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Evening all,

Helping a friend with his 63 850, engines been pepped up to a Vizard spec, so is now running a HS4 carb. Choke cable no longer reaches, the choke leaver is on the right hand side of the carb (looking into the engine bay from the front of the car), are the Cables for twin carbs longer?

Also its now got a heater tap fitted, with the cable running from the passenger side of car (as per early cars), so it has two shallow bends to miss the carb and rocker box, but when you push the heater cable back in it just bounces back out? Tried it a few orientations and it just does the same...

Any pointers I'd appreciate!

Any good bike shop will be the answer to your prayers Oli. Just so long as your pal isn't into concourse or rivet counting.

Just tell the bike shop exactly what length you need and colour of the outer cable and it'll be done in minutes. You could also ask him to fit an internal 'click-stop' mech at the drivers end. That way the cable will stay just where you want it until you want to push it in - or out again! You'll feel the resistance and 'stops' as you do.

I get all of my cables from the local Cannondale and Canyon bike shop locally and you'll be surprised at how good the latest nylon lined cables are

Peter Laidler wrote: ↑Tue Aug 20, 2024 12:08 pm ...Any good bike shop will be the answer to your prayers Oli..... You could also ask him to fit an internal 'click-stop' mech at the drivers end. That way the cable will stay just where you want it until you want to push it in - or out again! You'll feel the resistance and 'stops' as you do.....

Hi Peter,
any hint or link where to find such a click-stop thingy? My intersnet search led me nowhere.

Hi Minikin, I can only suggest your local mountain bike cycle shop. The internal click-stop mechainsm I mention is just a series of, say, 5 positions or slight resistances you feel at the head of the cable (the operators end) that you feel when you operate the cable.

How you would adapt a mountain bike finger operated gear change to the switch panel wouldn't be too difficult. That's why I suggested that it wouldn't be concourse.

That may well be a good option Peter,

I can put a ‘Choke’ knob on it to keep it looking period!

If you do re-knob it Oli, put a couple of pics up to show us how you did it. I struggled and did what you technical blokes call '...a bodge job!

I think I get now what Peter meant.

I can imagine the old Shimano Positron gear shift from the 70s could be a great option. It is push-pull-able* and could be fitted to the steering column with some fiddling about.
*has a wire instead of a cable like the OE Mini choke.
Something like this

I wasn't thinking of those old Shimano's. But the more modern nylon cables and liners are on the right lines.

One thing that people often forget is that bowden cables - what these are - are always at their best when they can form their own curvature between the operator end and the function end. And only clamped to keep them out of the way of something