Throttle damper?

[Rhumba]

Hey All,

I was wondering if anyone out there has modified thier throttle with some sort of damper or shock absorber type doohickey to stop or reduce the jerkiness at low speed in turns while in 1st gear?

Seems I don't have the touch for rolling on the throttle real smooth at low speeds and was thinking of maybe putting a silicone spacer behind the throttle cable at the carburetors to help "squeeze" the throttle instead of "yanking" it. Or something else along that line.

Any ideas?

[prometheus578]

Do me a favor.... ok, yourself a favor.

Start the bike and let it idle for a few minutes to get hot.
Lightly spray some water on the header pipes to see if they're equally hot. You may not be firing on all four at idle.
There should be no "jerkiness" at low speeds.

[Rhumba]

I know I'm firing on all four cylinders. (physically, maybe not mentally!) I am pretty sure it is just the inherent sensitivity of the throttles on these monsters. Like when I'm pulling a u-turn and I'm trying to keep the speed up to not fall over, I give it a little throttle and I end up turning too wide cause the bike lurches forward quicky. It just seems that the throttle control is either on or off, there is no smooth transition near idle.

I don't know about other bikes but my XJ in neutral will rev up to redline in about 1 second. It is really responsive off idle. (I know...stop bragging!) I would just like to smooth it out.

[Ken Talbot]

Re: Throttle damper?

Originally posted by Rhumba
Seems I don't have the touch for rolling on the throttle real smooth at low speeds

Rather than look for a mechanical solution, you would probably do better to look for a local motorcycle riding school.

SWMBO started riding about 10 years back, and took three full weekends of instruction to get her on her way. Then, a few years back, we both spent a weekend together at a licenced riders course. At that time, I had been riding for about 30 years, and I'll tell you, that two days of instruction was one of the best things I have ever done.

We spent most of a day on slow speed riding. Basically, you ride with a fixed amount of throttle, say a couple of thousand RPMs, and you ride the clutch right at that sweet spot where it is not quite hooking up solidly. Then, and here is the big secret, you control your speed with the rear brake! By the end of the day, my clutch hand was aching, but you wouldn't believe the control this gives you for slow speed manoueuvers.

A MSF type course will cost you some time and a few dollars, but it could be one of your best investments.

[audio_mekanik]

Your right hand is not the only controller of your speed. Slipping the clutch with the left may get the desired result. Give it a little squeeze and let the rpm's come up a bit. I find it easier to control the power this way.

[FJ111200]

Don't go down into first gear once rolling. I always thought first was just for setting off.

[dbeardslee]

Rhumba - Might try lubing the throttle cable. Mine was kind of notchy when I first got it and it was a PITA in turns. Went to lube the cable and found 3 of the 6 strands in the cable were broken up close to the swaged lead plug on the handlebar end of the cable. Replaced the cable and lubed and it got real smooth. When going around corners I don't worry too much about what gear I'm in. I just gently roll the throttle back till I've got positive engagement and let it pull me through turns.

[gixxer]

I had a notchy, stiff throttle on my bike making it almost impossible to control the bike with precision at low speed. I replaced the handlebar throttle assembly and cable which helped but it was still too stiff. The final fix was to back off the tension on two of the four return springs on the carbs. Now my throttle is easy and very precise changing my wide hexagonal turns into tight smooth arcs. I don't use 1st gear either once I'm rolling which helps keep the torque of that big engine under control.

[Tusler]

I had the same problem and fixed it.

Hi,
I know what you are talking about. You are like me-use to chain driven bikes- these monsters have a drive shaft that is tighter (less forgiving) than chain drives.
Work the throttle anyway you want but you definitely need to SLIP the clutch if you are like u-turning in first gear.
My throttle system is perfect but I find it very difficult to feather the gas accurately so I can ride in circles in first gear and not be jerky.
I started playing the throttle and slipping the clutch, I can be smoooth as long as I need to.