Understanding the throttle - please help - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

renier8 · 09-20-2006, 04:17 PM

I am confused with the throttle on my new C50. I am pretty much a newcomer to bikes. Today I went for my 1st proper drive on the bike, and I realized there is something I thought I understood, but I don’t.

I would approach a stop, in 2nd or 3rd (not to mention 1st), and then when I close the throttle to slow down, the bike would jerk as if I slammed the brakes fairly hard.

Now I understand that “closing” the throttle on a bike is much more powerful than releasing your foot on the accelerator in a car, but I still find that no matter how slightly I tried to close the throttle, it would still have a very “harsh / sudden” braking-effect on the bike, and not smooth as I expected it. Am I doing it wrong? Am I supposed to pull the clutch earlier (before I close the throttle) to come in with a smoother motion?

Your opinion / instructions would be highly appreciated.

Renier

DrBob · 09-20-2006, 04:27 PM

make sure you are in the right gear, blipping the throttle and downshifting to keep the motor in the power band. If you are reving too high and shut the throttle suddenly, the engine braking will be harsh. If you are reving too low (in one gear too high) and shut the throttle suddenly the motor will lug and buck in protest. Practice, practice, practie, and your throttle/ clutch/ brake work will become smooth as your riding skills develop.

Rockhead · 09-20-2006, 04:44 PM

blackie1491 · 09-20-2006, 05:09 PM

Also something you may not think about is the jacking effect of the shaft drive. zyou can get chirping of the rear tire if you are not smooth on your throttle responses.

If you read your manual, it explains about the amount of play that should be present in your throttle. Too much or to little can lead to abrupt throttle reactions.

Try to have a little slack in your arm, a tight grip on the grips is a problem new riders have. The elbow should have some slackness reducing the tension on the arm and on the grip.
The name given to this is the death grip. We all started with it.

Relax, be smooth.

TaterDog · 09-20-2006, 06:56 PM

If you just let the throttle close all the way at once while in gear, you will get some pretty dramatic braking through the engine. If in 2nd and you are coming to a stop, try slowly closing the throttle until you decide you need to pull in the clutch. Once the clutch is engaged, naturally you can close the throttle without any effect. Like blackie said, smooth, smooth, smooth...

Colorado Cajun · 09-20-2006, 08:58 PM

You should have down shifted into 1st gear by the time you come to a complete stop, everytime. That way, if you have to pull out of the way from someone slaming on their brakes behind you or in an emergency, your bike won't sit there luging if it doesn't stall.

c50tiger · 09-21-2006, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBob

Practice, practice, practie, and your throttle/ clutch/ brake work will become smooth as your riding skills develop.

renier8 · 09-21-2006, 01:42 AM

Indeed. I was hoping it was just me and my lack of experience, because, that, I can work at. I took Friday and Monday coming off - so I will have some time to practice.

I will let you all know how I progress.
Many thanks - Renier

dcstrng · 09-21-2006, 08:46 AM

I was hoping it was just me and my lack of experience

Every bike is different, and even between similar models they don’t always feel alike... For a V-twin cruiser style bike “rolling” the throttle off is often something to learn... but my guess is, within a few hundred miles you’ll forget why you asked the question...

V-twins of almost any reasonable size have a surprising braking when the throttle is close... One of my former riding buddies rode a V-twin after being on multi-tourers all his life and was mildly surprised by the initial level of braking on a twin of similar size... and this can be compounded by the style of clutch... My Nomad has a torque-limiter arrangement in the clutch like many metrics and the over-run is softened noticeably -- compared to my Harley which doesn’t have that feature and when I close the throttle sharply, is slows immediately...

In any case, assuming you’ve selected the correct gear for your speed, deliberate and methodical throttle movements will help soften the lurching, I suspect... And as an aside, particularly when I’ve not ridden in awhile, and I jump out of a modern cage with automatic transmission (and one that usually is designed to have very little braking in higher gears for economy/emissions reasons...), I notice quite a diffrence between them when it comes to coasting/engine-braking. So my guess is, it isn’t just you or your bike; but the transition from other forms of motorized transport...

stp1971 · 09-21-2006, 10:55 AM

One thing to keep in mind is if you are doing rapid throttle releases and the bike is in a lower gear the bike could possibly let the rear tire break loose and in wet pavement with a bike,,especially a shaft drive,, that could very easily cause you to loose control and drop the bike.

