked.
• Wrap around hand guards rubbing on the throttle tube end.
• Bent handle bar end.
• Housing tightened up too far towards the brake perch so the tube end is rubbing on the bar end.
• The actual carb being sticky, check to make the action on the carb wants to be spring loaded to release from full throttle. On bikes that have been sitting for a long time this will freeze up.
  • The carb should want to SNAP closed. Its natural state of being so to speak should be closed NOT open.

There you go, don’t be like me and riding your scooter around town while the throttle suddenly sticks fully open.

How did I make it home with no throttle cable?

Creative use of the kill switch and a lot of very loud backfiring.

The first time it happened I almost nearly died as I went straight through an intersection holding on for dear life.

It took my brain a couple seconds to fire on all cylinders and realize all I had to do was hit the kill switch.

Remember ladies and gentlemen the kill switch is your friend.

It is best to practice always turning your bike off with the kill switch so that you develop that routine.

It’ll take a couple seconds off your “oh crap” reaction time.

Once again, according to my favorite grumpy motorcycle mechanic, the best throttle cable lubricant he has ever found is the product dri slide. Check the reviews for yourself on Amazon and price (link here).

Take it from a grumpy old mechanic.

He probably knows better than me or you. 🙂

I would’ve taken a photo of him and interviewed him, but I think he would’ve kicked me out of his shop had I asked. You’ll just have to take my word for it and see for yourself.

This stuff is the bomb. 

How to make your own special tool to force the lubricant down the throttle cable:

Final pro tip. Here is how you can make your own throttle cable lubricator tool easily and with parts laying around the garage.

You will need:

• small hose clamp
• small hose that will fit snugly over the throttle cable housing
• pliers
• spray lube with a straw

How to do it:

1. Remove the throttle cable from carb or throttle body
2. Secure hose over the throttle cable
3. Tighten hose clamp
4. Grab spray lube and put the straw down the hose
5. Clamp the hose tight around the straw with the pliers
6. Spray in lube while holding the pressure with the pliers on the tube
7. See photo below to see how it is done:

Read here my article on how you can save $$ making your own brake cleaner and penetrating oil. Here is the full DIY tutorial link– click here to read how.