Throttle sticking when turned all the way to the right

[Lukich]

Good evening.

Recently, while practicing some low-speed manuevers, I discovered that when the handlebars are turned all the way to the right, my throttle gets stuck in whatever position it was a couple of degrees before that.

I did some reading on throttle adjustment and noticed that there is no freeplay on my throttle, so I adjusted it to have about 3mm of freeplay. However, that didn't fix the issue, my throttle still gets stuck in the same situation.

Do I need to lube or replace the cables? Or can it be caused by something else?

Thank you,
Luka

 

[auntiebling]

I'd start by oiling the cables. As the steering moves the cable housing bends tighter, drag from the cable rubbing on the housing increases.

Straighten the steering, cable slacks off, drag decreases and the throttle behaves as expected.

 

[EastBayDave]

Do I need to lube or replace the cables? Or can it be caused by something else?

This is a sign of the cable binding when the handlebar is turned, "pulling" the throttle cable on.

Typically happens right after some maintenance is done by a mechanic where it was misplaced into the wrong position in the steering head area.

It is a "routing" issue; the cable needs to be physically repositioned to the right location so there is no bind while your are turning the handlebar.

 

[afm199]

There are two cables. Check both. The pull cable is typically the one people adjust. IF the push cable is too tight, the throttle will bind.

And yes, if the cables are improperly routed, they will bind.

 

[stangmx13]

new/used bike? any recent work on the throttle besides your adjustment? any aftermarket parts up there? any recent crashes?

id def inspect both cables fully and verify the routing.

 

[Lukich]

The bike is used, but no recent work or crashes on it. It's possible that's how I bought it, I just haven't practiced such sharp turns before. Will check the routing tonight, thank you all for you suggestions!

 

[afm199]

The bike is used, but no recent work or crashes on it. It's possible that's how I bought it, I just haven't practiced such sharp turns before. Will check the routing tonight, thank you all for you suggestions!

No need to go around turns. Start it up and turn it lock to lock. Any problems will reveal.

 

[Schnellbandit]

This is a sign of the cable binding when the handlebar is turned, "pulling" the throttle cable on.

Typically happens right after some maintenance is done by a mechanic where it was misplaced into the wrong position in the steering head area.

It is a "routing" issue; the cable needs to be physically repositioned to the right location so there is no bind while your are turning the handlebar.

Exactly.

OP, remove the tank and anything preventing you from properly inspecting the cable. Make sure it's in good condition as you reposition/reroute and replace if needed.

 

[EastBayDave]

There are two cables. Check both. The pull cable is typically the one people adjust. IF the push cable is too tight, the throttle will bind.

And yes, if the cables are improperly routed, they will bind.

as mentioned, this is very easy to check.

follow the cables down from the throttle grip housing.
see them where they go under the tank
grab each, give it a little tug
if it fails to move freely back & forth, it's binding

ta daaa....:afm199

 

[Blankpage]

Digging the new wide by wire throttles. When will clutches get the same attention.

 

[bpw]

I'd start by oiling the cables. As the steering moves the cable housing bends tighter, drag from the cable rubbing on the housing increases.

Straighten the steering, cable slacks off, drag decreases and the throttle behaves as expected.

I thought modern teflon lined cable housings didn't like to be lubed? The replacement cables I just bought for my BMW say not to oil them.

 

[auntiebling]

I thought modern teflon lined cable housings didn't like to be lubed? The replacement cables I just bought for my BMW say not to oil them.

I don't have such fancy things, didn't know of them in fact. follow the instructions, not some keyboard cowboy!

 

[bpw]

I don't have such fancy things, didn't know of them in fact. follow the instructions, not some keyboard cowboy!

By modern I meant last 30 years or so, they were factory replacement cables for a 1965 BMW.

 

[Busy Little Shop]

I thought modern teflon lined cable housings didn't like to be lubed? The replacement cables I just bought for my BMW say not to oil them.

I never lube my throttle cables either... I found lube will mix with dust to create grit which cuts into the Teflon quicker that just leaving them dry...

First step is to adjust your throttle to eliminate slop...

Locate the forward cable on your throttle... undo the 10mm lock nut
and turn the 8mm barrel nut out (clock wise) until you eliminated
the slop...

Now to test your adjustment... start the engine... establish idle...
turn the bars until they reach full lock in both directions... if you note
an increase in RPMs the cable was adjusted too tight... back the
8mm barrel out (clockwise) 1/4 turn and test again... you should be
able to turn the bars full lock and not cause a rise in RPMS...

This method will gain you the least slop for more rider smoothness...

 

[Lukich]

So, I spent quite a bit of time crawling over my throttle cables to make sure that nothing binds. Everything moved freely up until the moment I would turn my handlebars all the way to the right.

So I finally gave up and took it to SF Moto, and guess what? It turns out that the previous owner of my bike installed custom handlebars that are longer then stock, thus the binding in the extreme right position.

Nevertheless, thanks for all your help, I definitely learned somethign new from the thread.

 

[rob linders]

So, I spent quite a bit of time crawling over my throttle cables to make sure that nothing binds. Everything moved freely up until the moment I would turn my handlebars all the way to the right.

So I finally gave up and took it to SF Moto, and guess what? It turns out that the previous owner of my bike installed custom handlebars that are longer then stock, thus the binding in the extreme right position.

Nevertheless, thanks for all your help, I definitely learned somethign new from the thread.

So are you going to get longer cables, or switch back to stock bars?

 

[EastBayDave]

happy you figured it out...

clearly the fix is longer cables, or back to stock bars (unless you like current position?)

 

[Lukich]

Yeah, looks like I will need longer cables since I really like the wider handlebars.

 

[nakedape]

So, I spent quite a bit of time crawling over my throttle cables to make sure that nothing binds. Everything moved freely up until the moment I would turn my handlebars all the way to the right.

So I finally gave up and took it to SF Moto, and guess what? It turns out that the previous owner of my bike installed custom handlebars that are longer then stock, thus the binding in the extreme right position.

Nevertheless, thanks for all your help, I definitely learned somethign new from the thread.

Classic. I bought an XL600 where the owner moved the decompression lever up instead of down. I flipped it and the bike ran without issue. Always check previous work, or have a pro check it.

 

[rob linders]

I'm sure there are places in the bay area that can do custom cables? If not, this place in S. Cal, has made custom cables for me many times on forklifts. http://www.controlcables.com