You should be doing clutch and throttle maneuavers in synch. If you ease off the throttle and not just let it snap closed then you should not be having that problem unless you are running to high in too low of a gear.

renier8 · 09-21-2006, 01:08 PM

Thanks. A friend mentioned also that it might be the fuel injection that I am not used to (vs the carb on the scrambler that I have been practicing on).
4 days of some solid practice coming up. I will keep you posted.

Renier

zukirob · 09-21-2006, 05:04 PM

It also helps to place your hand so that it overlaps the black throttle and the immovable chrome sleeve at the end of the handle bar. If you grip just the black throttle, any bumps to your body as you ride along will be amplified by your hand jerking a bit on the throttle. Overlapping mitigates this.

TaterDog · 09-21-2006, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by renier8

Thanks. A friend mentioned also that it might be the fuel injection that I am not used to (vs the carb on the scrambler that I have been practicing on).
4 days of some solid practice coming up. I will keep you posted.

Renier

Don't see how FI could cause your problem. As everyone has said, practice makes perfect, and in a few hundred miles you won't even remember why you asked.

**Clint** · 09-22-2006, 08:17 AM

There have been many cases of harsh EFI setups lately as more bikes are fitted with them, especially lightweight sportbikes. That could certainly be part of the problem.

Make sure your arms are loose. One of the drills we did at my recent track day was to flap like a chicken to make sure they are. If you're stiffarming the bike you're introducing a bunch of unwanted input to it. Stay loose, man!

Apertureguy · 09-22-2006, 09:07 AM

Do you also think "flapping like a chicken" will do anything to enhance fuel consumption?

stp1971 · 09-22-2006, 09:17 AM

It will make the bike lighter because up the uplift.

blackie1491 · 09-22-2006, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apertureguy

Do you also think "flapping like a chicken" will do anything to enhance fuel consumption?

It helps a lot when you are going over speed bumps.

automogul · 09-25-2006, 03:41 PM

I'm not sure if you have considered it yet, but I would seriously put some thought into taking the MSF class. They can really help you to work with your bike and learn how to opperate it best.

Personally, I took the class, and I have a C50. I still catch myself snapping the throttle from time to time. Like everyone has said, stay loose, keep practicing, and it will come to you.

I have been riding now for almost a year, all of it on my C50. It's a wonderful machine, once you get used to it. It took me some serious quality time with it before I felt totally comfortable. Of course, it didn't help that I started adding on to it within 2 months! LOL! You'll get the hang of it. Keep at it, and seriously, consider spending a weekend and taking the MSF class. It will help you - garanteed.

TaterDog · 09-29-2006, 12:04 AM

Renier8, how's that throttle coming? Bike doing okay?

dragbar · 09-29-2006, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by automogul

I'm not sure if you have considered it yet, but I would seriously put some thought into taking the MSF class.

I didn't know MSF branched out into South Africa already.

09-20-2006, 04:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
renier8 Seat Tester Joined: Sep 2006 Bike: Suzuki Boulevard C50 Location: Durban, South Africa Posts: 59	Understanding the throttle - please help I am confused with the throttle on my new C50. I am pretty much a newcomer to bikes. Today I went for my 1st proper drive on the bike, and I realized there is something I thought I understood, but I don’t. I would approach a stop, in 2nd or 3rd (not to mention 1st), and then when I close the throttle to slow down, the bike would jerk as if I slammed the brakes fairly hard. Now I understand that “closing” the throttle on a bike is much more powerful than releasing your foot on the accelerator in a car, but I still find that no matter how slightly I tried to close the throttle, it would still have a very “harsh / sudden” braking-effect on the bike, and not smooth as I expected it. Am I doing it wrong? Am I supposed to pull the clutch earlier (before I close the throttle) to come in with a smoother motion? Your opinion / instructions would be highly appreciated. Renier

09-20-2006, 04:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
DrBob In The Zone Joined: May 2004 Bike: several Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 2,765	make sure you are in the right gear, blipping the throttle and downshifting to keep the motor in the power band. If you are reving too high and shut the throttle suddenly, the engine braking will be harsh. If you are reving too low (in one gear too high) and shut the throttle suddenly the motor will lug and buck in protest. Practice, practice, practie, and your throttle/ clutch/ brake work will become smooth as your riding skills develop. __________________ Dream like you'll live forever, live like you'll die tomorrow. You MUST obey the pug dog!

