How To Correctly Install A Brake Snake Cable
What Is A Brake Snake Cable?
You may have noticed that all of our rear brake pedals come with a stainless steel wire with a plastic coating and a small metal bracket on the end that is fastened under the tip of the rear brake pedal. This is what is referred to as a ‘brake snake cable’. This cable is designed to help prevent the rear brake pedal from bending outwards if caught on a rock, deep ruts, tree roots or any other obstacles you might encounter when riding off-road. While not a mandatory requirement for most motocross and enduro events, they are recommended, in enduro more so as there are more obstacles and debris that could get caught up in your rear brake pedal which could potentially lead to a DNF or a significant increase in lap times if you completely lose the use of the rear brake. They can also be a valuable addition to a trail or adventure bike if you are doing any form of off-road riding.
Every bike is slightly different and the brake snake cables that we supply with our rear brake pedals all made to the same length and specification which can sometimes lead to some confusion about where and how to mount the brake snake cable to get the maximum benefits from it. Some bikes you can just look at and there is an obvious mounting position for the cable, like the TM EN 300 shown in the photo below but others aren't as obvious and can take a bit more thinking about. This is why we decided to write this feature so that we can help clear up any frequently asked questions about our brake snake cables and explain a bit more about them.
Installing A Brake Snake Cable To An Exhaust Mount
For the brake snake cable to work as intended it needs to be installed forward facing, we have seen various attempts to install them to the foot peg mount or even to the back of the rear brake pedal bolt. This will not work as it will not provide any support to the brake pedal to prevent it from bending outwards of it gets caught on something. On many two stoke models they have an exhaust mounting point where the header pipe connects to the frame, as shown on both the TM EN 300 above and the Fantic XE 125 below. By using the small medal bracket provided this is an ideal place for the brake snake cable to be mounted, removing the OEM bolt from the exhaust mount, installing the brake snake cable bracket and then re tightening to secure it in place. We recommend applying thread lock to the bolt to help to prevent it coming loose and always make sure there is enough slack in the brake snake cable to allow the brake pedal to operate corectly.
Installing A Brake Snake Cable To An Engine Mount
Four stroke off-road bikes tend to have smaller header pipes and they don’t require the same support as the two stroke headers so the above method isn’t an option. You can however use the same metal bracket provided with the brake snake cable to attach them to one of the engine mount points, as shown in the photo below on our 2021 KX 250 motocross bike. Sometimes the bracket may need to be modified slightly to achieve the perfect fit but we have usually found that this can be easily done using metal files to file down the edges of the bracket. This can also be an option for some two stroke models too, as shown on the KX 125 in the FAQ's section of this feature below.
Alternative Places To Mount A Brake Snake Cable
We know from experience that mounting the cable to an exhaust mount or engine mount isn’t always possible which is why the end of the cable that holds the metal bracket is intentionally left un-crimped. This is so that you can remove the metal bracket and just use the wire and double ferules. This give you the option to loop it around a skid plate for example and then crimp the cable using the loose aluminium double ferrule provided. For more details on how to crimp the cable check the FAQ's section at the end of this article.
The photo below shows our rear brake pedal and brake snake cable mounted to the Honda XL 750 Transalp. This bike has a skid plate mounting point in the perfect position to allow you to also fix the brake snake cable to it by using the metal bracket provided.
Final Checks And Refinements After Installing The Brake Snake Cable
Once you’ve managed to secure the brake snake cable in place, check that the brake pedal has enough clearance to move up and down freely without any interference from the cable. Then make sure that the cable is as tucked away as possible to avoid it unnecessarily getting caught up on anything and trim up any extra slack in the cable. As mentioned in the section above, the end that mounts to the bike is purposely left un-crimped to allow you to do this. Once you have the appropriate amount of slack in the cable crimp the aluminium double ferrule tight to the wire using a strong set of pliers, a crimping tool or a vice and you are ready to go.
Replacement Brake Snake Cables
All AS3 Performance rear brake pedals come with a brake snake cable already attached under the tip of the pedal. We also supply replacement brake snake cables that are compatible with any of our rear brake pedals and can be used on some OEM rear brake pedals too, however a small hole may need to be drilled under the tip in order to mount them to an OEM pedal. Below we have an example of one of our brake snake cables installed to an OEM rear brake pedal on a 2008 Yamaha YZ 125 motocross bike.
Below we cover some quick fire do's and don'ts when it comes to installing a brake snake cable on your motocross, enduro, trail or adventure bike. Some of these are also questions that our customer service team have been asked previously.
Where Should You Mount A Brake Snake Cable?
A brake snake cable should be mounted forward facing, ideally either to an engine mount or exhaust mount point. However if neither of these options are possible, you have the option to remove the metal bracket and loop the wire around a skid plate for example. With all motorcycles being slightly different there is no one single place that we advise all brake snake cables to be mounted to.
Where Should You Not Mount A Brake Snake Cable?
Two of the positions that we have previously been asked if the brake snake cable can be mounted are the the foot peg mount and the the rear brake pedal pivot bolt, neither of which are an advisable place to mount the cable. As you can see from the photo below, the cable is facing backwards, this means that it will offer no support to the rear brake pedal if it gets caught on anything.
Why Is One End Of The Cable Loose?
The end of the cable that mounts to the bike is intentionally left loose to give you more mounting position options. As we have mentioned multiple times in this feature, all bikes are slightly different and on some models there will not be a suitable mounting position to install the brake snake cable with the metal bracket. With that end being left loose you can remove the metal bracket and just use the cable and double ferrules to loop around a skid plate for example.
What Can I Use To Crimp The End Of A Brake Snake Cable?
The best tool to use to crimp the double ferrule to hold the wire in place would be a crimping tool however this can be done with a strong set of pliers or alternatively in a vice. You will have to mark on the cable where you want the ferrule and remove the pedal from the bike before crimping the wire in a vice.
Hopefully this has been helpful but if after reading this you still have any questions about our brake snake cables or any of other products, feel free to contact our customer support team and we will be happy to help.
