Okay, I'm showing my ignorance here.

[Spook]

Either I am incredibaly tolorant, or I got really lucky. I have an 07 AE with 1,000 miles. The throttle is sensitive at low speeds, but manageable with a little practice.
Riding the rear brake at low speeds (tight turns in at less than 10 mph) really helps to replace the missing clutch lever.

For what it worth (not much I admit) I would try riding the bike for a month or so, before I start changing things.

Good luck

I'm with you on this.

 

[madmike2]

A couple of thoughts:

1) Try "grip puppies". (link to other threads) The larger diameter grip may change the ratio of throttle application enough to smooth things out.

2) You don't mention if you've ever owned a "shaft drive" before. I've had 3 and I learned early on (because the older versions entertained me with "shaft jacking") to have my gear changes and abrupt throttle changes done before entering a corner so that I am rolling on the throttle through a corner.

3) Smooth shifts are easier on the FJR when shifted above 3500 rpms. The bike seems more "clunky" when shifted at lower revs.

 

[Falcon124]

Can someone please explain to me how these throttle issues discussed here manifest themselves? I had an '05 and recently moved up to an '08 and I've never experienced any sort of abruptness or fade in throttle response on either bike. I did find the throttle spring rather tight on the '05 but did some wrist strengthening exercises and eventually got over it. The throttle spring on the '08 is not as tight as the '05 so for me, it's a non-issue. I commute back and forth to work (56 mi round trip) and I do a lot of riding on twisty mountain roads here in NC so I have put both bikes through their paces. I do find the '08 acceleration smoother than the '05, in that before I realize it I'm in 5th gear closing in on 80 mph. Other than the frame sliders, about the only deviation from stock I plan to make on this bike is to change out the mufflers.

 

[boomerang]

Somedays I feel like I'm trying to learn to ride all over again. I really am enjoying my FJR except for one thing: the throttle seems jerky. As I'm getting ready to enter a corner, I twist on the throttle as smoothly as possible and I still get a "clank" from the driveshaft. Sometimes the bike even gets a little unsettled. It happens when I'm accelerating through the gears, too.
I've been reading all the messages about changing the spring and that sort, but I don't really want to mess with the bike in that way.

So does anybody have any ideas about getting smoother with the throttle? This motorcycle is a lot of fun, but it's not like anything I'm accustomed to, and I don't like feeling clumsy.

Thanks.

Terry J

Terry,

There is alot of good advice here about the Power Commander, unwinding springs and so on...but there is one more piece of advice I can offer based on experience.

More than a few years ago, I decided to stop playing in the dirt and move up to the street full time. I sold my Suzuki DR350SE and bought a Katana 600. Even though I had been riding the dual sport on the street with no problem, suddenly the Katana seemed almost uncontrollable, especially in low-to-mid speed corners. I thought there must be something wrong with the bike. It was all herky-jerky...snatchy throttle in the corners...impossible to hold a line. I felt like a rank beginner and just knew that I must fix the bike or sell it and go back off road where I was king of the hill, and not prone to nearly as much embarassment.

By chance I picked up a copy of Keith Code's wonderful book, "A Twist of the Wrist II." After an evening of reading, it was apparent that all of the problems I was having with throttle control and cornering were due to my own inability to ride smoothly while keeping my attention out in front of the bike...looking through turns instead of at them...and so on. There was nothing wrong with the bike at all! I can't really paraphrase the whole book here, but there is no doubt that Code got inside my head and fixed exactly what was wrong with the bike...me.

My advice is to make whatever mods you feel are necessary, but find a copy of Code's book and read it...then practice. You will be so surprised at how much better your throttle control becomes when the bike is ridden properly.

I dont know that I can agree with this as far as the FJR is concerned. I've been riding for 30 years. Have had 8 bikes in that time and have never, ever had any issue with the abrupt throttle off to throttle on response exibited in the Feejer. I've done all the recomended mods short of the PCIII and combined they tame it a little but its not gone and its not rider short commings. There is somthing poorly designed about the bike and thats a fact. I can jump on any of my friends bikes that I have no time on and have smooth throttle transitions within a turn or 2. I have over 8k miles on the Feejer and its still a huge issue. There isnt a single person of all my experienced friends that havnt commented on it after taken it for a ride. They just think its because its an AE and they need to get used to it. I used to think the same but know better now.

I tend to feel more like it is a problem with slack in the drive shaft. I have noticed that with a little bit of trail braking it smooths that out some.

 

[Rob]

My thought is why buying a new bike I have to buy Mods and cut and un wind springs to make my bike ridable in the city? I have no problem with the shifting but taking off from stop is a killer. I either have to sit there and wait till I get some throttle or I end up getting thrown off the back of the bike, and this makes me look like a dork. I don't see why it is acceptable for them to sell a bike and then say to ride it you will need to modify it. Maybe I am being too picking but it makes it hard to enjoy the bike. I have never had this problem with any bike before. And I sure don't feel comfortable taking it apart and doing anything to it.

 

[dbx]

My thought is why buying a new bike I have to buy Mods and cut and un wind springs to make my bike ridable in the city? .....

I have never had this problem with any bike before. And I sure don't feel comfortable taking it apart and doing anything to it.

