Keeping a steady throttle opening on bumpy roads

[B5234FT]

Hi, this may sound daft but bear with me!

I ride a Triumph Street Triple which has fairly heavy engine braking even at cruising speeds and I find it difficult to maintain a steady throttle on bumpy sections of country roads which occasionally results in engine braking and then too much throttle and then engine braking until either I ease off, or the road flattens out.

It's really uncomfortable and doesnt do the confidence any good, how do people manage it?

Cheers

[rubyhorse2]

sounds like you might be holding the throttle too tightly, you literally can just rest your hand on it you know.

Or just blast along it and have fun

[Monkeypony]

Your arms should be loose and flappy, not locked and tight, this will help your body smooth out the bumps and eliminate the jerky throttle.
____________________
Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU)

[B5234FT]

I possibly am gripping too tight, but my arms are loose and I can waggle my elbows as someone else suggested this.

I've adjusted the slack out of the throttle

I guess I just need to try and relax

[Bozzy]

[Undinist]

You could change to a higher gear to reduce the engine braking.

[B5234FT]

It seems to have improved it, I did it last night and rode to work this morning. The issue still exists when cruising at say 6krpm in 6th

It happens in top gear

[stinkwheel]

[B5234FT]

[Chuffin Nora]

1st & 2nd fingers on the brake lever.

And when you hit smooth road keep them there for that oft needed ½ second's difference between a crumple zone and getting home in one piece.

Same for clutch lever, why not.
____________________
There's a fine line between integrity

[stinkwheel]

[B5234FT]

Interesting feature, cheers for the info!

[Rogerborg]

Fit a Cramp Buster^tm.

https://kawasakier6.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/crampbuster-kawasaki-er6.jpg

Rest your hand gently on the now-misnamed "grip", use the heel of your hand to maintain throttle.

Alternatively, it may significantly exaggerate the problem, so be sure to video the results for our amusement.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Notj7]

Grip the tank properly with your knees and engage your core. You should be able to take your hands off the handlebars, even when braking, and still be upright (easier said than done, though).

If you do that, and you go over bumps, your hands will barely be touching the grips; so you won't be transferring the momentum onto your hands and then onto the throttle as a result.
____________________
Left the forum.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

You can get a nice, steady maintenance of throttle position with one of these.
____________________
Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[WD Forte]

Cramp buster?
pah! thas fer jessies
just jam some clothes line between the grip and switch housing
like a real man
____________________
bikers smell of wee

[Pete.]

[orac]

[MCN]

Poor Man's Cruise control is the wee pinky finger around the bar end to retard the throttle a bit.
If you have ghey twirling bar ends then you are ghey and like being bumped on the back roads.
____________________
Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Pigeon]

My Striple generated a touch too much slack after 10k miles and needed a small adjustment.

6k rpm in 6th gear is about 70mph no?


My bike does a weird surge when rolling off the throttle from WOT, when it gets to about 5.5k rpm, always has done.
But other than that, fuelling seems spot on.

2013 bike.

Also, "heavy engine braking". Seems the opposite to me. But I vaguely remember reading the '13 onwards bikes had some thing which adds a little fuel to stop the revs dropping......mmm, maybe that explains the annoying surge.

What year is yours?

EDIT:

[chickenstrip]

[c-m]

Could be suspension. My bike is currently like a hard tail and it's near impossible to keep a steady throttle over bumps. Suffice to say I've got another one on the way

[Val]

[barrkel]

Always be braking or accelerating

Though seriously, unless I'm on a motorway (usually a smooth surface) or going past a speed camera, I'm very rarely holding the same speed. I'm always reacting to the view ahead, potential hazards, planning overtakes, etc.

The two finger trick (using the brake lever as a reference point) works well enough for me when I'm inclined to hold a low gear at constant, higher revs, which isn't too often. When I'm being very polite (e.g. touring and going through a village), I simply shift to higher gears and lower revs, where the throttle is less responsive.

I doubt gripping the bars too tight is the problem; a looser grip isn't enough to fix it. I grip lightly enough that I can e.g. brake fairly hard when holding on by just my right and not affect my line, but when I'm going over a very bumpy surface, I'll reduce the load on the bike's suspension by tensioning my legs, letting the bike bounce around beneath me. That naturally increases the amount of movement at the human-bike interface which can lead to varying throttle inputs.

I think gripping too tight is more a problem for bikers who dislike windy weather.
____________________
Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[Undinist]

This may be one of those things where you just to have to get someone else to test ride the bike. Do you trust your dealer?