throttle lock

5874 Views 39 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Si, Jan 11, 2008

ej

Discussion Starter · Jan 3, 2008

I have a 03 roadstar and am looking for a throttle lock for it. does anyone have any info on a model and brand of one that fits and works. Any info will be appreciated.
Thanks
EJ

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There's a device called a "throttle rocker" that is a helluva lot safer than a throttle lock. Since it's not the brightest decision to take your hands off the throttle, the "rocker" allows you to actually rest your hand at the speed in which you'd like to cruise. It's a snap on type deal. Just search "throttle rocker" and you'll see what I mean. Heck of a lot cheaper too.

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· #3 · Jan 4, 2008

'Cruise control'

I tried the Throttle Rocker Jimmyacorn mentioned and found it caused me wrist fatigue and palm cramps.

I use the 'Vista Cruise Nylon Cruise Control' though it is NOT a cruise control! It is a simple throttle lock!

Like Jimmy I think in general such devices (and real electronic CC) are a bad idea. For me I use it only momentarily (seconds) to provide hand flexing/momentary arm stretches on long rides.

The Vista Cruise cost about $25.00, and is available to fit various diameter handle bars. Its a little more complex to install than what the product advertizes.

The Vista device does allow for throttle operation even though it is 'locked'. I am replacing my 8 year old one with a new one because the original is so worn it will not lock any longer.

The Throttle Rocker Jimmy suggested is about $10.00 and fits most standards grips. Easy to install, snaps on. But not quite as flexible at being held to just any speed. Once on, it is awkward (in my experience) and painful to use at various throttle positions. You must adjust your wrist (not the device) to mantain a selected speed.

If you are looking for a true Cruise Control neither of these fit the bill really.

Both are available on-line.

Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats

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JimmyAcorn

· #4 · Jan 5, 2008

COFats said:
I tried the Throttle Rocker Jimmyacorn mentioned and found it caused me wrist fatigue and palm cramps.

I use the 'Vista Cruise Nylon Cruise Control' though it is NOT a cruise control! It is a simple throttle lock!

Like Jimmy I think in general such devices (and real electronic CC) are a bad idea. For me I use it only momentarily (seconds) to provide hand flexing/momentary arm stretches on long rides.

The Vista Cruise cost about $25.00, and is available to fit various diameter handle bars. Its a little more complex to install than what the product advertizes.

The Vista device does allow for throttle operation even though it is 'locked'. I am replacing my 8 year old one with a new one because the original is so worn it will not lock any longer.

The Throttle Rocker Jimmy suggested is about $10.00 and fits most standards grips. Easy to install, snaps on. But not quite as flexible at being held to just any speed. Once on, it is awkward (in my experience) and painful to use at various throttle positions. You must adjust your wrist (not the device) to mantain a selected speed.

If you are looking for a true Cruise Control neither of these fit the bill really.

Both are available on-line.

Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats

You know CF, I never tried the throttle rocker myself and was thinking about doing so since my wrists and palms are beginning to ache. I wondered how the throttle rocker would work for me. Thanks for the info.

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· #5 · Jan 5, 2008

vista universal

I use the vista cruise universal.I've used it on many bikes.It's never given any problem,functions with a nice 'CLICK' as it's spring loaded and adjustable.It's about a 30 minute install.I paid $40 the last one I bought.It's only a throttle lock,not real cruise control.

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Dennis in NH

· #6 · Jan 5, 2008

Here's how the throttle rocker works: you wrap a wide rubber band (comes with the throttle rocker and sometimes you don't need it) around the end of your throttle grip (this is so that it will be more sticky). You then velcro wrap the throttle rocker around the rubber band. The throttle rocker is such that there is horizontal plastic sticking out where your palm can rest. So, when you want to accelerate, you press with your palm -- instead of gripping and holding -- this is supposed to reduce fatigue. I liked it for a while.

