TECH: Make your own custom length cables

[sumo]

figured id share this here - i agree we need more tech / build stuff - only one way thats going to happen - we post it....

a friend of mine asked me to show him how to make up cables so he didnt have to either pay out for custom cables or have yards of spare on his bike.

its fairly self explanitory, but like all stuff - if nobody has ever told you then its a black art.

i buy the longest universal cables available and cut em down [specific brake or clutch, get the right thickness]

solder and bakers fluid - dont use fluxcore its not upto the job


use a propper old fashioned soldering iron not a pissy little electric thing


feed the cable through the nipple and splay the ends out so i cant fall / pull out


heat from the side with the soldering iron - for this job you dot need to put solder directly onto the iron

[sumo]

drop in some bakers fluid down the splayed end - if it bubbles brown then your cable is dirty and needs cleaning thorougly [just heat it on the iron and dip it in bakers fluid, repeat untill clean bubbles] or your soldering wont be strong enough. feed in solder down the hole till it fills up and you can see a tiny little bit out of the cable end of the nipple [ok so im running out of hands so you get the idea


dress off with a file and there you have it - one new cable to your exact length. done like this you end up with a wedge of solder inside the wire itself. basically means you cant pull it out through the smaller hole


can save a small fortune over time doing this yourself in a safe way.

[NITRO]

Awesome tech man! Thats something we can all use!

[CaptainBob]

Good stuff, Sumo.

This is a case where its actually easier done than said.

[sumo]

Good stuff, Sumo.

This is a case where its actually easier done than said.

exactly - get the right materials and have them in stores and you can have your custom cables done in 15 minutes. saves time and money

[independentrider1]

What kind of solder is that? its not electrical or plumbing is it? any special tips on cutting or prepping the housing? this was very usefull to me. Thanks

[sumo]

What kind of solder is that? its not electrical or plumbing is it? any special tips on cutting or prepping the housing? this was very usefull to me. Thanks

the cable outer - i just put in vice and cut with angle grinder. that way you dont make a mess of it bending it with wire cutters or something. nice clean cut every time. with the universal cable kits you get cable ends to push on as well as a selection of nipples

bakers fluid - http://www.fernox.com/?cccpage=baker...ng_fluid&sub=9

dont know where you will get it in america but its readily available over here in england. above is the link to its spec. search from america and google will probably find it for you. from here it just tells me nearby shops

[independentrider1]

thanks man! I paid Barnett $50.00 plus to make a really short one for my foot clutch. Never again I'll do it myself.

[BoomBoom]

This is excellent. Once again, one of those things that seems so simple everyone should have thought of it but most of us never do. Thanks for posting with the pics. This is the type of stuff that makes a forum great!

[Guest]

Great job, thanks

[H34TH3N]

Excellent post man, been wanting to try this for a while now, glad to see how it works...Thanks

[Magickman]

I am curious what you do with the end of the protective covering?

[superflysnow]

so is the cable a cable kit or are there resources for the cables, outers and ends?

[sumo]

i use venhill over here - known good quality and pretty cheap

http://www.venhill.co.uk/Cable_kits_and_components/CABLE_COMPONENTS

but again im sure there is an equivalent supplyer over there

as for the ends of the covering - thats what the ferrules are for - just push them on


although you can buy kits and for your first couple of cables its probably a good bet - that way you get a stock of various sized nipples / spare ferrules etc built up

[WayneBallard]

Great post Sumo.