Frequency of Clutch and Throttle Cable Breakage?
 

How often do the clutch or throttle cables on our bikes break? Should they be changed as preventative maintenance after "X" amount of miles or time? Are there warning signs that they're failing? Just going through the bike and making sure everything is in good condition and attempting to avoid future surprises. Thanks

Don't know but the throttle cable on cars usually lasts the lifetime of the vehicle. It's got a light load on it so I don't think the cable's tensile strength is an issue. Except maybe at the end where that little lead piece is attached? Probably just check it once in a while for damage due to friction, corrosion, etc and
replace if it looks like the integrity has been compromised.

Break? Not gonna happen. Hondas don't break.

Didn't really expect any significant problems, just being thorough and taking advantage of the forum's wealth of knowledge. I tend to get into the mechanical aspects of things and am a firm believer in: if you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you. New to riding and the bike so I have a long ways to go along the learning curve. Thanks

Generally cables get tight when worn, so you'll notice stuff like a stiff clutch and throttle not returning etc

HA! The throttle cable on my old truck broke as I was going into second gear. It was a interesting experience.

Keep them lubed up and just inspect them every so often for signs of wear and for any damage. It is not a part that normally fails on a bike but it can happen. With proper maintenance it will reduce the risk of the cable ever breaking.

Cables break in northern areas with freezing temps and salt on the roads in the winter. Otherwise they last a good 20+yrs.

Good info, thanks. Fits in with what I expected, but good to have conformation.

Throttle cable, usually last forever, even smoothly with a little maintenance lubing.
A clutch cable has a definite life-span if you don't lube it regularly. I lube mine
every 1000-ish miles.

When it has worn enough to be a problem, you will feel it kind of 'catch' as
you pull the clutch. That means it's either fraying or kinking at a pivot point.
As soon as you feel that resistance/drag, it's a good idea to inspect it.

Ern

Sounds like good preventative maintenance for the clutch cable lube. Looks like I'll need to add that to my educational "to do" list. Thanks