For long trips it is great. When you're on a long highway stretch, you can hold the throttle down by using your palm. The only problem is that if you initially positioned the throttle rocker horizontally in the zero throttle position, keeping the throttle on at a constant highway speed causes you to hold the palm way down at a severe angle (causing reduced blood circulation, cramps, etc.). It would be much better if you could adjust the throttle rocker initial angle while you use it so that you can be at a nice comfortable angle at any speed -- but it is not built that way.

My solution was to move the throttle rocker way over to the end of the hand grip so that I can use the grip when I want and then for constant speeds, I can move my hand to the end and use the throttle rocker; I positioned the throttle rocker at a high angle so that at highway speed, it would be close to horizontal. Still the position is never just perfect because highway speeds vary so much.

If you do try the throttle rocker, be careful because if you don't put it way on the end of the hand grip (i.e., away from you palm), your palm will rest on it and if you get relaxed and lay your palm down, you will go (unexpectedly) faster.

I eventually stopped using when I got my new bike -- the new bike seems to have thicker grips and doesn't take as much twist to maintain highway speeds. The throttle rocker sits in my bag of goodies that I don't use. It was only about $15 shipped so no big deal. This Spring, I'll try it again.

Dennis

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Si

· #7 · Jan 7, 2008 (Edited)

I use a cramp buster. http://www.crampbuster.com/

It's cheap, it works great for me, what more could you want? I think throttle locks are ridiculously dangerous anyway. I was part of a group ride about 5 years ago and saw a girl wreck using one. She died 2 days later from her injuries. From what she said, and what was pieced together after the fact..... There was a red Ford F150 extended cab, 97-04 body style, that pulled out in front of our group as we were going down 287 South towards Fort Worth. We were all riding in the right lane and a group of faster cars was overtaking us on the left. The guy in the truck just froze. He got out into the lane and just stopped. There was cars in the left lane, and the truck was taking up the entire right lane AND the hard shoulder. There was nowhere to go. You had to stop.

We all managed to get stopped before hitting him, all of us but her anyway. What seemed to be the biggest contributing factor of her accident (apart from the truck) was that when she jumped on her brakes (panic stop), she just didn't remember to unlock the throttle. That on its own wouldn't cause a major problem in itself because you can just roll the throttle forward and close it without unlocking it. But, because it was a "no time to think or prepare" situation, that action, unlocking or rolling the throttle closed, just didn't happen. She just didn't do it. She forgot. In her rush to get stopped the throttle didn't snap closed on its own like it would every OTHER time. That little push, only enough throttle to maintain a 70mph cruise, was just enough to make her stopping distance slightly farther than the distance between her and the truck. It was CLOSE anyway.

IMHO, if you use a throttle lock, you should never NOT use it. It MUST be instinctual. You must be able to operate it as you would your brakes. If you think "I will just pull in the clutch and then it doesn't matter" you have never had a "going to meet my maker" moment. Most people who have been in an emergency like that know that often times, you don't even have time to pull in the clutch before getting on the brakes. A lot of the time you are well into your stop before you get that clutch in.

If operating a throttle without a spring-return is not completely second-nature, when an emergency comes up, returning your throttle to idle manually will not happen. When you lighten your grip to let the throttle snap closed just as you start to brake HARD, nothing happens, the motor just keeps charging ahead.

