2005 R1200GS Heavy Throttle

sputnikk

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Hi all,

Noob here when it comes to adventure riding and my new-to-me 2005 R1200GS

Pertitent disclaimer: I come from a decade of sports bike riding. I've toured on every gixxer I own and good ol' suzi is still part of the stable. But after several tours including one 2up - I decided an adventure bike/touring was worth a try.

Its taking some time to get used to. Very different riding position and I'm attempting to address little issue one by one (seat adjustment, peg adjustments, etc).

One of the main things bothering me however is my throttle. I understand these thing don't take lube so I'm not sure what to do to address it. It's not that its jerky or unresponsive. Power is all there. If I'm spirited, doesn't present a real problem. But if I need to hold the throttle at a steady 120-140km on a motorway, it gets really tough to hold for an extended period of time (and gets that way rather quick). As if there's a lot attempting to pull it back? I already feel like I have to twist pretty hard and break my wrist on this compared to the ultra-tuned gixxer; but I certainly don't expect such pain on a sit-up bike after 5 minutes of straight line pacing.

Can someone help me out with some advice or things to look at? It's really bothering me and preventing me from falling completely in love.

Thanks all
 
You will be better off asking in the relevent section, this is the LC section
 
Isnt this the Basic LC ? As all the new LC's are full of Technology and are rubbish ?
 
There all like that ;)

Get a grip wrist rest about £3.00 on the bay

Doesnt eliminate it, but allows you to hold the throttle with a relaxed grip and thus resduce the strain :)
 
2005 you say? Air/oil cooled then, so old cable throttle, not nice ultra light fly by wire that the newer water cooled bikes get - I suggest you buy a 2013 GS or later.
 
My 2008 still has the original throttle controls from end to end. I find the clutch is heavy and dont like the vibration but have no problems with the throttle being heavy.

Check it's not dragging on the handlebar end weight. The RHS switch block has a cover at the front giving access to the handle bar clamp.

Check the cable is not running some unusual route to the splitter box and ditto the small cables to the throttle bodies.

It it's still too heavy get one of these clip on widgets that hold the throttle open. I have one but only use it on very long runs.
You can also get a special bar end weight that does the same job but they are very costly and I certainly wasn't impressed.

I have never got on with BMWs handlebar sweep angle. I felt sat bolt upright with every road bump pile driving my spine. Tipping the bars forwards
improved the back issue but caused thumb joint pain. The fix for me was to use McGrath Bend MX bars with riser clamps. This puts the grips forwards with less sweep but at the same height as standard. You could do it with taller MX bars and the standard amounts but with less adjustability.
 
On long tours I used to suffer from serious wrist pain/ache ( thought I had carpal tunnel syndrome). Having spent the last two years in the gym doing resistance training for strength and weight loss, I now have no issues and can ride quite happily for 500+ mile days. My core and lower back strength improvements have also helped greatly with posture and riding comfort.

If you can't fix the throttle, maybe some strength/flexibility work could help with grip strength and wrist ache ( not just in riding, but in everyday life also) ?

Perhaps a quick acting throttle mod could help with mechanical advantage at the twist grip end, the GS throttle action is a bit two-stage requiring a second handfull, discussed years ago on here as I recall.
 
My problem was simply due to the handlebar design which plain didn't suit me. Changing that sweep angle solved the thumb joint issues.

Ive never liked sitting bolt upright on any bike - fit or fat, I just dont feel comfortable. Pulling the OEM bars right back as many people like them I find the most horrible what to ride the bike though the thumbs don't complain. You end up steering with your waist.
 


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