Throttle not returning??

suthpaw22

suthpaw22

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My project bike has a lot of nice work already done to it by the previous owner. I'm wondering though about the throttle. He installed new drag bars and grips and all on the bike. When I turn the throttle to give it gas it feels really smoothe, but doesn't return back by itself. I have to manually return it down. It doesn't feel like anything is wrong with it or something is missing, yet every other bike I have ever rode returned on its own. Anyone have any ideas?
 
Have you got the carbs on yet?

When the bike is running, it will likely return fine. With the carbs on, the 30+ year old return spring is likely just a little weak.
 
No, I sure don't. I just bought my carbs on eBay a few days ago because my bike didn't come with any. They haven't came in yet. I guess I would need that hooked up before it would return properly. :doh:
 
Lol sorry Suthpaw, but that just reminds me of a time that I kicked a dirtbike for 20min and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. Didn't turn it on....
 
The cable may need to be re-routed due to the slack caused by the installation of the drag bars. Excess length may be causing the cable to bind.
 
Does the throttle tube turn freely on the bars with the cable unhooked at the carbs? It could be rubbing on the drag bars themselves. I bought a set of drag bars once where the tube would stick on the bars for some reason (thick chrome in one spot?).. The fat part of the grip could also be rubbing on the switch housing. Does the throttle act like it's trying to return to the closed position on its own, and just needs a little bit of motivation? Something must be sticking and isn't right. Is the cable lubed? If you reach down to the carbs and open and close the throttle by hand, does the spring tension feel good there?
 
Nevermind.. I took too long to reply.. I see you don't even have carbs yet! There is no spring in the throttle housing to make it return to the closed position. The spring is on the carbs themselves and the throttle tube will be pulled back to the closed position via the throttle cable.
 
Also, if you don't have any carbs hooked up, your throttle should feel super easy to move around (as if they weren't hooked up to anything! lol). If you feel any resistance when you turn the throttle, that could be from any of the binding issues mentioned above. You shouldn't have any resistance at this point, since there is no spring on the other end to provide the resistance. If you do, you want to get that figured out before you hook up the carbs.
 
- some will fry you...ignore it...theres no such thing as a stupid question...all part of the learning curve...feet and orifices seem somehow to come together in all combinations
 
BigJimmyW13 said:
Lol sorry Suthpaw, but that just reminds me of a time that I kicked a dirtbike for 20min and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. Didn't turn it on....
Click to expand...

Did that myself once on my 4-wheeler. I just got it and a couple of buddies were over looking at it. One tried starting it and it wouldn't start. Tried every choke/throttle position you could think of, then jumping it when the battery died.... What the hell? It was running just fine yesterday! Gas? check... spark? check.. Key on? check.. WTF!!!! :banghead: Even tried pop starting it down the road just for good measure.. still nothing...

WHO bumped the damn kill switch!!!??? :banghead::banghead:

I never use the kill switch on my 4 wheeler, just the key, so it completely spaced me. :doh:
 
That happens to me every once in a while when i switch between the 80 and the 78. The 80 won't kick the starter with the kill switch off, whereas the 78 will. So on the 80, starter button does nothing, check kill switch, turn on, starter working, bike starts. On the 78, key on, starter button, turning over, nothing, wtf, key off, key on, hm... <swearing> kill switch on, start bike.

I've also been caught at the side of the road cleaning points when my 77 KZ750 died on the highway, before i realized i might just be running out of fuel, and switch to reserve and started right up. I hated that bike.
 
Speaking of dumb things. I had a GS500 that had a remote petcock with two lines coming from the tank, one for main and one for reserve. I was riding it one day and it started sputtering so I turned it to reserve only to find that it did nothing, and I was out of gas.. I knew immediately what had happened. :doh: I got the lines switched around when putting the tank back on the day before, so I was running on the reserve line the entire time. Fortunately, I was only a few blocks from a gas station when it happened.

Lesson learned... I marked the lines and petcock so it wouldn't happen again.
 
I followed the line all the way from the throttle all the way to the carb. Doesn't look to be any kinks. The return spring on the carb looks to be good as well. I'm going to spray the line with some WD-40 and work it back and forth a bit to see if that helps.
 
here's mine....I wanted to check the condition of the carb diaphrams by pushing the slide up..then plug the oval hole. fell like a rock..took two days to realize my choke was on....
 

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