Do you really need to lube the cables on your bike? Mine is an 05 and never had any cable lube or cable issues, knock on wood. I hear over and over that lubing the cables just adds to the dirt and sticking problems.

Thoughts?

Usually after you go through a huge mud hole, things get sticky. Your clutch cable should be very easy to pull in, and there should be very little resistance. All you should feel is the spring in the clutch and NO drag on the cable.

If there's drag you should lube it, these cables will eventually break if there is drag. The cables on MX bikes are sealed very well, but after a few years sometimes the lube drys up and gets sticky. Lube is about 10$ a bottle in an aerosol spray can with a straw. The best way to do it is to remove the cable completely and hold it up, and spray in the upper section and work the cable so it runs all the way through.
If you don't want to take the cable off of the bike, you can take the cable out of the lever and try your best to push lube through the end using the spray straw.

A well lubed cable usually never breaks :D

BTW, these bikes have rubber seals for the cable on the both ends, it's pretty rare to get dirt in there, usually it's just dried up lube that turns to sludge

Cables? Ride a KTM :)

A drip or two of oil will keep cables moving though. Do this with lawnmowers/etc too.

i lube my clutch and throttle cables about 2x a year.

Would wd-40 or some other penetrating oil like that work?

yzkid_85 said:

if you don't have cable lube then i'd probably go with silicone spray. you can get a can of spray cable lube and the cable attachment for about $20 and it will last for several years. i'm a big fan of the "right tool for the job" thing.

3-1 oil would probably work also.

I use aerosol white lithium grease for mine. I spray it int with a Motion Pro cable luber. It's a dry lubricant, so it doesn't attract dirt. My clutch and throttle stay buttery smooth...:D