my concluion on twist throttles

[johnafun]

pre log:

i have allways been and am a abbid motorcycle rider from dirt to drag. over a year ago i got into quads. so of course i wanted to try twist throttles cuz i get alot of thumb pump....LOL....i asked around for opinions from actual users but didnt find any actual users.most opinions where the same as mine .. a fear of possible throttle jerking. i finally found some sand riders who say the love them. of course sand is not what i do . (not that i race) i do more flat track and MX track at our local "crosscreekcyclepark.com" ..so i decided to be the ginny pig for all you who have ever thought about twist throttles but could never find opinions on them.....

so we put twist throttles on my 06 ltz400 and 07 ltr450.
first test was done at my house were we have a series of 4 decent size jumps(tall but short in length table tops about 20-30 ft from take off to landing) wich also incorperates about a 3/4 mile flat track that weaves through a series of ponds.blah blah so any way

the test at the house

the ltr i could tell rite off the the bat that this was not for the inexperienced and could be dangoures. it was fun to drift .left turns were fun but right turns were hard to position my body while keeping control of the twist. jumping was sketchy at first.took a lil time to get use to. most importantly any ruts bumps or woops were hard to negotiate with my hand jerking to every bump and of course the ltr with its magnifacent throttle response also responded to every movment of my hand jerking the quad around. the ltz was much more easy to handle with its lesser HP and we had a blast with it showing no probs( might be that custom "WORKS INC" suspension...LOL...

now to cross creek cycle park

cross creek is an awsome place for all levels of "MX" riders from kids begining to expert.. located in paige texas 40 miles south/east of austin.they boast 4 diffrent tracks based on rider abilety, a gp/flat track, a kids only track, and a series of fast paced wide trails.

cross creek test

ok we at first jumped on the GP track wich was fun but still had the comon problem of ruts causeing our hands to jerk the throttles affecting the ltr the most .i could not pull near the same times on eather quad's ..no big deal just take time to get used to rite?... so we proceeded to ride the so called ATV/amiture track. thats when things went to hell in a hand basket. the twist throttles sudenly became dangoures and on the first jump while running a slow pace i on the ltr got bucked around and almost lost it.i kept going slowly picking up my pace and things just got more scary so i shut it down and went back to camp where i found my freind who was behind me testing the ltz was laid out with many peaple around him. aperently on our first lap he hit the same jump that i almost lost it and wrecked due to the throttle twisting and jerking. after he was ok and wanted to stay a while and relax i jumped on the ltz and ran more test.

conclusion:

i do not recomend twist throttles at all. we are going back to thumb. i could go into detail of the scientific reason's that i "beleive" causes the quade to jerk your hand on the twist in comparesin to a dirt bike. but really its dangorous in the wrong hands. now theyre are guys out theyre that will probebly swear by these things and i give you all kudos for being able to handle your quads. but for your everyday funloving rider this is not a good idea.

you can see some pics on myspace if you search for johnafun.

thanks for reading and pass on the opinion

[HmF300ex]

Ye I agree, twist throttles are ALLOT better then thumb throttles only if you are riding sand for along time or are experienced with them. My 300 has a twist throttle but I kept the stock thumb throttle on my 440. If you have a quick bike I wouldn't suggest it, when i first got it on the 440 I'd hit a ditch and end up mashing it, which isnt good on a quick quad, although it is great for bikes that are less dangerous(300ex).

[HmF300ex]

O ye and you can also buy throttle extensions which are a lifesaver, there around $20 bucks and completely remove thumb strain. Pretty simple to install & after about having mine on for a month i took it off and plain throttle doesn't bother me anymore.

[johnafun]

yup totally agree. on the powerfull quads. the 400 wasnt so bad but the ltr 450 was scary at times. i just got my 4 wheelers back and put the thumb extentions on also .but havnt got to try them. i was saposed to be riding rite now but the tropical storm that hit brownsville texas is sending all its left over rain all the way here near austin. plus a sprained my wrist yesterday knee boarding

[deathman53]

I put twists on everything, 20 hp atc's-60 hp atv/atc's. Can't ride an atv without them. At first, it was tough, my slowest bike was the gunieu pig and got used to how it handled. One by one each bike got a twist throttle. What you need to be careful of is the ratio of the throttle pull. I didn't like the vortex twist at all, way too quick of a turn. For me, its a crf450r stock twist throttle, motion pro turbo and terry cable dual throttle(thumb is for the friends who ride it at times, they can't stay off of the trx250r). My friends rode my hybrid with a twist, it took some getting used to, but quickly adapted to it. I find with them, you don't grip the right hand very tight,kinda leave it loose enough to hold you on and turn the throttle, but not enough to jerk you when you hit a whoop, jump, bump, etc. People say I'm nuts for twist on my 55 hp atc250r, it works, it keeps everybody off of it(friends have no desire to ride it).

[John451]

Yea, iv been ridin bikes for 8 years and quads for a lil under 1. I could problably do with a twist throttle but i put one on my blaster for a day but i wasnt too fond of it. It just didnt have the right feel for what it was. The rev to fistfull ratio was off from what im used to so idk. I could problably do it but my bikes have more power than my quads so in the power prespective i couldnt do it because i would problably stall it alot. I went back to thumb because im fine with either.

Now thumb on a bike.... Haha, I think that would be best for beginners. First time i went on a bike i reved it too much and slid back after i took off and turned the throttle and flipped it. I was 8 but got right back up and back on it lol.

[TRXRIDER4567]

i was just wondering how everybody liked those dual throttle things ( with the thumb and twist) and i no i sound stupid but how would a twist be on a 250 ex?

[HmF300ex]

It would be fine with any bike yuo just have to get used to using one, don't jump right into jumping or racing cause they can be a little tough to use at first.

[HmF300ex]

How did the rev box on your 250 go, I'm thinking about getting one for my 300...

[nastynotchback1]

i got a good friend that started out racing quads.he switched to bikes back in early 03 and yeah he put a thumb throttle on his first bike and everyone since then.still rides with one today.

I've tried twist throttle and didn't like it either, the range of motion from off to full throttle was substancially less than on a thumb throttle. Besides, I'm the video game generation, my thumbs are mini-hulks.

[honda400ex2003]

I am not a big fan either. My buddy has one on his 150ex and it does not work well at all. He wants to take his off now and he has had it for a few months. Steve

[golfer2000]

Thumb throttle all the way

[witech]

Originally posted by nastynotchback1
i got a good friend that started out racing quads.he switched to bikes back in early 03 and yeah he put a thumb throttle on his first bike and everyone since then.still rides with one today.

I kind of know how that feels. I am getting used to the twist on my motard but I think I will try a thumb to see if regulating the power can be more accurate.

[400exrider707]

You ride a z400 and an LTR and you're complaining about the thumb throttle on it! hahaha. Good thing you dont ride a yamaha. I dont get how anyone on a yfz450 can possibly ride for any extended amount of time on a stock throttle. They are so incredibly stiff to use.

I'm thumb throttle all the way!

[johnafun]

gee was i complaining....ile have to reread my origenal post....i guess if i need to complain i should complain about how tuff it is to keep up maintanance on 6 quads 1 dirt bike a drag bike and a sea doo or trying to figur out wich one im gonna ride today. (the z400 and the ltr get rode the most. LOL. thanks for the realety check. you can chek out some videos on youtube under user name johnaquad