Throttle free-play fix.

[Whitey66]

Here is my fix for the terrible amount of free-play in the standard throttle tube that makes throttle control tricky and jerky at slow speed over bumps and other low speed situations like cornering or negotiating bumpy roundabouts etc.

First off, the problem -  

 

Somehow the video got reversed but you get the idea.

 

 

 

 

 

[Whitey66]

The parts required 

[Whitey66]

I can't seem to add text after the pics so i'll do my best.

 

First pic is marking out the plastic lid, 40mm OD and 22mm ID is the size you need for the plastic washer. I measured the amount of freeplay  my throttle had, then found some plastic the right thickness. Due to manufacturing tolerances this might vary, but mine was 1.33mm as shown in second pic.

Pic 3 shows the 140mm square piece of greaseproof paper fitted to the handlebar end, I lightly coated the bar end with grease to keep it in place and to lubricate it. Mine was exactly 2 turns to get it a nice snug fit, once again yours may vary.

It should turn easily with no binding. Apply a light coat of grease where the paper overlaps to keep it on place as shown in pic 3 . Before fitting the tube spray the inside of it with the PTFE spray.

Pic 4 shows the washer in place to the left of the throttle tube.

Pic 5 shows the washer fitted in place between the end of the throttle tube and the lower throttle housing half.

Spray inside the housing with PTFE spray to lubricate all moving parts.

Fit the cables to the tube and housing and hold it all together without fitting the bolts to check fit and for binding when twisting the throttle. If it's all good, fit the bolts and tighten up. Note: do not over tighten the housing bolts or you can distort the housings and cause binding. Nip up the bolts while twisting the throttle to make sure it returns when released. If it's not returning by itself you've either over tightened the bolts or something else is binding in the housing when it's tightened up. Bolt tension is only 3 Nm so don't overdo it.

Make sure the washer is no bigger that 40mm OD as this can cause problems so measure the washer after it's cut to make sure. If in doubt, a 38mm OD washer will still work fine.

Any questions, please ask 

This made a very big difference for me, hope it helps you guys out too.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2020 by Whitey66

[FAR&FURTHER]

Excelent @Whitey66, I'll get onto this project pretty soon, I was looking into it and wondered where the washer would go and came to conclusion as well that it probably needs to go inside the housing, was about to ask about it

 

I only have horizontal free play not vertical so I'll skip the grease proof paper.

 

Throttle cable housing bolts torque: 3.0 N•m (0.30 kgf•m, 2.2 lb•ft)  - easy to over tighten this!

 

Pavel

[tenerecanada]

Great post as always @Whitey66, thanks for putting this together.

[Whitey66]

5 minutes ago, FAR&FURTHER said:

Excelent @Whitey66, I'll get onto this project pretty soon, I was looking into it and wondered where the washer would go and came to conclusion as well that it probably needs to go inside the housing, was about to ask about it

 

I only have horizontal free play not vertical so I'll skip the grease proof paper.

 

Throttle cable housing bolts torque: 3.0 N•m (0.30 kgf•m, 2.2 lb•ft)  - easy to over tighten this!

 

Pavel

I was just about to add the throttle grip housing bolt tensions but you beat me to it  . I only noticed the vertical play after I fixed the horizontal, it has no play whatsoever now. 

[Whitey66]

5 minutes ago, tenerecanada said:

Great post as always @Whitey66, thanks for putting this together.

Thanks buddy, happy to help.  

[FAR&FURTHER]

19 minutes ago, Whitey66 said:

I was just about to add the throttle grip housing bolt tensions but you beat me to it  . I only noticed the vertical play after I fixed the horizontal, it has no play whatsoever now. 

Edit your post with the torque values, people won't read comments its good to have it there.

[Alpenschrauber]

Hi all,

After rebooting my brain after COVID-19 lockdown  I remembered that there is even a kit for this quite common problem:

 

Buy Teflon Friction-Reducing Film For Throttle Grip | Louis motorcycle clothing and technology

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Teflon Friction-Reducing Film For Throttle Grip at Louis. Secure payment ✓ Free returns ✓ 2-year right of return ✓ » Buy now!