If your hands are really bothering you after, well, after ANY amount of distance, you should look very closely at some other things than a throttle lock. Most importantly, are you holding the bars too tight? I did. I had to make a real effort to let off and not grip so tight. I'm not talking white knuckles, but holding on any tighter than it takes to keep the bars from slipping from your hands is too tight. Second, it doesn't matter what kind of bike you ride, if you are going any distance whatsoever, your wrists should be STRAIGHT. Most people ride with their hands tilted upwards, so their wrists are bent at about a 30-60 degree angle with their knuckles higher than their wrists. That's wrong. You should be able to tie a metal bar to your forearm and to your hand and ride that way. The line from your forearm to your knuckles should be perfectly straight. If it's not, you need to adjust your handlebars, get some new bars that fit YOU (different bend, taller, shorter, wider, etc), get some adjustable clip-ons (for you sport folks), scoot forward, scoot back, do whatever you need to do, just keep those wrists straight. I can't overemphasize how important that is. It's super important for all riders, but even more so for sport bike riders because so much weight is carried on the wrist and the higher vibrations of a tight suspension. If your wrists are sore after a ride on your R1, CBR, GSXR, etc, get some adjustable clip ons, get those wrists straight, and that sh!t will STOP, I promise! If you don't, and you ride a lot (like I do), you end up with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I had to have the surgery twice. Then I finally noticed (even after I had heard the same thing I am telling you a hundred times) that if I kept my wrists straight, I could ride for hours, days, weeks, at a time and have NO Pain what-so-ever! After some new bars and clip-ons, I never had another problem, ever. Plus, if you look at braces for CTS sufferers, they all do one thing, they keep that wrist STRAIGHT.

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CBR1000F

· #8 · Jan 7, 2008

i have cruse control on my bike but its not intentional the throttle sticks i kinda like it

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· #9 · Jan 7, 2008

MINE ALSO

CBR1000F said:
i have cruse control on my bike but its not intentional the throttle sticks i kinda like it

I recently bought an old '86 750 Intruder.First thing I did was put on a windshield and new grips.Can't figure out exactly what I've done installing the grips but now it's a non-return throttle as descried by CBR1000F above and as he says I kinda like it.No need for buying the vista cruise for my old bike.I got a built in throttle lock.It's still real easy to rotate,it just doesn't spring back now.

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Si

· #10 · Jan 7, 2008 (Edited)

jdaniels said:
I recently bought an old '86 750 Intruder.First thing I did was put on a windshield and new grips.Can't figure out exactly what I've done installing the grips but now it's a non-return throttle as descried by CBR1000F above and as he says I kinda like it.No need for buying the vista cruise for my old bike.I got a built in throttle lock.It's still real easy to rotate,it just doesn't spring back now.

A non-returning throttle is insanely dangerous, not to mention that it throws off the idle and makes the carbs impossible to sync, and the sync you had means nothing. You need at least 5mm of slack in the throttle cable at all times. If you have a Hayes manual, on almost every page where carb work is done, it makes a big deal of how important it is for the carbs to return to idle on there own and how dangerous it is if you have to close the throttle manually. You really could end up dead over that. Like I said earlier, I saw a fatal accident that was caused by a woman who had to close her throttle manually. In the heat of the moment, she didn't, and it KILLED her.

Usually the hole at the end of the grip is too small and it drags on either the end of the bar right at the tip, or (more likely) it's dragging on the bar-end. Pull the bar-end off and see if it still drags. If it doesn't, there you go, trim the hole so that it's big enough that it doesn't touch the bar-end, use a razor blade or a utility knife with a new blade. If it still drags, it may be dragging on the end of the bar, trim the hole so that it's flush with the plastic sleeve that the grip rides on. It may also be that you have the grip pulled up so far that it's rubbing on the throttle housing, you may need to pull it out some (pull toward the end of the bar), or you may have got some grip glue up in-between the plastic sleeve of the throttle and the bar, or up in between the sleeve and the housing. If you didn't use grip glue, you need to, just don't use much. Everything should be spotlessly clean, and a tiny amount is great. One tiny tube of glue can do 2-3 sets of grips. You can get grip glue from any MC shop for a buck or two. Do not use super glue.

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bob weeks

· #11 · Jan 7, 2008

clamp buster

Si said:
I use a cramp buster. http://www.crampbuster.com/

It's cheap, it works great for me, what more could you want? I think throttle locks are ridiculously dangerous anyway. I was part of a group ride about 5 years ago and saw a girl wreck using one. She died 2 days later from her injuries. From what she said, and what was pieced together after the fact..... There was a red Ford F150 extended cab, 97-04 body style, that pulled out in front of our group as we were going down 287 South towards Fort Worth. We were all riding in the right lane and a group of faster cars was overtaking us on the left. The guy in the truck just froze. He got out into the lane and just stopped. There was cars in the left lane, and the truck was taking up the entire right lane AND the hard shoulder. There was nowhere to go. You had to stop.

