Hi guys. Apparently Speed Twins and Thruxtons owners have the possibility of fitting a throttle spacer kit to eliminate throttle snatch that becomes apparent at low speeds. Is such a device available for Bonnevilles or will the Speed Twin/Thruxton version work on a Bonneville. Answers on a postcard. Many thanks.
When I had the controls on my Bonneville Speedmaster apart I couldn't see any gap for a spacer to work on its controls (I was planning on trying a bit of heat-shrink sleving as a spacer). Your model could be different.
Thanks for replying. I didn’t fancy whipping the right hand control assembly apart on the off chance that there might be something I could do. I’ll shall continue to be lazy until a solution arrives. Thanks again.
I did look into the spacer solution when I first got my Bonnie. TMF did a video tutorial when fitting it to his Speed Twin and reckoned it virtually eliminated the low speed jerkiness. Great, I thought, and contacted the Company who promptly burst my bubble by informing me that the Bonneville throttle assembly is different to the Speed Twin one and a kit wasn’t available for me. I’ve since, like most on here, learned to live with the snatchiness
Thanks, I have the booster plug fitted and it makes great deal of difference. There is now no throttle hesitation. The snatchyness I refer to occurs when you twist from zero to something at slow speeds. At high speeds it is not an issue but I don’t see why I should have to use clutch to fix a what should an easily remedied problem with the design of the ride-by-wire throttle assembly. Many thanks for people’s replies.
Those spacers take out the free play from a fully closed throttle, nothing more. I don't know about you but whilst moving when did you ever have a fully closed throttle? They don't affect fuelling and play in the throttle tube on a fully closed throttle is not a snatchy throttle. If anyone is treating the throttle as a digital switch then they need to change their riding habits. The best thing I did for my 2018 T100 was to fit a de-cat, Toga silencers and a Power Commander. It was a completely different bike afterwards. O2 sensors are non-operational and the PC sorts the fuelling out. Booster plugs affect the low speed fuelling when the ECU is in closed loop mode but once rolling they have little effect. In fact there's evidence to say they are detrimental at the other end of the operating range. Since some notice the benefit at low speed more than the effect at high engine revs most are happy to accept the compromise and take the bigger win. I tried a BP on my Thruxton R and it didn't make a blind bit of difference, it needed a Power Commander and custom map to fix it's issues.
Call me old fashioned, but I have the throttle shut as I decelerate or when applying brakes. I thought this was normal. For me this normally happens as I approach junctions and on entry to bends. But I find I have to be very, very gentle the moment I wish to go from zero throttle to some throttle. Sometimes it is referred to as “Roll off/Rool on”. No binary moves, no zero to a lot, just zero to some. At high speeds this is not an issue, the inertia of the bike smoothes out the response but at low speeds I find it irksome and was looking for a solution.
Must be personal riding style then as I never notice it on my Thruxton. If I come to stop or I'm rolling with zero throttle I take up the slack with my hand.
The throttle on my SS had quite a bit of free play (too much for my taste) so I used some heatshrink tubing to do the same job as the small plastic clips that are available. Worked a treat.
On my 2017 air cooled T100 I blocked the secondary air induction by simply stuck a steel ball (like a marble) into the hose. A friend of mine put a wine cork and into the airbox hole and the hose over it. Both solutions are easy, cheap and you can go back to original whenever you want in 5 minutes. Both solutions also totally eliminated the jerking. In my case (EFI) I let the engine run without touching the throttle for 15 min after the modification. My friend’s a carb so no need.
On my 2017 air cooled T100 I blocked the secondary air induction by simply stuck a steel ball (like a marble) into the hose. A friend of mine put a wine cork and into the airbox hole and the hose over it. Both solutions are easy, cheap and you can go back to original whenever you want in 5 minutes. Both solutions also totally eliminated the jerking. In my case (EFI) I let the engine run without touching the throttle for 15 min after the modification. My friend’s a carb so no need.
Hi Trevor, I have a 2020 T100 and have the exact same issue you describe with the throttle. I have got used to it but it’s not optimal. I see you fitted the booster plug. Does this help specifically with the roll-off to roll-on throttle snatch in slow moving traffic and when cornering? If so, I’ll definitely give it a go.
The TALL gearing isn't helping the low speed manners. Dancing with the throttle and the clutch only exasperates the situation. Look into the different options for gearing. I went with a 16/40 combination {and the booster plug}. https://www.triumphbobberforum.com/threads/geared-to-the-moon.15295/unread
My take is these troubles are created in the effort to satisfy the regulations set by the EPA... in the emissions {tea spooning fuel} and noise aspects {max db levels while accelerating thru 30 mph in 2nd gear}. I enjoy the "slyness" of the booster plug, makes me smile. And the gear change simply makes the bike more fun to ride.
Sounds like it could be a combination of things. I put the shop bought spacers on my 2018 Street Twin so surprised they aren't available for all Bonnies. I found low speed was much smother/ suited to my riding style, very little difference with more spirited riding at higher revs. Find it amusing when you look at the quite heated debates about a little tweak like this online, comments vary from 'solving a problem that doesn't exist' to 'best upgrade I have done'.
Put this on the newbies thread but didn't get any replies so thought i'd try here - my brand new T100 throttle is v snatchy and jerky but the street scrambers i've taken out were fine (maybe i should have got one!). Only just about rideable in heavy traffic and towns but can't believe i'v got to implement the suggestions above on a brand new bike! what about the warranty for starters! Dealer says its fine i'l get used to it - sure, by go buying an RE interceptor where the fuelling was spot on!
same problem sean but why just the bonnie? my brand new Z900RS is fine as were the other bikes i test road - i would not have bought it if i knew it was that bad - the street scramble i road has the same set up and was fine - what about the warranty for all these fixes suggested?
It is a little frustrating as, other than when in traffic, I find the T100 a pleasure to ride. I’m going to commit to a booster plug as it’s a plug and play. It may be a while before I get round to it so if anyone else has a postive result in the meantime, it’d be good to hear. Plan to drop Triumph a line directly as well.