09-20-2006, 06:56 PM	#5 (permalink)
TaterDog Clunked into first gear Joined: Sep 2005 Bike: '06 C50, '00 FLHTCI Location: Lenexa, KS Posts: 239	If you just let the throttle close all the way at once while in gear, you will get some pretty dramatic braking through the engine. If in 2nd and you are coming to a stop, try slowly closing the throttle until you decide you need to pull in the clutch. Once the clutch is engaged, naturally you can close the throttle without any effect. Like blackie said, smooth, smooth, smooth... __________________ Who says little dogs don't have attitude? ______________________________ Jim

09-20-2006, 08:58 PM	#6 (permalink)
Colorado Cajun Sprocket Pilot Joined: Nov 2005 Bike: 2006 C50 Silver and Gray Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 851	You should have down shifted into 1st gear by the time you come to a complete stop, everytime. That way, if you have to pull out of the way from someone slaming on their brakes behind you or in an emergency, your bike won't sit there luging if it doesn't stall. __________________ 2006 C50 Silver and gray, Cobra Tall Sissy Bar, K&N Air filter, Suzuki bags, Custom Driver's Back Rest, Memphis Fats 19" windshield with lowers, added a 2nd horn, Power Commander PC3 USB, and Cobra Freeway bars. Mitch

09-21-2006, 08:46 AM	#9 (permalink)
dcstrng Ditch Magnet Joined: Jun 2006 Bike: `99 Nomad`96 FLHT Location: Colonial Beach, VA Posts: 182	I was hoping it was just me and my lack of experience Every bike is different, and even between similar models they don’t always feel alike... For a V-twin cruiser style bike “rolling” the throttle off is often something to learn... but my guess is, within a few hundred miles you’ll forget why you asked the question... V-twins of almost any reasonable size have a surprising braking when the throttle is close... One of my former riding buddies rode a V-twin after being on multi-tourers all his life and was mildly surprised by the initial level of braking on a twin of similar size... and this can be compounded by the style of clutch... My Nomad has a torque-limiter arrangement in the clutch like many metrics and the over-run is softened noticeably -- compared to my Harley which doesn’t have that feature and when I close the throttle sharply, is slows immediately... In any case, assuming you’ve selected the correct gear for your speed, deliberate and methodical throttle movements will help soften the lurching, I suspect... And as an aside, particularly when I’ve not ridden in awhile, and I jump out of a modern cage with automatic transmission (and one that usually is designed to have very little braking in higher gears for economy/emissions reasons...), I notice quite a diffrence between them when it comes to coasting/engine-braking. So my guess is, it isn’t just you or your bike; but the transition from other forms of motorized transport... __________________ Larry VROC -- IBA Milwaukee & Metric Last edited by dcstrng; 09-21-2006 at 08:48 AM.

09-20-2006, 04:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
Rockhead M-J.Com Master Poster Joined: Jan 2006 Bike: M50 Location: 1060 West Addison, Chicago Posts: 3,767

09-20-2006, 05:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
blackie1491 I took the All Bran Challenge Joined: Jun 2005 Bike: C50SE Location: Aldergrove, B.C., Canada Posts: 7,333	Also something you may not think about is the jacking effect of the shaft drive. zyou can get chirping of the rear tire if you are not smooth on your throttle responses. If you read your manual, it explains about the amount of play that should be present in your throttle. Too much or to little can lead to abrupt throttle reactions. Try to have a little slack in your arm, a tight grip on the grips is a problem new riders have. The elbow should have some slackness reducing the tension on the arm and on the grip. The name given to this is the death grip. We all started with it. Relax, be smooth.

