kozubs Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 So this weekend I tried something new. I always hated the thumb throttle during aggresive riding and especially while standing or on uphille right hand corners. No position worked in all situations. I also noticed that I always ride with one fnger on the brake (old trilas and MX habit) and figured why not the same for the throttle. Last week I spun my throttle (Polaris XC 700) around 180 degrees to use it as a finger throttle. What a huge improvement. You can grip the bars with your thumb in all situations for more control and it is way more comfortable wile standing and turning right. I know you can by gold fingers but spinning the leaver keeps your finger warm. II guess big wave jet skiers do this for control. I was concerned that me knee may hit the kill switch (as it now points down) but it didn't happend once. It's worth trying but just make sure if you do that you test the cable legth at full turns so your sled doesn't unexpectantly take off in a corner. A simple loosen of the screws and a spin in the garage will show you what I mean. This may also benifit those with short thumbs from fatigue as you can use 1 or 2 fingers or even alternate. After only one day the the thumb throttle on my wife's xp felt really awkword. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweese Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Interesting idea... I've always wondered about a twist grip on a sled, dirt bikes have them, and those guys are doing a lot more moving around than you do on a sled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocketman Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I've rode a sled with a twist grip. I liked it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrafrozen Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 A childhood friends dad had his right thumb ripped off in a diamond drill rig accident and flipped the throttle around as you described. We drove that sled and got used to it quickly. It was a little harder to turn right because you had less fingers to pull with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Sea-Doos have the throttle reversed so this only makes sence to do the same with the sled. I might give this a try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apeXMAN Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Thats a good idea.I have to give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledguy74 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I seen a v-max with a twist grip throttle, seemed pretty cool till the owner throttled it right into a cedar tree........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I seen a v-max with a twist grip throttle, seemed pretty cool till the owner throttled it right into a cedar tree........ Lol. Bad idea on a sled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweese Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Lol. Bad idea on a sled. You think so? Why? Just because that's the way it has always been? What is a smother ride? A seld or a dirt bike? I would say a seld is a smother ride. Both use the same trails, but snow fills in the holes and covers the rocks. Sure you can hit a bump and twist the throttle with a twist grip, but you're thumb can get torqued around as well and change throttle position as well. Steering. Both use a push to steer system, other than the bike is a counter steer. Left turns on a sled take a little more work because you can't use your palm of your right hand to push the bar because your thumb is on the throttle. Twist throttle on a bike allows you to have your palms flat on the grips for better control. No cold or numb thumb anymore, sure you have a thumb warmer, however somedays it's not enought and how sore and stiff has your thumb gotten some days? The only down fall I can think of with a twist grip, might be snow and ice getting packed into it and cause some movement issues. However the bar warmer placement could fix that easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravinerat Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 This is what I need. Thought about it a few times. Broken my throttle thumb a few times and have Arthritis pretty bad now. RR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 You think so? Why? Just because that's the way it has always been? What is a smother ride? A seld or a dirt bike? I would say a seld is a smother ride. Both use the same trails, but snow fills in the holes and covers the rocks. Sure you can hit a bump and twist the throttle with a twist grip, but you're thumb can get torqued around as well and change throttle position as well. Steering. Both use a push to steer system, other than the bike is a counter steer. Left turns on a sled take a little more work because you can't use your palm of your right hand to push the bar because your thumb is on the throttle. Twist throttle on a bike allows you to have your palms flat on the grips for better control. No cold or numb thumb anymore, sure you have a thumb warmer, however somedays it's not enought and how sore and stiff has your thumb gotten some days? The only down fall I can think of with a twist grip, might be snow and ice getting packed into it and cause some movement issues. However the bar warmer placement could fix that easily. Good points. I'd like to see a set up and try it. I'd also like to try a finger type throttle..not just a reversed thumb set up but a properly designed finger throttle with proper ergonomics. What scares me about a finger throttle is what could happen if you hit a branch or something jammed into your finger throttle, causing it to crack open when you were not expecting it, or countering an obstacle. I know Sea Doos have them but you aren't apt to hit your throttle on anything on water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenailem1 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 i reversed somethingy a number of years ago havent been the same since sreeb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Quimby Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 i reversed somethingy a number of years ago havent been the same since sreeb And here all along I thought it was the " do it yourself" electrical work you do that caused that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenailem1 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 oh boy ill work on that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 oh boy ill work on that All is well until your knee hits kill switch on water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozubs Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 I did work really well. My finger got a little tired as the thumb lever is a bit of a reach but you can switch to two finger or even your middle finger if need be. This was only the first day. I was fully expecting to hit my kill switch a couple of times but no issue. I wasn't overly concerned with a branch grabbing the throttle as my polaris xc windshield covers it pretty well. I might be more hesitent with a short windshield or no protection over the bars. As for someone hitting a tree with a finger throttle, I'm willing to bet any money that more people have hit trees with thumb throttles then finger throttles. Don't think anyone will take that bet though. At the very least I can say I ride a custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Interesting idea, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 As is the twist grip throttle. Formerly Mach 1, Mach Une, and now Algonquin Rider fashioned a twist grip throttle years ago. It sounded like it worked very well for him - the only proviso I remember him offering was to go with a smaller diameter grip to avoid hand/wrist fatigue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wenailem1 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 All is well until your knee hits kill switch on water. is the kill switch a split recepticle?????? cause i want to put a ground fault on it gg (lite) gf (pops so you dont get shocked) gh (reset) s or in my case,,,, thats why i did it :Drinking2: :Drinking2: :icon_snow: :icon_snow: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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