electronic throttle

[cmruger]

Could I put electronic trottle on my 03 RKC?

[Phu Cat]

What benefits are there cept braggin rights?  Would it be cost effective?

PC

[JamLazyAss]

Here's my chance to show my ignorance of new (to me) bikes...

Just what the heck is throttle by wire?
Is that what this thread is about?
How does it work?

[truck]

The only benefit I can think of is that you don't have to lubricate cables any more.

[ViennaHog]

I bet you can. Requires the 2008 entire wiring harness, speedo, ECM and other goodies. A few thousand $ and no more cable lubing.

[cmruger]

My thoughts exactly, a very clean no cable look!

[CrazyRay]

Why would you want to go and screw up a perfectly good bike?

[Coyote]

If someone offered to put it on my 07 for free and buy me lunch I wouldn't do it! My cables work just fine and HD has a long list of stuff with bad firmware. Besides, you'd need cabling, a new ECM, new TB (I'd guess) and probably more.

[Panzer]

I bet you can. Requires the 2008 entire wiring harness, speedo, ECM and other goodies. A few thousand $ and no more cable lubing.

Seems reasonable to me
          Help the economy 

[CraigArizona85248]

Just what the heck is throttle by wire?
Is that what this thread is about?
How does it work?

JLA,

"Throttle by wire" is basically an electronically controlled throttle.  Instead of having a throttle that mechanically opens/closes your throttle using cable, the throttle has become a piece of electronics.  As you twist the throttle it sends a differing voltage to the bikes computer.  This is probably not unfamiliar to you.  If you ever had a slot car set with a thumb plunger or trigger throttle, it works along the same principle (only much more sophisticated on the bike).  So as the bikes computer sees the voltage from the throttle rise and fall, is sends a signal to a servo motor that will open and close the throttle body on your bike is much the same way an old mechanical throttle did before they went to "throttle by wire".  A servo motor is a "smart" motor.  It can be sent a signal that tells it exactly how many revolutions and how fast to turn it's output shaft.  So when you crack the throttle fast, the computer converts that into a signal to tell the servo motor to open the throttle fast.  Same if you slowly open the throttle, the servo motor opens the throttle body slowly.

Why would they do this?  There are a number of reasons.  Since the computer is ultimately in control of the throttle position, if it detects the bike pinging, it can ignore your desire to go to WOT and back off the throttle a little, thus preventing engine damage.  It can also be used to help improve fuel economy and emissions.

I'm personally not a fan of any of that.  I want complete control over the throttle on my bike.  I don't need a computer watching over and making decisions that contradict what my wrist is doing.

-Craig

[PoorUB]

Here's my chance to show my ignorance of new (to me) bikes...

Just what the heck is throttle by wire?
Is that what this thread is about?
How does it work?

No more throttle cables on the '08 and up bikes. Here is how it works, in simple terms, more or less! The twist grip is wired to a reostat that sends a electrical signal to the bike's computer telling it how much throttle you want by the position of the twist grip. A electrical signal from the computer runs a stepper motor on the throttle body body that opens and closes the butterfly in the throttle body. No direct connection from the twist grip to the throttle plate any more. "Old" technology, cars have been using the concept for quite a while.

[truck]

Just what the heck is throttle by wire?
Is that what this thread is about?
How does it work?

It is a stiff length of wire that runs from the right hand grip to the carburetor and is concealed inside the handlebar.
The handlebar beneath the grip has a spiral groove in it that matches a groove in the hand grip and there is a thingy inside the handlebar that rides in both grooves and has the stiff wire attached to it.
When you twist the hand grip it pulls the wire that is connected to the carburetor and opens the butterfly.
Throttle by wire explained.