09-21-2006, 01:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
renier8 Seat Tester Joined: Sep 2006 Bike: Suzuki Boulevard C50 Location: Durban, South Africa Posts: 59	Indeed. I was hoping it was just me and my lack of experience, because, that, I can work at. I took Friday and Monday coming off - so I will have some time to practice. I will let you all know how I progress. Many thanks - Renier

09-21-2006, 10:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
stp1971 May 2007 Member of the month Joined: Mar 2005 Bike: 2004 Suzuki Intruder 1500LC / 2005 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Location: Douglasville, Georgia Posts: 7,833	One thing to keep in mind is if you are doing rapid throttle releases and the bike is in a lower gear the bike could possibly let the rear tire break loose and in wet pavement with a bike,,especially a shaft drive,, that could very easily cause you to loose control and drop the bike. You should be doing clutch and throttle maneuavers in synch. If you ease off the throttle and not just let it snap closed then you should not be having that problem unless you are running to high in too low of a gear. __________________ Biketoberfest 2006 flashback courtesy of Intimid8er: "Like you knew damn well you shouldn't eat something like that, but all be damned to hell, you were gonna eat it!" __________________

09-21-2006, 01:08 PM	#11 (permalink)
renier8 Seat Tester Joined: Sep 2006 Bike: Suzuki Boulevard C50 Location: Durban, South Africa Posts: 59	Thanks. A friend mentioned also that it might be the fuel injection that I am not used to (vs the carb on the scrambler that I have been practicing on). 4 days of some solid practice coming up. I will keep you posted. Renier

09-21-2006, 05:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
zukirob In Training Joined: May 2005 Bike: Suzuki C50T Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 132	It also helps to place your hand so that it overlaps the black throttle and the immovable chrome sleeve at the end of the handle bar. If you grip just the black throttle, any bumps to your body as you ride along will be amplified by your hand jerking a bit on the throttle. Overlapping mitigates this.

09-22-2006, 09:07 AM	#15 (permalink)
Apertureguy Throttle Jockey Joined: Jun 2006 Bike: 2006 Blue M50 Location: New York Posts: 3,267	Do you also think "flapping like a chicken" will do anything to enhance fuel consumption?

09-22-2006, 09:17 AM	#16 (permalink)
stp1971 May 2007 Member of the month Joined: Mar 2005 Bike: 2004 Suzuki Intruder 1500LC / 2005 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Location: Douglasville, Georgia Posts: 7,833	It will make the bike lighter because up the uplift. __________________ Biketoberfest 2006 flashback courtesy of Intimid8er: "Like you knew damn well you shouldn't eat something like that, but all be damned to hell, you were gonna eat it!" __________________

09-25-2006, 03:41 PM	#18 (permalink)
automogul In Training Joined: Nov 2005 Bike: k6 C50 & K5 M50 Location: Holly Hill, SC Posts: 141	I'm not sure if you have considered it yet, but I would seriously put some thought into taking the MSF class. They can really help you to work with your bike and learn how to opperate it best. Personally, I took the class, and I have a C50. I still catch myself snapping the throttle from time to time. Like everyone has said, stay loose, keep practicing, and it will come to you. I have been riding now for almost a year, all of it on my C50. It's a wonderful machine, once you get used to it. It took me some serious quality time with it before I felt totally comfortable. Of course, it didn't help that I started adding on to it within 2 months! LOL! You'll get the hang of it. Keep at it, and seriously, consider spending a weekend and taking the MSF class. It will help you - garanteed. __________________ My Bike - Black 2006 C50 - C50 & M50 Pictures Wife's Bike - Black 2005 M50 - C50 & M50 Pictures ------------------------------------------------ Teal 1966 Coupe Deluxe w/ Modified 302 - 1966 Pictures

09-29-2006, 12:04 AM	#19 (permalink)
TaterDog Clunked into first gear Joined: Sep 2005 Bike: '06 C50, '00 FLHTCI Location: Lenexa, KS Posts: 239	Renier8, how's that throttle coming? Bike doing okay? __________________ Who says little dogs don't have attitude? ______________________________ Jim

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