We all managed to get stopped before hitting him, all of us but her anyway. What seemed to be the biggest contributing factor of her accident (apart from the truck) was that when she jumped on her brakes (panic stop), she just didn't remember to unlock the throttle. That on its own wouldn't cause a major problem in itself because you can just roll the throttle forward and close it without unlocking it. But, because it was a "no time to think or prepare" situation, that action, unlocking or rolling the throttle closed, just didn't happen. She just didn't do it. She forgot. In her rush to get stopped the throttle didn't snap closed on its own like it would every OTHER time. That little push, only enough throttle to maintain a 70mph cruise, was just enough to make her stopping distance slightly farther than the distance between her and the truck. It was CLOSE anyway.

IMHO, if you use a throttle lock, you should never NOT use it. It MUST be instinctual. You must be able to operate it as you would your brakes. If you think "I will just pull in the clutch and then it doesn't matter" you have never had a "going to meet my maker" moment. Most people who have been in an emergency like that know that often times, you don't even have time to pull in the clutch before getting on the brakes. A lot of the time you are well into your stop before you get that clutch in.

If operating a throttle without a spring-return is not completely second-nature, when an emergency comes up, returning your throttle to idle manually will not happen. When you lighten your grip to let the throttle snap closed just as you start to brake HARD, nothing happens, the motor just keeps charging ahead.

If your hands are really bothering you after, well, after ANY amount of distance, you should look very closely at some other things than a throttle lock. Most importantly, are you holding the bars too tight? I did. I had to make a real effort to let off and not grip so tight. I'm not talking white knuckles, but holding on any tighter than it takes to keep the bars from slipping from your hands is too tight. Second, it doesn't matter what kind of bike you ride, if you are going any distance whatsoever, your wrists should be STRAIGHT. Most people ride with their hands tilted upwards, so their wrists are bent at about a 30-60 degree angle with their knuckles higher than their wrists. That's wrong. You should be able to tie a metal bar to your forearm and to your hand and ride that way. The line from your forearm to your knuckles should be perfectly straight. If it's not, you need to adjust your handlebars, get some new bars that fit YOU (different bend, taller, shorter, wider, etc), get some adjustable clip-ons (for you sport folks), scoot forward, scoot back, do whatever you need to do, just keep those wrists straight. I can't overemphasize how important that is. It's super important for all riders, but even more so for sport bike riders because so much weight is carried on the wrist and the higher vibrations of a tight suspension. If your wrists are sore after a ride on your R1, CBR, GSXR, etc, get some adjustable clip ons, get those wrists straight, and that sh!t will STOP, I promise! If you don't, and you ride a lot (like I do), you end up with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I had to have the surgery twice. Then I finally noticed (even after I had heard the same thing I am telling you a hundred times) that if I kept my wrists straight, I could ride for hours, days, weeks, at a time and have NO Pain what-so-ever! After some new bars and clip-ons, I never had another problem, ever. Plus, if you look at braces for CTS sufferers, they all do one thing, they keep that wrist STRAIGHT.

I to use clamp buster because you can simply slide your hand over if something like this happens.I have had to come to a number of quick stops,
in my day and would never use a throttle lock to much danger for me .
you never know what is going to happen next on a MC.ride safe Biker Bob

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· #12 · Jan 8, 2008

Hands must remain on the bars?

