Not a fan of ride-by-wire and really miss the push-pull throttle cables.

That said, I find that the throttle play on both the Street Scrambler I had and the Street Twin I ride now was right about where I adjusted my ancient push-pull throttle cables.

Since the available throttle spacers seem to fit lots of the newer bikes I don't think there is much variance in the ride-by-wire throttles so I think the trick to happiness may just be technique.

Problem is that it could be a low speed fuel metering problem.

 

 

Can’t believe u are opening a can of worms topic again, but hey why not…lol well here’s a positive response before all the negative responses chime in…
one of the best TTR upgrades I did was put in the duc spacers to get rid of the factory free play because I want instant response with no lag when I hit it. For me it was an absolute Cure not a Con, Issue resolved, works flawlessly i am super happy…. FTG

 

A couple of days ago I announced that I had removed the free play from my Speed Twin throttle. I then waxed on about the improvement ect ect. Was this real or imaginary as I expected to see it and all the forums tell me how wonderful the spacers are. But are they? After a lot of consideration, today I restored the free play.
Every motorcycle manufacturer builds 2-3mm free play into their twist grips whether they're cable or fly by wire. If they thought zero play was a good idea surely they'd be making them like that? But they don't.
Looking at it objectively, once the free play is taken up it (which occurs at minimum revs) the spacer loses its usefulness until the throttle is closed, yet I've read posts where riders are claiming the spacers "really help when powering out of corners" really?? What's my view now? I think it all comes down to your personal abilities as a rider and how competent your clutch and throttle control is.
I'm open to being either shot down or agreed with on this subject👍

I had a 2020 T100 and it had the free play in the throttle. I was going to get a set of these spacers until I saw the price. What I did was use a tiny piece of the sheath from CAT 5/6 telephone cable that slipped on with just a slight stretch. Problem solved, cost, nil.

 

I might do something like that but with heat shrink tube. I'll be getting the bit from HF:

https://www.harborfreight.com/security-bit-set-33-piece-68459.html

 

Every bike I've ever owned has had some free play in the throttle take up, it's never bothered me one bit; with cable throttles it's necessary but on ride by wire I guess isn't. Does it really matter to me if someone else sees it as a problem and eliminates it?... not overly, it's just something I don't need or particularly want. I generally tend to keep a little tension against the return spring and don't wap it open from a closed throttle. BUT, I suspect what many people are really objecting to is the cost. However, if you can rig something up safely for yourself (like @243jimb) then what the hell

 

 

Hi,
I have a foot in both camps, old fashioned throttle cable and fly by wire ( as we used to call it in aviation)
I prefer throttle cables to have next to no slack, just a minimal amount. (personal preference) So when I purchased my 2016 TTR, the throttle slack was excessive to me, so I purchased throttle spacers. This whole debate is just about different strokes for different blokes IMHO.

 

It has never bothered me on my 2016 Thruxton S, been riding bikes for 50 years now and have never had a problem with jerky throttle but if I go really slow in first I might feel it but any other time no I say it's more the way it's being used that so many experience jerky throttle response, while riding and backing off makes no difference to me and this is the first bike without throttle cables and the throttle is great, smooth feel to the twist grip, no maintenance to cables or adjustments, it just seem some have problems with free play but all throttles need some free play same as clutch and brake leavers, so i am not going to fix something that not needed, but as been said it's your bike do whatever turns your fancy.

Ashley

 

I like a throttle that is stiff. I don't want to be on a rough road are hit bumps and the bike gets jumpy because I am non-voluntarily moving the throttle. I like my throttles basically to work like a boat throttle. Set it like cruise control. It also eliminates any hand fatigue. I guess you could call it a friction lock throttle.

 

I installed the spacers about 1 month after purchasing my '22 Speed Twin. I really like them. I'm happy. I balked at the price but they come with a super-duper, handy-dandy bit. I submit another post if/when I find another screw the bit fits.

 

I have a 17 T120 my throttle is so touchy when I roll off any movement of my wrist results in fuel /speed input. Never experienced this before. Will this spacer help

 

Surprised we have not seen the words "booster plug" in this thread. One of the effects of the plug is a slight increase in idle RPM. On my T120, this is from 1,000 RPM to 1,200. In the advertising this is referred to as a "stronger idle".

I installed said plug on my T120 a couple of weeks back but have yet to be able to ride the bike because of other work that I'm doing on it.

 

Believe it or not, a certain amount of play in the throttle is required by law in some places, and that’s the only reason it’s still there in our fancy new electronic throttles. I read about this in an Instagram post from the CEO of Ducati a few years ago (even he didn’t know about this until his engineers informed him about it). And even he recommends installing the spacers now, so take that for what it’s worth. I have them in my Thruxton. No regrets.

 

Agree with Ducati CEO.

 

sigh
OK, I literally just ordered them from @AandJCycles moments ago (and already have a shipping confirm e-mail)! Hope I get them quickly since I am located close to their place, post-wise… Worse case scenario, I throw the spacers in my recycling bin, and have a $36 Security Tri-Bit that I already have. Pretty excited to install them though after watching a few Tubes You vids on them. And after reading how positive the positive comments are from members here. Woo-Hoo!!!

 

I replied June of 2023 in the positive. I’m definitely not going to remove them. For me, they have improved the rideability. Still haven’t found a use for the bit. If anyone is interested, I can let you have it for $20.

 

The square drive is referred to as a Robertson drive bit , it's a Canadian thing !

 

Just a quick reach-around to come full circle after purchasing these 2 days ago, incase anyone’s mom wants a follow-up and/or a how’s-your-father…
Installed the throttle spacers yesterday. Took only minutes, of course. Even if $40 (USD) is pricey, it’s still a good value if you plan on owning the vehicle for even a few years. Upshifting, downshifting, and taking off from a standstill are all noticeably refined. Even paired with the QuickShifter, it‘s more consistent at cruising speeds.
*** I would conclude that this modification is closer to a noticeable change rather than a drastic change, though.
Cheers.

 

^^^ Welcome to the dark side!….lol…FTG

 

This is my first throttle-by-wire bike. (My previous bike was from 1985, lol. Suzuki GS850). Up until recently I never had much opportunity for riding, so I never bothered to modify any of my bikes. I would just buy one (used), get on it, and ride. If anything bothered me initially, sooner or later I would just get used to it. On my 2019 Speedmaster (first new bike), I have no issues whatsoever with any slack scenarios - smooth is smooth. And to paraphrase a few suggestions above, some or much of it may well be a "picnic" situation (I just heard that IT term recently, lol - "problem in chair, not in computer".) But now that I am reading FTG and others' descriptions of the difference... dang, I want spacers! 😁