Throttle Hard to Twist

[skylarmav1]

Hey all-

Happy fall!

So I was at an event the other day and one of the other gents said, "man, your throttle is hard to turn!" I really didn't think much of it until then as I thought it was a characteristic of bike.

I went over and twisted his throttle (r1150r also) and it was much lighter to the touch. I also twisted a few other bikes and realized (different brands, etc) mine is HARD to turn. It feels smooth, and returns back fine, but just takes a lot more effort to twist. Sort of the difference of power steering in a car and one that does not.

He suggested there is grit in it after 33k miles and being an 02 year and replace it - with a kit to replace all Bowden box cables.

Before I go down that path, any other suggestions? I checked my Clymer manual and there are I suggestions for adjusting throttle cable for play, but not replacing it totally.


As always, thx much for input!
Skylarmav1

[Photoguy]

I've not been inside the bmws throttle at the bars but have taken apart lots of other brands and they're typically a pretty simple arrangement once you get to it...and I suspect (depending on how accessible it is) giving it a check over and a good cleaning/lube might be a good first step?

[riceburner]

Lube the cables first (lightly!)

[skylarmav1]

Thx to you both!

I was told by local aficionado to absolutely not lube the cable. What I'm not sure is if you (or he) is refering to up around the actual throttle (around whatever spring or whatever once I take plastic off) or down near the cam where it splits? Thx in advance for further clarity.
Skylarmav1

[towerworker]

I too have heard to not lube cables. CycleRob........where are you?

[Boxer]

There's a throttle cable junction box under the seat right behind the battery/ABS compartment. The cables down there connect in a way unique to this bike and can get all gunked up with oils and road dirt. The throttle cables themselves are teflon coated and need no lubing, but where the cable end ferrule connects to the handlebar will dry and bind causing the cable to break at that connection point. Thus it is wise to oil right there at that connection periodically. This tight throttle though sounds like its probably in that junction box. It's a PITA to pull that out and clean it, but you may need to do that. Been a long time since I worked on my R1150R...about 2009.

[skylarmav1]

Thx CR. You always da man. Also, thanks Tower for the assist!

I will check Clymer manual and YouTube to see what other info I can garner before jumping in. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

Skylarmav1

[skylarmav1]

Also CR, as I re-read your response, to be clear, as one turns the throttle, it turns quite smoothly, it just takes much effort to do so.

[skylarmav1]

Thx Boxer for the info!

[Photoguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32IqXlWOhzM

Starting at 09:30 shows the process of accessing the throttle tube at the bars. I don't know what BMW recommends but on my dirt bikes we always applied a bit of white grease to the tube end where the cable attaches to keep the whole assembly rotating freely at the handlebar end.

[riceburner]

Thx to you both!

I was told by local aficionado to absolutely not lube the cable. What I'm not sure is if you (or he) is refering to up around the actual throttle (around whatever spring or whatever once I take plastic off) or down near the cam where it splits? Thx in advance for further clarity.
Skylarmav1

The cables are supposed to be lined such that they wouldn't normally need lubing.

However - after 15 years, a little lube is not going to hurt! As said above - it's likely to be the exposed parts that require it (ie - the parts not within the main sheath.)

[sstein]

Happy new year to all.

Skylarmav1, did you get to the bottom of this issue? I think I have the same problem- too much effort needed to keep the throttle open. Bothers my wrist after a while.

Thanks

Steve

[lcarlson]

I recently had an issue with the throttle “hanging up” — a delay in returning to idle. Turned out to be rust/dirt/debris in the junction box. A good cleaning resolved the problem completely.

[sstein]

Thanks. Yes, that is my plan when I have a nice enough day to do some work on the bike.

[Soliton]

I had the same issue.

I undid the the right hand controls and sprayed teflon dry lube at two points:

1 - Between the actual metal handlebar and the plastic tube that surrounds it. Applied from the bar weight end and the control end. Let the solvent evaporate and applied again while rotating the throttle to spread it around.
2 - In and around the plastic mechanism that hold the ball end of the throttle cable and rotates when the throttle is pulled on.

This has made a huge difference. I am considering cleaning and lubricating the cable and Bowden junction but as a first step this has been easy and worked well.

Rs,

Sol

[sstein]

Sounds good thanks.

[Soliton]

Hi ,

I recently removed the ABS on my bike. While I had the tank off I thought I would do a few other things, one of which was check the Bowden junction.

I dis-assembled the fast idle cable and lever, cleaned and lubed both. No doubt there will be comment about lubing cables but I clean them and then use PTFE dry lubricant, apply 2-3hrs to dry out and re-apply.

Disconnected the various cables at the throttle bodies, pulled that battery and accessed the junction, cleaned everything and lubed it same as the cables.

Same same with the throttle cable. Reassemble.

It is light and smooth. I have used a Lithium Ion battery for a long time so I have also re-built the battery holder for a lying down position. Since it has come this far I'm really tempted to redesign the Bowden junction holder to be water and dust proof. The current design is one step from something the soviets would have built.

Long story short, cleaning everything and suitable lubrication seems to be the solution to a heavy throttle pull.

[sstein]

Can't wait to get to work on mine.

[CycleRob]

I have a few very important (the tiny steel ball) instructional pics that will help a lot in taking things apart. Enjoy: