Rear Drum Brake Cable | Honda CT90 / Trail 90 (K0-K5)

Description

Rear Brake Cable | Honda CT90 / Trail 90 (K0-K5)

A rear brake cable that’s gummed up with old grease, dirt, and rust drags inside its housing, so the lever feels stiff and the brake never quite bites the way it should. A fresh cable brings back a light lever and confident stops on your early CT90.

Why You Need This

The K0 through K5 Trail 90 works its rear drum brake off a left-hand lever, and that only feels right when the cable slides freely inside the housing. After fifty years, most original cables are stiff, sticky, or rusted where the inner wire meets the barrel. If yours is frayed at the ends, kinked, or crunchy when you work the lever, it’s time for a new one.

Our replacement rear brake cable is a direct fit for the early Trail 90 and restores smooth, predictable braking.

Specifications

Model-Specific Notes

• K0-K5 only (1966-1974): After the K5, Honda dropped the left-hand rear brake lever and switched the CT90 to a foot-pedal rear brake, so later bikes don’t use this cable.

Installation

Difficulty: Beginner

Tools needed: Cable lube or light machine oil.

1. Lube the new cable before you install it. New cables don’t come lubricated from the factory, and this is the easiest time to do it right. Make a U-loop with both ends pointing up, drip cable lube or a light machine oil like Marvel Mystery Oil into each end, work the inner wire back and forth, and let it hang for ten or fifteen minutes.
2. Disconnect the old cable at the brake lever and at the rear brake arm, and note how it routes along the frame.
3. Route the new cable the same way, then connect it at the lever and the rear brake arm.
4. Adjust the cable so there’s a little free play at the lever before the brake starts to engage, then check that the wheel spins freely with the lever released.