Found this additional info which explains dual cables fairly clearly. guess I'll keep both
the "close throttle" cable is a pull cable just like the "open throttle" cable is a pull cable.The 'close throttle" cable IS getting "pushed" when you give the bike throttle and can be subject to binding. I took the close cable off my 1993 XRL as well, and I drilled a little hole in a cylinder head fin and mounted an extra spring to help close the throttle, as a back up to the normal spring.
And the "close throttle" cable is a safety mechanism, if it is not there, the only thing you have to close the throttle is to "push" the cable that opens the throttle....if there is significant binding now that you have removed the "close throttle" cable, you might wanna be able to reach down and close the butterfly on the carb manually.
In semi-rare conditions these days, a four-stroke single can actually make enough vacuum to make a carb slide "stick" in the bore, causing a run-away condition. Hence, the DOT requires a mechanical (i.e. not a spring) method of closing the throttle. You can remove said "push" or "idle" cable relatively safely, albeit illegally if you are aware of it's consequences and the methods of dealing with those. I would simply hit the kill button if it's ever a problem.