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Lightening the throttle pull

2079 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Cherryriver, 
Cherryriver
No luck with the search engine.
I think the throttle pull on this bike is a bit too much for long-run comfort for the old hands. They're getting tired quicker as age sets in.
Yes, the cables are in excellent condition and have been lubed with PJ1 cable lube.
On some bikes there's an easy way to ease the spring tension. For example, on the FJR1300, you just unclip the end of the rotary (torsion) throttle return spring and it zips around one turn looser before re-connecting itself. Nothing to it.
Any such thing on the V-Strom?
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Brockie
The throttle return spring is on the butterfly shaft and works similar to the rear brake return spring so unfortunately is non-adjustable.
The manual does say to lube the brake lever and throttle cables but gives no indication of what lube to use. A graphic of an oil can is shown and so I wonder if your PJ1 lube goes at all tacky?
Perhaps try some thinner 3 in 1 type oil, or maybe think about a throttle lock, like a Kaoko.
Look at this thread for suggestions. Throttle lock
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Cherryriver
Thanks for the reply.
The PJ1 is what I've used on all our bikes for some time. I'm confident it's the proper thing.
I have a Throttlemeister throttle lock on the bike, although once one has experienced a good cruise control (I had a couple of six-cylinder Wings), throttle locks are pretty, ah, downmarket.
Maybe when I get down in there for the valve check I'll see about the spring. I was just hoping for a known (easy) fix.
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Brockie
Perhaps then check the cable routing. Do you have risers etc which might be making things more difficult?
I've attached the cable routing diagram from my 09 manual.

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R
I thought the cables on the Stroms were Teflon lined or something so we shouldn't lube them. The brake is hydraulic so nothing there, but would like to kmow about the cable lube issue.

I can tell you what I did on '08 650. I use one of the very simple Go Cruse that just lays across the front brake lever. I know it isn't real cruise control but gives some relief. For $16 I also use one on my DR 650 for longer road sections.
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Brockie
By the service manual the throttle cables should be lubed but not the teflon-coated clutch cable.
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Eldubya
Because I can't bend my little finger on the throttle hand, I use a Cramp-buster. All the time. Takes a little getting used to for riding in town, but that might make it easier for you.
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Cherryriver
Thank you all for the replies.
The throttle cables are in good condition and routed correctly. Disconnected, there is little friction when the cable is pulled.
The PJ1 cable lube I used is top-drawer stuff and has served well on all my bikes for decades.
The bike already has a throttle lock, the Throttlemeister, but throttle locks are of limited use in my home region, Chicagoland, since traffic is so variable.
I have Cramp Busters in my tank bags but I have never been completely comfortable with using them, and when I do, it's only on the open, straight parts. Around town and on regular rides, it mostly gets in the way, to me.
Still figuring to get down in there and experiment with the springs. The pull on this bike is half again greater than the old Concours 1000 parked next to it, a seemingly incongruous thing. Similarly, the next bike over, a 5th Gen VFR800, is also quite a bit lighter.
This is in line with our experience with my wife's previous SV650S, which likewise has heavy control inputs.
On a similar note, last year we were able to spend two days at the (departed) IMS motorcycle demo days show in Poplar Grove, Illinois. TD took out the latest version of the SV650 on one of the eight-mile test rides and came back saying that the clutch pull was still the same old-fashioned one she'd had on her 2004 SV.
The Suzuki rep present sheepishly admitted that the clutch had never been modernized and was still the same old one as her K4.
She bought a Ninja 650 KRT.
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