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Throttle sticking open, and a bruised ego

2K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  KurtMPLS 
#1 ·
Hey all!
Story time: I had recently changed my oil and realized I was missing the crush washer on my drain plug, causing an oil leak, which I was able to replace today, leak stopped, mission accomplished. I then decided to pop the bike on center stand to check how much oil was needed. I slipped on a puddle of oil, and lost my grip, causing the bike to tip to the ground, snapping my brake lever in half, scuffing up my mirror, and bruising my ego. What a hydra headed monster this has been lately.

Since “the incident”, my throttle has been sticking open when I rev, returning closed with the speed of molasses. I disassembled the throttle housing and inspected the grip, tube and cables, sprayed some penetrating oil down in them as well, to no avail. Visually, they seem to be fine, the grip is not sticking on the bar end, and I did lubricate the throttle tube itself. Kind of at a loss as to what is causing it to stick because everything seems so normal. Any tips on where to start before buying new cables?
 
#3 ·
Hmmm, I disassembled the whole housing and tugged on the cables by twisting the throttle repeatedly, no dice. Makes me wonder if the little metal L shaped ends could’ve gotten bent right before they lead into the housing.
 
#4 ·
Cant remember if theres cross screws or a allen holt holding in place..(the switch halves), as Im away from home ATM.... try backing it off and see if that changes things.....if so its how things are aligning....
 
#7 ·
If you remove the throttle cables and reinstall the grip assembly (tighten everything down, not just mocked up), does it turn freely? Usually either the throttle tube is damaged or the throttle got pushed inwards on the bars so the inside of the "cap" part of the grip is now rubbing on the end of the bars. I've seen the end of the bars get deformed as well, but usually other stuff breaks first.

If the throttle checks out, then you're left with the throttle cables. Do each of them pull freely? Are they adjusted properly (pull adjusted for minimal play, and return adjusted with a decent amount of slack so they aren't fighting each other). It is possible the tubes that go into the throttle housing got damaged when you went down.
 
#8 ·
If you remove the throttle cables and reinstall the grip assembly (tighten everything down, not just mocked up), does it turn freely? Usually either the throttle tube is damaged or the throttle got pushed inwards on the bars so the inside of the "cap" part of the grip is now rubbing on the end of the bars. I've seen the end of the bars get deformed as well, but usually other stuff breaks first.

If the throttle checks out, then you're left with the throttle cables. Do each of them pull freely? Are they adjusted properly (pull adjusted for minimal play, and return adjusted with a decent amount of slack so they aren't fighting each other). It is possible the tubes that go into the throttle housing got damaged when you went down.
That is absolutely genius, I will give it a try this evening after work. Should help me diagnose it. I will say that last night after disassembling the assembly, the throttle tube did seem fairly free spinning on the bar, sliding from side to side, tension coming from the cables. Reading others horror stories about replacing the cables certainly doesn’t inspire confidence, so fingers crossed.
 
#9 ·
Alrighty, with the advice given by @LC8Adventures I was able to get the throttle all fixed up, snapping shut good as new. I thought I had a spare brake lever but will need to order one in. I also just found out that my delicate torque wrench use was just about pointless, as a previous owner clearly had cracked case right at the oil plug. It held up just long enough for my recent oil change, and the resulting oil spill was the root cause of this whole mess. sigh I guess it's back to the auto parts store for a sealer of some kind, and then to search for a new brake lever, but at least now I know the cause of what made me to slip and drop the bike in the first place. Thank you all for helping, it feels good to be back in action.
 
#10 ·
Ideally youll have to replace that front panel(ebay or forum gift).... all temp repairs with sealant etc might work for a while but not for long
After that torque wrench AND new washer at each drain..
 
#12 ·
You might PM Murrayf here and see if he has a spare front cover. What Im seeing on fleabay is either overpriced or shipping is higher than the item cost
Also post on the Buy/sell section. as noted, sealant there is a band-aid at most
 
#13 ·
I wonder if a MAPP torch and aluminum solder wouldn't make for a reliable repair? I'll help if the consensus is that it's worth the attempt.
 
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#14 · (Edited)
A little bit of JB weld SteelStik seems to have gotten it back to the condition I bought it. Will keep my eyes peeled for a replacement front cover. Opening up the actual engine is where I start to feel intimidated, but what better time to learn I suppose. Although if welding is a viable fix, I'd just as happily pop by to visit @Randall-in-Mpls one of these warmer days.
 
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