Shortening Cables

The most difficult aspect of shortening cables when fitting low bars is in obtaining a replacement barrel for the end of the cable to replace the one you just cut off. There are a few ways to make these.

Method one, brazing rod. Brazing rod comes in a variety of sizes and can be drilled to the required hole size and countersunk on one side with the appropriate size drill bit to contain the cable flare you'll be adding. The cable flare is simply smashing the end of the cable into a burr so it won't pull back through. Once you have formed the cable flare the new barrel can be soldered. More on this later.

Method two, KS brass rod from the hobby store. Make as above.

Method three, KS brass tube. With this one the hole is drilled to a tight tolerance on the cable into one side of the tube, the cable inserted and the flare teased out inside. The tube is then placed into a tightfitting hole in a piece of scrap wood then heated with the butane torch and filled with solder. Work with the lowest possible heat. Once again, more on soldering to come.

Method four, .22 calibre cartridge cases. These will fit both the carb ends of the throttle cable as well as the clutch. They are a little larger than the standard throttle items but fit the bellcrank nicely. They are the same size as the clutch barrel at the clutch end, allowing you to still use the factory nylon bearing sleeve and get a perfect fit to the bellcrank. Method is similar to the KS brass tube but there's no need for the piece of wood as the cartridge is already capped at one end. A long round will need its length trimmed a few mm or so but I think a short .22 round would be right out of the box.

.22 barrel for clutch.

Shortening the throttle cable