Good index finger throttle option

kidwoo · Nov 17, 2013

I wasn't too happy with the swing of the stock thumb throttle flipped so I screwed around with a few different options. A goldfinger doesn't have enough cable pull, the mountainbike levers I tried kind of sketched me out with all the open space and potentially sticky aluminum. I never got a watercraft finger throttle just because it's as big as the sled one but with potential compatibility problems with kill/reverse switch space.

A buddy had one of these

http://www.leftythrottle.com/

I'm not sure but it might be the same block as the powermadd one.

I had to put in some riser spacers to get it on a 7/8 bar but those are easy to find.

But the cable pull is perfect. Just a tad bit of slack at rest and I top out the throttle body stops like 1mm before it hits the grip. The stock ball end fits right into it too.

And the paddle is like 1/3 the size of the stock thumb one. Feels awesome with one or two fingers.

backcountryislife · Nov 18, 2013

Looks nice man!!

Skidoo riser on a cat though???? Traitor.

kidwoo · Nov 18, 2013

Got a Polaris clutch and a skidoo riser....probably going to have some Polaris skis on there soon. I keep thinking about what I can put on there from Yamaha but a sticker is the only thing they make that won't be a downgrade.

You should try one of those dtc throttle blocks. It's like it was pretty much made for this. So much better and smaller than a flipped regular paddle.

K2 · Nov 18, 2013

backcountryislife said:
Skidoo riser on a cat though???? Traitor.

probably got the idea of a Skidoo riser from the same place i did

:face-icon-small-win

kidwoo · Nov 18, 2013

K2 said:
probably got the idea of a Skidoo riser from the same place i did

backcountryislife · Nov 19, 2013

kidwoo said:

Meh... I've been called worse!!!!

Btw, you need to change your sig now... it's not one of those stupid thumb thingies anymore

kidwoo · Nov 19, 2013

Well technically it IS still a thumb thingy. I'm just using it incorrectly. And by incorrectly I mean "in a superior manner"

Driving me nuts not being able to ride yet. I may have to get road trippy soon.

BordnBill · Nov 19, 2013

I have seen a couple riders that flipped the throttle around... what exactly is the benefit? Better throttle control?

K2 · Nov 19, 2013

kidwoo said:

LOL !

:biggrin1:

kidwoo · Nov 19, 2013

BordnBill said:
I have seen a couple riders that flipped the throttle around... what exactly is the benefit? Better throttle control?

When you get waaayyyy over to one side of your sled, your wrists (and hence the base of your thumb) moves. Your index finger pretty much stays put no matter where you are. For the last few years I've run my throttle block loose so I can rotate it either way. The only time I want it 'traditional' is when I'm sittin on me arse cruising a boring road to somewhere.

It just tires your hand out a lot less too. I mountainbike all summer so my booger pickin finger is in good shape from using brakes. I don't know what it's like for everyone else but I definitely prefer it.

Also when you fall off your sled and that beast comes rolling at you, your track doesn't keep revving up from a thumb throttle hitting the snow.

K2 · Nov 19, 2013

kidwoo said:
I wasn't too happy with the swing of the stock thumb throttle flipped so I screwed around with a few different options. A goldfinger doesn't have enough cable pull, the mountainbike levers I tried kind of sketched me out with all the open space and potentially sticky aluminum. I never got a watercraft finger throttle just because it's as big as the sled one but with potential compatibility problems with kill/reverse switch space.

A buddy had one of these

http://www.leftythrottle.com/

I'm not sure but it might be the same block as the powermadd one.

I had to put in some riser spacers to get it on a 7/8 bar but those are easy to find.

http://kidwoo.com/FT2.JPG

But the cable pull is perfect. Just a tad bit of slack at rest and I top out the throttle body stops like 1mm before it hits the grip. The stock ball end fits right into it too.

And the paddle is like 1/3 the size of the stock thumb one. Feels awesome with one or two fingers.

let's see, red button's obviously kill switch, yellow button's reverse ? who makes those ?
what'd ya shim the throttle body with, cut down a 25.4/31.6 handlebar shim ?

i really like that setup, just might have to try it - bars, flat bars or risers ?

kidwoo · Nov 19, 2013

Got it right on the switches. They're both RSI pieces. I think fly makes some too and they look like the same thing. I tried REAAAALLLYY hard to keep the stock throttle body block but even with the paddle removed it just takes up so much damn space. I could have cut it but I wanted to leave it in one piece for when I sell it.

Dealing with the switches was kind of a pain in the as$. If you look at the first pic you can see where I had to file some grooves in them for the grip heater wires and then the kill switch wire to get past the reverse switch.

The reducers just came from some fly risers I took off. You can even buy them individually from most people that make bar risers. To be honest you could also just cut some of your grips and use that for a spacer. I wanted a rigid interface though.

The bars are just rsi flat chromo bars. That's actually the real reason I did all this shlt. I wanted some bars with less sweep to cut down on that elbow ribbing steeze that everyone gets when sidehilling an M-sled (or any sled with bars with a lot of sweep). Plus a flat bar lets you use the skidoo risers that have the greatest amount of adjustment.

K2 · Nov 19, 2013

thanks for that !

are the RSI bars the 12 degree version ?

kidwoo · Nov 19, 2013

10 deg

These guys

http://www.rsiracing.com/CHROMOLY-78-HANDLEBARS_p_32.html

The part number is CB10BLK

The 10deg ones don't have the silly hooks.

