Double sticky throttle

[Casgardian]

Hello all.

I'd grab a seat, this will get long winded

Went out for a ride this morning only to cut my ride short because my throttle sticks. I removed all the controls and cleaned them, I lubed the cables, removed and cleaned the handlebars but still have the problem. Which is: The throttle sticks closed but once you managed to open it, it sticks open. But this only happens at low revs (up to about 3.5k),once past that the throttle opens easy enough but closes slowly. If you let go of the throttle it snaps nearly all the way back. If you let go slowly, it slowly spins back and stops well short of fully closed. Used to have heated grips, but took them off about a year ago and the problem is very recent. All I can think is, something to do with the throttle bodies. Does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers

[MartinW]

Are you grips rubbing on a bar-end weight?

[Casgardian]

They are but I cut them short when I put them on to avoid them gripping, I didn't want to get a sticky throttle. I've also removed the bar ends completely to see if the problem went away. It did not.

[greywolf]

See if anything is in the way of the linkage at the throttle body. The pivot through the throttle body for either cylinder can also get gummed up. A little WD40 there can help. BTW, it's a bad idea to lube the cables. They are Teflon lined and putting lube into them can attract dust and make them worse. Some types of heated grips added to the stock throttle tube can warp it.

[Hugh Mungus]

Might just be some caked on crud around the throttle bodies. Only way to check is to take the throttle cable off again and try to work out where the problem is. Could be the throttle grip is rubbing on the throttle housing or has the throttle pipe moved slightly to expose some handlebar that the grip could be rubbing on? Are you certain that the cable is routed correctly? Any slight kink will cause throttle closing problems.

[Casgardian]

The lube I used was Teflon dry lube. Does that still attract crud ? I thought WD40 on the throttle bodies might help but while researching I read that (as greywolf mentioned) it can make things worse. But I shall try it. When I stripped the throttle housing to clean it, the cables looked great, no kinks or wear and I was careful to replace them. I honestly can't say if there is a issue the other end of them. I've done a load of research and can find loads of information about throttles sticking open, but not able to find anything about them sticking closed as well as slightly open. I'm not against taking it to a garage, but (am I right in thinking this?) It will be a heavy bill if they want to remove the throttle bodies because there is so much to take off first.

I didn't mention before but it's a 2012 model

[greywolf]

If the lube was nothing but Teflon in an evaporating carrier, that isn't too bad. No wetness left behind will mean it won't attract dust. I don't know of any Teflon only lubes though, just lubes containing Teflon along with oil or wax. Teflon with an evaporating solvent will put unneeded solids in the cables. That will be even worse if it was a Teflon dry wax lube.

Anyhow, it's a good idea to find where the stickiness is occurring. One way is to disconnect the cables and see if the throttle tube or the throttle body is the offending area.

[Hugh Mungus]

I thought WD40 on the throttle bodies might help but while researching I read that (as greywolf mentioned) it can make things worse. But I shall try it.

If there's a build up of crud the WD40 will help get rid of it and it can get into areas that are too fiddly to clean by hand, you do also need to dry it off as best you can to prevent it attracting more dust but it's not as bad as normal oil which will just dry into a sludge.

[Angustoyou]

I'd undo the cables and see if it is them, the twist grip or the throttle body that's sticking or is stiff.  Isolate each component and check each individually to find the culprit.  Cables can wear the inners and create a groove, so keep the cables routed when testing them, as straightening them out will allow the inner cable to pop out of any groove and seem free.

My money is on the throttle bodies, as they are tucked away and not regularly cleaned and lubed. Cable inner wear a strong second, assuming your twist grip is free to rotate.