1986 Honda big red 250es

[RangerShick]

Good morning, purchased a big red like the one I had as a kid. Want to see if I can restore it, but I know very little about this subject. Here are my two first issues I need to tackle. Brake and choke cables. The left hand brake lever, which operates the rear brake, is so loose that when you engage it it's useless. I tried tightening the wing nut close to the brake assembly, but it does not fix the issue. How do I get the cable to keep constant pressure on the brake lever? Now to the choke. To my understanding, the choke lever should remain engaged until I slide it off. Mine won't stay engaged, it slides back to the right. What do I look for to find the cause. Thanks for all advice.

[deejaycee_2000]

A start would be to replace the cables .... I took what was left of mine to a engineering cable shop and they made me brand new ones, it was costly but wil last another 30 years ....

[350for350]

Does the foot brake work? If that works and the lever doesn't, then the cable is probably too long. If neither work, then the rear brake shoes need to be replaced. As for the choke question, I'd give Flyingw a PM. He knows a lot about these.