YT175 choke cable replacement with available parts (probably YT125 and others too)

[200XMichigan]

So I got my YT175 a couple weeks ago and its choke cable was rusted and broken. I came up with this fix since I have looked a few times on E-Bay and haven't found anything. Also rather have a new cable than an old one.

This is the repair I came up with that only costs a few bucks and all the parts can be purchased at most bicycle shops.

1. derailleur inner cable, you can get stainless steel. Only a couple bucks more.
2. brake housing, about 6 inches shorter than the cable, they might tell you that you want derailleur housing but it is not as flexible and won't work as well.
3. An Odyessey Knarp, some people won't know what it is but the BMX riders will, or here is a link:
http://www.danscomp.com/512027.php?cat=PARTS
4. A friction thumb shifter, the bike shops that hold onto older parts will have the good metal kind, plastic would work, but metal will last a lot longer. These are also easy to find in junk yards.
5. A housing end and cable end.

Step 1. File the cable end until it fits in the factory choke assembly.

Step 2. Cut housing to length. Fill housing with some oil.

Step 3. Run cable through housing, and the brass piece that screws into the carb. Then install the spring and brass valve.

Step 4. Install on carb and run the cable to the handle bar. Install the thumb shifter on your handle bar. Put the cable housing cap on the bare end of cable housing. Run the cable to the shifter and install the Knarp on the cable. Cut and crimp the cable end on.

This works great. If you have to buy a shifter it still might cost $30, but it works great and it will last longer than the factory set up if you get a metal shifter. Also nothing is modified and the carb end looks and performs just like factory.

I took the picture before I clipped the cable and put the cable end on so it looks unfinished, but you get the idea.

[bobotech]

Neat idea! I just might do that to mine. My choke thingy is kind of broken as well. It works but the big nut that holds it together is broken/missing.

[Vealmonkey]

Seems like an awful lot of work. I just bought an nos choke cable off ebay for $25 with shipping. But thanks for posting this up. You can still get most these parts from yamaha. The only choke part I haven't been able to find was the handlebar mount for the choke for an 80/81 yt125. All 82 and later yamaha yts', the choke parts are easy to get and if I remember right the 80 and 81 yt125 use the same choke cable as all the 82 and later yts, just they don't have the dash with the hole for the choke mount.

[bobotech]

Well I like his idea because it is able to be done with stuff that you can get "today" rather than having to wait for it to be shipped. I was going to do his trick today but I went to my local salvage yard and found a non-broken choke thingy today (very lucky).

[200XMichigan]

Vealmonkey, either you have better luck or more time on E-Bay. You have some cool stuff. It reminds me of the commercials where the two people are bidding and the one guy has a really slow crappy computer and he looses, that's me on E-Bay. I haven't seen one NOS or used choke cable in the last 3-4 weeks. The end of the bike cable is real soft and only takes about 10 minutes to file with a hand file, plus the cable is stainless steel. If the dremel was at the shop it would on be a few seconds to shape the end. Otherwise it pretty much installs like a factory choke cable.

For me this was way easier than looking on E-Bay, or having to remove the seat and pull the remains of the choke cable until I found this elusive cable. They told me at Yamaha they couldn't get it and not from Bike Bandit either.

Now I can hop on and pull the choke and go. Hope it helps someone else out. But good score to both you guys on the factory cables.