{A non-returning throttle is insanely dangerous, not to mention that it throws off the idle and makes the carbs impossible to sync, and the sync you had means nothing. You need at least 5mm of slack in the throttle cable at all times} Si,I can't understand where you're coming from here.The throttle still has the same freeplay as it ever had.Also the idle isn't changed at all.As for being a danger,I don't get it.It's the exact same as when I'm using the vista cruise on my STeed.My Harley's had a set screw just for this purpose that I always kept set so as to prevent the throttle closing automatically.Otherwise I would have to keep my hands on the handle bars all the time.How you supposed to ride with your hands always on the bars.Can't get a dip of snuff,take something from the tank bag,punch in stuff on the gps, or open a bottle of water or anything if you gotta keep your hands on the bars.My bike has a range over 330 miles between fill-ups so I really don't stop very often when I travel and without the throttle lock I'd be stopping a lot.

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Si

· #13 · Jan 8, 2008

Hey, it's your life, end it however you want.

Well, some of us pull it over, the rest of us buy a car or buy a desk to do all that sh!t at home. If you're dipping snuff, opening and drinking bottles, or whatever else going down the road, well, I think I already covered it.

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TFee3

· #14 · Jan 8, 2008 (Edited)

True, the Vista Cruise is really a throttle lock, but it's not dangerous at all. Even though the throttle is "locked", the throttle will still turn without releasing it. Because the throttle will still turn without releasing it, I can make small changes without hitting the release button. I really like it. I don't think they're any more dangerous than big bikes with "real" cruise control. It won't matter what kind of cruise you install if you don't pay attention. I would think that real cruise controls that automatically adjust your speed to keep it constant would be the most dangerous. I know I would have a tendancy to relax a little too much if I had one of those.

Hey Si, you didn't address jdaniels' questions. Quite frankly, I think your fingers were flying before your mind was in gear. All the Vista Cruise does is hold the throttle on the bar in one place, nothing else. I got a little short with you, my friend, because there are so many on this forum who have never tried something, so it's automatically dangerous. I hope you're not one of them.

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Si

· #15 · Jan 8, 2008

I used them until I saw someone killed using one, that was it for me! Now it's just Cramp Busters for this ole boy.

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TFee3

· #16 · Jan 8, 2008

I suppose that would change my mind, too, to be honest about it. I'm sitting here wondering if the guy would have gotten killed anyway, but who can argue that? We'll never really know. I always keep my right hand on the throttle in case I have to twist it back in a hurry, but just not as hard when my Vista is engaged. I always use my left hand for everything else.

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· #17 · Jan 9, 2008 (Edited)

Inappopriate use of device?

I scanned the posts regarding deaths using the throttle locks and can't help but feel that the riders were using the device inappropriately.

My feeling is that this may have been just another case where riders were driving a MC like their car. Without knowing for sure I would suspect the riders were relatively new riders. At least unpracticed operators.

Anyone that installs any such throttle control device that does not explicitly practice its use in a controlled environment prior to using it in routine driving is foolish. Using such a device requires practiced ‘emergencies’ to make reactions & responses semi automatic by the rider. And that my friends is yet another difference between a "'Novice’ & ’Rider’" and a ‘Motorcyclist’ (See past “I’m a pretender Thread”)

In the case of the 'Vista Cruise Control' even though the name indicates it to be a cruise control... it is NOT. It is just a throttle lock only. It does not take much savvy to realize that it requires a separate distinct action to release it.

Personally I think ANY device even a REAL cruise control is fool-hearty on a MC when used for routine continuous speed control. If you want all the comforts and conveniences of an automobile, give up the MC and get into an automobile with all those devices! MCs are not, and are not meant to be, a car! A MC is what it is, It ain't what it ain't, DON'T TRY TO MAKE IT WHAT IT ISN'T!

I have a Vista throttle lock but use it only as a momentary device so that I can relieve arm & shoulder aches by rotating my arm then releasing the lock. I don’t use it to take a drink, scratch parts of my anatomy, or provide long term, long time, long distance engine control, or allow myself to shift my attention or reduce my focus away from ANY part of my control of my MC.

