Looks like you need to loosen the cables at the cable holders on the carb to give you enough slack to get the cables on the throttle tube. Your cable shouldn’t be bent like that.
The top adjustable cable is your pull cable and the other, non adjustable is you push cable.

 

I can’t figure out how these two cables go back in.

In your second pic, the longer bent cable you have, wraps around the bottom of the throttle sleeve (laying in the pre-formed channel) and the ferrule actually goes in the slot that is empty in the 2nd pic. The top cable ferrule attaches in the slot where you have the bent cable at now.

 

In your second pic, the longer bent cable you have, wraps around the bottom of the throttle sleeve (laying in the pre-formed channel) and the ferrule actually goes in the slot that is empty in the 2nd pic. The top cable ferrule attaches in the slot where you have the bent cable at now.

View attachment 326254

Makes way more sense, thank you. I’m noticing though there isn’t enough slack to get the top cable in once turned. I’ve tried loosening at the carb and at the throttle but nothing seems to be giving any more slack. Also at the throttle, when loosening/tightening, it’s spinning the whole cable with it, not freely. I figure this must be twisting the cable and making it worse. Not sure how to go about resolving that.

 

Need this illustration put in the "Tech Info" as this is a very common issue. Good job!

Loosen the risers to shift the bars to get good slack in removal process. Makes slipping the throttle housing/tube much easier. Be sure use a Sharpie and mark for position for return to previous placement.
My last round of bar changing, I zip tied a 1" dia. tube about the width of my handlebars to my forks. This allows a extra hand/hanger in the process.
Remember to always cover/protect the tank. A HBF moving blanket is good cover.

 

AFTER thought of mine is always take pics...

Yeah, I forget to, THEN find myself in a mess,
Dennis

 

Are you loosening at the carb or taking the cables off? If you take them off, you should have enough slack.

Tip when taking cables off when you're going to reuse them: paint the cable ends with different colors while they're in, making sure to slop onto where they go. Permanent marker will work also, but may rub off easier. Or grab some nail polish from your wife.

And while you're at it, paint a dot on the threads of the adjuster nuts to mark where the original setting was.

 

I used to take the cables off at the carbs on my older bikes that were more accessible than the VT's to get slack on the spool end and then pull the clam shell/housing apart slightly and rotate spool one way or another to slip the cable ends out. Top cable is your "pull"/throttle cable the lower makes sure it comes back unlike the ole' day's of single cable though the spring used on the newer CV carb's are pretty strong.

Nothing really changed much since the 60's as long you spring for Honda OEM manual. Clymer's and Haynes are okay but Clymer's printed wrong procedure in doing rear end service on my 06' VT1100C Spirit/VT1100 Tourer's causing spewing of 90w out the vent cap and all over the rear tire.

 

@cyclejohn : Good catch on the cable housing being crushed. I didn't see that.
You're probably correct in saying that that cable might need to be replaced if there is any binding.