Free printableMeasure partsTSP-ME-12
How to measure a scooter throttle or brake cable
Two numbers, not one. The community disagrees about correct lengths, so this sheet teaches the measurement instead of quoting a figure.
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TSP-ME-12 · version v1.0 · September 2026. Opens in your browser's PDF viewer, where you can print directly.
The problem it solves
Ask what length throttle cable a machine takes and you will get several different answers from people who all own one. They are not being careless: a cable is described by two lengths, routing changes the effective length, and sellers are inconsistent about which number they quote. A cable that is slightly short will not let the bars turn; slightly long and the throttle has dead travel before it opens anything.
We looked for a definitive cable length for these machines and did not find one. What we found instead was experienced owners disagreeing with each other by several inches, and a forum thread where someone measured the housing at around 78 inches, was offered 80 and 90, and was advised to buy 83 because the bends eat the difference.
That is not a failure of the community. It is a genuine property of the part: routing varies, and the number that matters is the length along the actual path on your machine, not a figure from a catalogue.
So this sheet does what a printed number cannot. It gives you a repeatable way to measure both lengths on the machine you own, and a place to record the end fittings — which are the other half of the problem and are almost never quoted at all.
The mistakes this sheet exists to prevent
- Measuring the inner wire and ordering that length, when the seller quotes the outer housing.
- Measuring the old cable laid straight on a bench, which loses the length the bends consume.
- Ignoring the end fittings. A cable of the right length with the wrong nipple is unusable.
- Ordering a cable that is slightly short and forcing the routing, which binds the throttle when the bars turn.
- Not checking that the throttle snaps fully closed on its own after fitting.
Who it is for
- Anyone replacing a frayed, seized or snapped cable
- Owners of a machine where no catalogue lists a cable at all
- Anyone who has already been sent one that was two inches out
What is on it
- The two-length measuring method, with why they differ
- A string-along-the-route method for when the old cable is gone
- End fitting identification for both ends
- A safety check to do after fitting
How to use it
- 01Measure the outer housing and the inner wire separately and record both.
- 02Measure along the route the cable actually takes, not in a straight line.
- 03Photograph both end fittings next to a rule before you remove the old cable.
- 04After fitting, check the throttle returns fully closed on its own with the bars turned to both locks.
Use it with the registry
Other sheets you may want
- Mystery part measurement sheetYou are holding a part. Nobody knows what it is called. This sheet records everything a supplier needs in order to find it for you.
- Before you order a scooter part: checklistTwelve checks that take ten minutes and prevent the single most common expensive mistake these machines produce.
- Old part vs new part comparison sheetThe five minutes that stop a return. Check the new part against the old one before you fit anything, while it is still returnable.
Free to print, copy, and share — including in forums, clubs and workshops. If you find a mistake on this sheet, tell us and it gets corrected. Quote TSP-ME-12 and the version so we know exactly which sheet you mean. All printables.