Modern Vespa

Hi ,
Is it possible to change just the inner throttle cable or do you have to change the inner and outer ,I've tried looking for just the inner but I can only find that it comes complete with the outer ???? Many thanks Alan (plymouth)

no piaggio only supplies the whole thing

It is possible to get generic inner cable kits on Ebay but you would need a lot of confidence in your ability to secure the nipple on the free end.

The return spring on the MP3 is ridiculously heavy so I wouldn't be confident unless you are really skilled at soldering these.

To change the old cable you are in for a lot of stripping down. I managed to thread the new cable down past the headstock without using the original ties in this area then used new ones to loosely hold it independently. It is possible to use the old cable to pull the new one through but only after all of the clips and ties have been released.

Regards Roadster

Alan did my throttle cable yesterday and virtually every panel needs to come off , it's not that hard , but time consuming , start from the front and work backwards , my main throttle cable snapped and I changed my return cable too. Was £40 odd quid from the dealer . Took me about 5 hrs in total ... Will be a lot quicker next time .

Who has had to change their throttle cable, and at how many miles? With almost 30K, I'm wondering if I should do this proactively.

no reason to if you lube it annually.

The weak area is where the inner goes through a 90 degree metal bend at the engine end. If the inner is dry at this point it corrodes and frays. Having had this happen on my first machine I made sure I ran some oil in from the engine end at regular intervals and had no more problem.

The inner cable has a very small grommet over the end fitting which will prevent oil getting in unless you slide it out of the way. If you apply oil only at the twistgrip end gravity will almost certainly prevent it getting right through unless you use a pressure oiler.

Regards Roadster

Thanks. Looks like I'm past due for a cable lube!

here is how you do it

The Piaggio Throttle cable is Sillicon based inside best to use sillicon spray

The cable is build upt like this

A outer plastic sleeve inside the sleeve A metal hollow core inside the metal core, a sillicon based inner sleeve, And then the cable itself

FWIW the service manual recommends AGIP City Hi Tec 4T synthetic oil-same as for the engine, though it doesn't specify weight. I plan to buy one of the oiling tools shown in the video that OAD posted, so will pick up a spray can of silicone-based lube like CNC's.

Well that was a waste of time.

Bought the tool and removed tupperware to access the cables at the engine end. The tool is too wide to fit between the end of the cable sheath and the drum without further disassembly, which would mean removing considerably more tupperware.

So I tried going from the twist-grip end, but I couldn't even see the end of the sheath, let alone get to it. The Piaggio SM blitely says, "Remove the flexible transmission of the throttle grip and remove the throttle," but there's not nearly enough slack in the cable to slide the assembly off the handlebar, and the cable end is threaded into the grip assembly, no way I can see to take it off without ... removing the handlebars, I guess.

You can't take anything apart on this bike without taking EVERYTHING apart. Jeez, I hate working on this thing.

To free the cables from the twistgrip you need to completely screw in all the in line adjusters on both cables. You will then have enough slack to unhook the nipples from the twistgrip drum. Yes the handlebar shrouds will need to be removed and you might also have to cut free some cable ties which I generally replace more loosely than the originals.

Markd (or anyone), where on the frame are the cables fastened? I'm hoping to proactively switch mine out without removing all the tupperware.

just happen to have a mp3 on the lift with all the tupperware off and there is a couple zip ties holding them to the frame. So while you MIGHT be able to snake the 2 cables thru you could end up damaging wiring harness and that'll lead to issues. highly recommend you do it right and remove the tupperware. A lot less frustration in the big picture.

OAD, would you mind posting photos of where the cables are affixed? I am willing to cut and paste tupperware in strategic spots. Otherwise my MP3 will become a rat bike sooner than I figured, since there's now way I'm going to reinstall all those plastics again.

From memory ( it was several years ago ) the main tight spot is the steering stem just below the handlebar clamp. This has to be released. I think the other tight ones are in or near the engine bay. I did change mine without removing the center tunnel or front inner panel by pulling through with the old cable but I loosened or removed every screw I could without actually removing the panels.

> the steering stem just below the handlebar clamp. This has to be released.

How? I do have the service manual, but it is often unhelpful when it comes to this kind of operation. I really appreciate any pointers.

I think I just cut off the strap that wraps the main loom and cables to the headstock and replaced it with an ordinary cable tie after freeing the throttle cable. Later models have a more elaborate purpose built nylon clip which releases with some sort of latching arrangement. Sorry I can't be more specific. Chances are that once disturbed you will never get this back exactly as it was assembled so you just have to make sure that cables, brake pipes and wiring loom are all safely secured without obstructing full handlebar movement lock to lock. I prefer to secure each separately with extra cable ties so that the throttle cables have an easy run without being too tight.

I'll get some pics tonight when I get home and post them so you can see how the cable is routed.

pics of cable routing

I had to do this job recently to replace the opening cable. I had to strip most of the plastics off - such a pain.

The cable at the throttle body was rusty and snapped just as I was starting the job. I think water was getting past the small seal.

Good opportunity to replace some rusting bolts with stainless.

The cables are tied tight and pulling through would be difficult.

Thanks for the photos, OAD. Looks pretty discouraging. Guess I'll have to remove a lot of plastics. Whether I put them back on is an open question.

Well I finally bit the bullet and changed out the throttle cables. The old ones looked just fine, but at 37,000 miles it seems like time. Now I can stop worrying about having a cable fail while I'm on the middle of the interstate.

Even with the new cable off the bike, I couldn't manage to lubricate it with the two-thumbscrew lube tool. The weird ends of the MP3 cables just wouldn't allow the thing to seal, leaving me with lubricant everywhere but in the cable. So much for that. If the new cables are good for another 30K they'll probably outlast the bike.

As expected, removing the tupperware was a RRPITA. I didn't start at the back per Piaggio and managed to leave a few panels in place. I dropped the thing a few years ago and only just discovered eight or so broken tabs. So I fabbed some metal tabs and attached them to the damaged plastic with rivets and fender washers.

I was very, very tempted to rat the bike out now, but ended up putting it back together. Next time I have to remove that much tupperware I'll plan to add pegs and make brackets for the headlights, instrument panel, and switches, and leave the thing naked.



Oh while all that stuff was apart I decided to adjust the valves again. They were all spot on. I could have reused the valve cover gasket it was in such good shape, but I had a new one in hand so what the heck.

In summation, changing the throttle cables sucks.