The do not mention the thickness of the PTFE washer, unfortunately. So this part might be simply used as a "lubricant" in combination with whitey66's washer. With this you do not need grease, grease-like or oily lubricants that collect all the dirt and sand.

Also not sure it is available globally.

 

Olli

[Janson]

Got some Teflon paste . Used to prevent loosness and to provide smooth feeling in elektronics , like knobs and leavers n`stuff .

I squirted a small " turd " on the handlebar under the trottlehandle , and it works just fine . Heat and coold don`t  affect it .  Check your lokal elektronics dealer for info . 

[Whitey66]

4 hours ago, Alpenschrauber said:

With this you do not need grease, grease-like or oily lubricants that collect all the dirt and sand.

Also not sure it is available globally.

 

Olli

The grease is only used to keep paper in place, the outside of the paper and all the other parts are coated with the PTFE spray, which is a DRY lubricant. I tried to video the "after" fix, but because there is no play in it at all it didn't show much at all. The throttle grip is now as solid as the left hand one and the only way it moves is rotationally, and it no longer feels like a cheap Chinese bike to ride . It's the best (and cheapest) mod i've made to my bike. Does everyone else's throttle tube jiggle around like mine did?

[Vtamb81]

Anyone else have this issue? I’ve somehow just noticed it after almost 2000 miles. The side-to-side play isn’t that bad but the up-down play noticeable and really irritating. 
 

about to try the wax paper fix above but wanted to see if there were other ideas out there?

[FAR&FURTHER]

I only had horizontal play (left-right) and your fix works awesome for me (I did crude version of it using just a knife and yogurt pot in Morocco). I don't have at the moment vertical play (up-down) despite the sand and salt in the desert. I have not lubricated the inside of the tube with grease or anything else so far.

 

It may be that the dirt is kept away by the Barkbusters spacer & it's construction?

[Gregfromskem]

Picking my 21 bike up soon. Any idea if this has been fixed at source yet?

[Oakers]

Hi I have just bought my T7 which has Oxford heated grips fitted and I noticed the same play in the throttle (both vertically and horizontally). Would the suggestion here work with the Oxford grips as well? Apologies if this is a silly question, my mechanical skills are shockingly poor! 

[norei]

On 10/13/2020 at 2:36 AM, Vtamb81 said:

Anyone else have this issue? I’ve somehow just noticed it after almost 2000 miles. The side-to-side play isn’t that bad but the up-down play noticeable and really irritating. 
 

about to try the wax paper fix above but wanted to see if there were other ideas out there?

 

I have inserted in my T7 a non-stick baking paper (square with 135mm side length), which reaches pretty much 2 times around the handlebars; the beginning of the paper I have attached to the handlebar with scotch tape, so that nothing makes itself there. This works (in conjunction with a 1mm spacer in the throttle cable housing) excellent. Lubricant I have not used.

 

Since I also took out almost all of the throttle cable play, my T7 now behaves much more civilized when transitioning from push to pull mode.

 

Greetings Norbert

Edited May 15, 2021 by norei

[norei]

5 hours ago, Oakers said:

Hi I have just bought my T7 which has Oxford heated grips fitted and I noticed the same play in the throttle (both vertically and horizontally). Would the suggestion here work with the Oxford grips as well? Apologies if this is a silly question, my mechanical skills are shockingly poor! 

 

Why wouldn't that work with the Oxford grips? The play is between the aluminum handlebar and the plastic sleeve (with the throttle cable attachment) - and this plastic sleeve is retained when the heated grips are installed.

 

Greetings Norbert

[samalama]

I had .7 mm of slop that drove me nuts so I 3d printed  a washer. If anyone wants the stl file, I would be happy to send it to you. Worked like a charm and took 4 minutes to print.

[TimmyTheHog]

On 7/5/2021 at 10:56 AM, samalama said:

I had .7 mm of slop that drove me nuts so I 3d printed  a washer. If anyone wants the stl file, I would be happy to send it to you. Worked like a charm and took 4 minutes to print.

If you don't mind, I like to have the file please.