[Amontgomery]

I just brought my new bike home yesterday and so far I love it. My only small complaint is the throttle feels sticky. The best way I can describe it is to say it takes a bit more force to make it move the first little bit than it does to make it move the rest of the way. The problem with this is simple, when I use enough force to overcome the first bit of tension, the throttle will turn way past the point I had intended, causing the bike to rev. This makes things particularly difficult in mastering slow speed maneuvers (tight radius u-turn mainly) as when I give it enough gas to make it through the turn I end up over throttling it and it shoots off in a direction I didn't intend for it to go.

I mentioned this problem to some other people and the suggestion was that I should slip my clutch to modulate speed in slow-speed turns. A valid suggestion.

Regardless, I would rather not have the catch in my throttle sweep but have a smooth movement from idle to full acceleration. My problem is that I can't tell if this is something that is just sticky from being new and un-broken-in or if this is actually an adjustment problem that was not rectified before the bike left the dealership.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, did you notice if it went away over time as the bike broke in or did you have to do something to correct the issue?

My current plan is to pull the seat tomorrow afternoon to gain access to where the cable is clamped to the throttle body. If I actuate the throttle and there is too much slack in the cable, the butterfly/trapdoor will move after the slack is pulled out, which could, in my mind at least, be causing a delay which is felt by me as a lag or stickiness. If this is not the case, I may get some teflon cable lube and lube my throttle cable very well to see if that helps correct the matter.

 

[makaTony]

i dont have this problem

i think its a matter of getting used to it

 

[Amontgomery]

That was a possibility I had also considered. But I still plan on checking the throttle cable tension today, just from a purely mechanical curiosity, and to make sure that there is not a problem with it.

 

[RVOKNIO]

Do you have a bit of slack in the twist of the throttle before the resistance? This is the normal setup from the dealer. Mine was like this and I noticed that the initial activation and modulation of the throttle was very touchy and difficult to control. I solved this by a simple adjustment (p. 71 of the Owner's Manual), removing all but a mm or so of the slack.

Other than that, its just a matter of getting used to the throttle; just like the first time you drive a new car and have to adjust to the tension of the pedal. It becomes automatic after some practice. And feathering the clutch during tight turns is essential for control. The MSF Course instruction will be a big help.

 

[Amontgomery]

I'm checking with work to get time off for a MSF course in about a month. There are spots available in one near-by and I've got the go-ahead from the wife.

But basically, I did exactly what you described taking the slack out of the throttle cable. Pulled the side panel and seat to get to it and it was just a matter of adjusting two nuts to take out the slack. Took it around the block and all was better. The issue was resolved, and I am getting used to the clutch and throttle so that makes things easier as well.