K2 · Nov 19, 2013

thanks again ..

I've got a spare pair of Bonz barkbuster mounts off one of my KTM's that I wished the bolt clamp pattern was the same as the sled's - with the finger throttle they're ( the barkbusters ) obviously mandatory

kidwoo · Nov 19, 2013

I'll be honest I'm not entirely sure that barkbusters are 'mandatory' with a finger throttle. You won't end up mounting it horizontally, it actually points more down than forward. Obviously it could get hung up in some branches or snow but I rode with a flipped throttle on my last sled without guards of any kind and never killed it/myself. Not a bad idea but probably not as essential as you think.

I run handguards for a lot of reasons that are just as important as the finger throttle thing. They're great windbreakers at 7am and I'm VERY well programmed to auger through some branches to stick a line from riding bikes. I've got those things on for my knuckles as much as anything. But yeah, they're probably not a bad idea with the flipped paddle. From what I've seen of a lot of the riding in AK, it's pretty easy to get away from trees

Those bonz mounts might work on a riser though. You could get a t-top post or one of those adapter things for the top of your flat top post.

K2 · Nov 19, 2013

good insight ..

and that's a fact, treeline here is low altitude for sure

looks like another project while waitin' for more snow - to me the thumb paddle throttle on sleds just ain't that ergonomic ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ha, just installed my CSP T Top post last weekend combined with the Skidoo riser - haven't gone out and checked the bolt pattern on those clamps, just compared them to the stock adjustable Cat post laying next to me - soon to hit Craigs list ..

BordnBill · Nov 20, 2013

kidwoo said:
When you get waaayyyy over to one side of your sled, your wrists (and hence the base of your thumb) moves. Your index finger pretty much stays put no matter where you are. For the last few years I've run my throttle block loose so I can rotate it either way. The only time I want it 'traditional' is when I'm sittin on me arse cruising a boring road to somewhere.

It just tires your hand out a lot less too. I mountainbike all summer so my booger pickin finger is in good shape from using brakes. I don't know what it's like for everyone else but I definitely prefer it.

Also when you fall off your sled and that beast comes rolling at you, your track doesn't keep revving up from a thumb throttle hitting the snow.

Interesting...I may have to look into that. I do know getting way over off the right, it's hard to use the thumb throttle and that's why I installed one of those throttle flares by SnoBunje so I can use my fingers to grab the throttle. Is this a hard mod at all?

backcountryislife · Nov 20, 2013

BordnBill said:
Interesting...I may have to look into that. I do know getting way over off the right, it's hard to use the thumb throttle and that's why I installed one of those throttle flares by SnoBunje so I can use my fingers to grab the throttle. Is this a hard mod at all?

loosen two torx bolts, spin throttle. On a stock cat, just be careful to go slow and don't hurt the heater wire. sometimes I cut the edge of the grip back a bit so the wire can move a bit more.

Btw, without a handguard, you just keep the middle finger behind the throttle as you hit a tree... that way if it hits the throttle, it's no big deal, and you're still in control. I currently don't have handguards on my 13. Obviously I'd prefer to have them though.

K2 · Jan 29, 2014

kidwoo said:
I'll be honest I'm not entirely sure that barkbusters are 'mandatory' with a finger throttle. You won't end up mounting it horizontally, it actually points more down than forward. Obviously it could get hung up in some branches or snow but I rode with a flipped throttle on my last sled without guards of any kind and never killed it/myself. Not a bad idea but probably not as essential as you think.

I run handguards for a lot of reasons that are just as important as the finger throttle thing. They're great windbreakers at 7am and I'm VERY well programmed to auger through some branches to stick a line from riding bikes. I've got those things on for my knuckles as much as anything. But yeah, they're probably not a bad idea with the flipped paddle. From what I've seen of a lot of the riding in AK, it's pretty easy to get away from trees

Those bonz mounts might work on a riser though. You could get a t-top post or one of those adapter things for the top of your flat top post.

Took the lower rise 22.2 clamp riser back to the Skidoo dealer and swapped it for the even lower rise 31.8 riser and the Bonz top clamp/bark buster booted right up :face-icon-small-hap

now all's I need is a Lefty's and a couple of RSI switches and I'll be good to go :face-icon-small-ton

also sprung for one of these too in a no-rise 760mm width with 10 degree sweep >>> CUSTOM "DH" HEAVY-DUTY HANDLEBAR, CUSTOM WIDTH & BEND, THICKWALL TITANIUM

This is a THICKWALL HEAVY-DUTY handlebar of any length up to 32" wide. Intended for Downhill/Freeride mountain biking or any other non-standard, heavyweight applications. For lightweight, shorter thinwall bars see above.

* 7/8" thickwall, 3/2.5 alloy titanium handlebar.
* Custom made with a thicker wall for heavy-duty MTB application in any width or bend up to 32 inches.
* Bead blast finish standard. Brushed finish available ($20 upcharge).
* Weight is approximately 13-oz / 0.369-kg at 32" length.
* Includes aluminum 25.4mm OR 31.8mm stem clamp shim.
* No inserts required for bar ends.
* After you purchase this item specify the length and bend angle in the Paypal Comment box.

$165
FINISH + SHIM SIZE

SPECIFY WIDTH & BEND

hope it holds up :face-icon-small-win

Good index finger throttle option

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