I can see how it is tempting to rationalize and blame a ‘cruise control’ for an accident, but fact is that the rider should not use a throttle lock as a cruise control in the first place, but allowing that: had the rider just hit the ENGINE KILL switch, thus rendering the throttle lock, and for that matter the throttle itself disabled; had the rider pulled in the clutch, applied the brakes and taken evasive action if there was time /distance we might not be using their death as a discussion topic. Such actions can not be split second decision making choices, they must be practiced integrated automatic reactions.

It is sad that anyone was hurt or lost their life, but this may have been simply rider error and/or inexperience, or inappropriate use of a device by the operator more than a device caused accident.

Ride safe & long,
Colorado Fats

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iamgumby

· #18 · Jan 9, 2008

If your throttle isn't working right - get it fixed! I like the cramp buster that Si talked about but I don't have one yet. Thaks for the link! I will have one once I get my HIRs and Yosh exhaust put on! I don't have a throttle lock either.

Mainly I just wanted to tell y'all about a funny story! There is a guy I work with and ride with. (This guy is a super excelent rider

lotds of experience to include sessions at Laguna Seca

) The very first time that we rode together he took out his Gixer6, and it is one wiked bike! He took the lead and had a special place in mind to go. We went out of town into the country and I stayed in hot pursuit of the yellow 'angry chainsaw'! Anyway we turn off down a narrow lane to go to a, well a ghost town for lack of better description. The lane is about 10' wide - a single lane paved road. There are mesquite trees, cedar bushes and cactus on the side of the road. I'm trailing and we cross a cattle guard. The next thing I know he is playing motocross! I'm thinking, "If you think I'm following you out there you are out of your damn mind!" He's headed right for mesquite tree and cedar bush - just as straight up as can be, no brake light or anything. I'm stopping to watch the impending crash - it's gonna be a good one! He is messing with somethng with his right hand. Then the bike slows and he turns back onto the road. We stop at a barn about 1/4 mile down the road and inquire as to how often he rides the Gixer as a motocross bike. He laughed and explained that his throttle lock got stuck (I don't think I mentioned the wheelies) on that last wheelie. His theory, in case your curious, was that if the bike is gonna crash it's gonna crash and fighting it only makes it worse! He got it unstuck and back on the road. Anyway he has a throttle lock on every bike that he has owned that I have seen; BMW GS, Gixer, V-Strom and BMW K bike. He swears by 'em for long trips. I guess my point is that if you have one be prepared to "deal with it" if or when it goes wrong!

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Si

· #19 · Jan 9, 2008

And that's exactly it, you have to be prepared to deal with it. But it's a lot more than just practice, the fact of the matter is.... you don't know what you will do or how you will react until you are IN that situation. All the forethought in the world will not help you at that point.

The crash I witnessed, she didn't die for a couple days (died of a blood clot, her left leg was almost torn off from the impact), she flat said that when he pulled out she didn't close the throttle before jumping on the brakes. We're only talking about half a second here. The time it takes you to figure out what to do is already too late. It was close for all of us, she just took a tiny bit too long and get stopped. To get a good idea of what I mean, take your bike out and hold the throttle to maintain a good cruising speed, then without letting off the throttle, jump on the brakes. You will be absolutely astonished at how ineffective your brakes actually are while you are still putting power down. I would bet it at least doubles your stopping distance.

Now, if it takes any time what-so-ever for you to snap that throttle shut before grabbing a handful of brakes, that's too long. For that flash of a second, you should have already been braking and that tiny amount of time can make the difference between life and death. Throttle on a bike should be a active, intuitive, and instinctual process (like brakes). It should require no thought. It shouldn't keep pushing a long like a boat either, you should have to keep your hand on it. If there's something so dire that you must have your hands, you either need to pull over and take care of it or you need to pull over and take a break.

I dunno, maybe it's different for me. Perhaps because I enjoy stopping and checking out new places along the way, I don't get fatigued as much as you all. Then again, when I am on a bike, I do it because I enjoy it, so I'm never in a hurry to get anywhere. That ruins the whole damn trip IMHO.

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