Replacing The Cables - MINSK Repair Manual

If the beam from the front light is eschew then simply remove the three tension
clips between the glass and the head-lamp cover and twist the glass until the
writing on it is horizontal and the right way up. There is a small arrow on the glass
which must be at the top. Then put back the three tension clips, making sure they
are evenly placed, and screw the head-lamp cover back on. Clean any dirt off the
glass.
Replacing the Cables
Brake, accelerator and clutch cables often stretch, rust-up and get filled with
grime, all of which make their use more difficult. Replacing them with new ones
is well worth it and carrying spare sets is essential. New cables also make an
enormous difference to the ease of applying the clutch, front brake or carburettor.
Try to get the black Russian cables as they don't expand nearly as much as the
Vietnamese ones in the heat.
Know that a new cable should effortlessly be able to slide up and down in its
casing. Test it before you buy one.
Before putting a new cable on the bike, oil it up first to smooth its action and
protect it from rust. Just get a piece of paper or plastic and make a cone shaped
funnel at the top of the cable. Fill the cone with a little oil and wait for it to slowly
seep down inside the cable encouraged by you pulling and pushing the wire up
and down continuously. Do this until oil seeps out the bottom of the cable.
When putting a new cable onto the bike, place it in position along side the old
cable first in order to get it in the right position. Then copy exactly where the old
cable was connected. The clutch cable is easy to replace but you will get your
hands dirty when you remove the generator cover. The front brake cable can
sometimes be difficult. Remember to screw the front brake tightening thread
clockwise all the way first. Connect the cable to the brake lever on the front wheel
and then use a screw driver to lever the cable onto the brake hand lever.
The accelerator cable is not so easy as you have to open up both the top of the
carburettor and the throttle casing on the right-hand side of the handle bars. Just go
slowly, commit to memory everything before you undo it and copy exactly what
the old cable was doing. If you have no replacement cable then you can save
yourself a long walk by turning up the idle screw on the carburettor to the max. In
other words, the engine's idle will be very high and therefor sufficient to drive the
bike along on the flat. You can also physically pull the cable with your hand to
give yourself a burst of speed.
If your clutch cable snaps and you only have a spare front-brake cable then
you can still use it despite its greater length. Just wind the lower end of the cable
around the lever arm (on the inside of the generator
cover) one time and you should get some tension.
If you snap your clutch cable and have no spare
then you can get a way with crunching the gears
without using the clutch. Just start the bike in neutral,
©Digby Greenhalgh 2000
Minsk Repair Manual
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