As far as I'm concerned, from the moment a new bike is 'mine', I'm willing to take it apart and do stuff to it.

dbx

 

[Spook]

My thought is why buying a new bike I have to buy Mods and cut and un wind springs to make my bike ridable in the city? I have no problem with the shifting but taking off from stop is a killer. I either have to sit there and wait till I get some throttle or I end up getting thrown off the back of the bike, and this makes me look like a dork. I don't see why it is acceptable for them to sell a bike and then say to ride it you will need to modify it. Maybe I am being too picking but it makes it hard to enjoy the bike. I have never had this problem with any bike before. And I sure don't feel comfortable taking it apart and doing anything to it.

I still see no problem here, I have an 07 AE and have done no mods, I have no problem with jerkiness ya just gots to be smooth man.

 

[Rob]

Then mine and many others must be broke, cause when you twist the throttle and nothing happens and then your off like a rocket then there is something wrong. All the post about having to work on the spring must be a a bunch of non riding folks. They ALL must need to be a bit smoother.

 

[madmike2]

The SPRING MOD will not change the abruptness of throttle application or the lack of fuel to the injectors. It merely reduces the tension against the twist grip.

It seems to me that the descriptions given of the particular issue is one of fuel delivery to the injectors by the ECU. This doesn't sound like something that is purely mechanical.

If it were one or two bikes, that could be a technique problem but this has the earmarks of an ECU or injector glitch. Since there are so many having the problem, it sounds like it should be reported to your dealers. Unfortunately that means this could be a "process" to get something fixed (meaning no quick repair but a compilation of evidence reported to Yamaha).

 

[Falcon124]

I still see no problem here, I have an 07 AE and have done no mods, I have no problem with jerkiness ya just gots to be smooth man.

+1

 

[Spook]

Then mine and many others must be broke, cause when you twist the throttle and nothing happens and then your off like a rocket then there is something wrong. All the post about having to work on the spring must be a a bunch of non riding folks. They ALL must need to be a bit smoother.

When ya say twist the throttle do you twist it rapidly or do you ease the revs up. If i bring the revs up too fast I can make mine jump too but if I ease into it till the clutch engages and then apply harder I have no problem

 

[RickyRey]

Terry,

Thanks for asking this question and to all of you who answered it. I have been riding my 07 for 7 months and trying to figure this out. The answers below are very helpful. I just recently completed a track day focused on street skills and smoothness and was just a mess in the corners....The course was CLASS and put on by Reg Pridmore....His direct advice to me was PRACTICE. And tighten up the playin the throttle...I had about a 1/4 inch travel that I removed. I think the spring idea is good too. But essentially I think its me. Ill keep this thread updated as I go.

RR.

Somedays I feel like I'm trying to learn to ride all over again. I really am enjoying my FJR except for one thing: the throttle seems jerky. As I'm getting ready to enter a corner, I twist on the throttle as smoothly as possible and I still get a "clank" from the driveshaft. Sometimes the bike even gets a little unsettled. It happens when I'm accelerating through the gears, too.
I've been reading all the messages about changing the spring and that sort, but I don't really want to mess with the bike in that way.

So does anybody have any ideas about getting smoother with the throttle? This motorcycle is a lot of fun, but it's not like anything I'm accustomed to, and I don't like feeling clumsy.

Thanks.

Terry J

 

[Rob]

Then mine and many others must be broke, cause when you twist the throttle and nothing happens and then your off like a rocket then there is something wrong. All the post about having to work on the spring must be a a bunch of non riding folks. They ALL must need to be a bit smoother.

When ya say twist the throttle do you twist it rapidly or do you ease the revs up. If i bring the revs up too fast I can make mine jump too but if I ease into it till the clutch engages and then apply harder I have no problem

Heck if I give it a good twist I can light the tire but as I am sitting at a stop light that has just turned green and I am slowly trying to bring the RPMs up I go from nothing to a good jump. Sometimes I can get it to roll off fine. I know I will get the just practice answer. That is great. I can just practice so that some day I will be good at sitting at the green light and slowly get the Rs up so I can take off. The whole time I am holding up traffic. I am thinking it is time to just start dropping the bike off at the dealer ship and let them work it out. We have a pretty good lemon law in AZ.

 

[luvtoride]

A link to yesterdays thread about this... & the day before & the day before...etc

A persistent search through these threads may yield you info from '06 or earlier.

 

[Spook]

Then mine and many others must be broke, cause when you twist the throttle and nothing happens and then your off like a rocket then there is something wrong. All the post about having to work on the spring must be a a bunch of non riding folks. They ALL must need to be a bit smoother.

When ya say twist the throttle do you twist it rapidly or do you ease the revs up. If i bring the revs up too fast I can make mine jump too but if I ease into it till the clutch engages and then apply harder I have no problem

Heck if I give it a good twist I can light the tire but as I am sitting at a stop light that has just turned green and I am slowly trying to bring the RPMs up I go from nothing to a good jump. Sometimes I can get it to roll off fine. I know I will get the just practice answer. That is great. I can just practice so that some day I will be good at sitting at the green light and slowly get the Rs up so I can take off. The whole time I am holding up traffic. I am thinking it is time to just start dropping the bike off at the dealer ship and let them work it out. We have a pretty good lemon law in AZ.

Even with easing the throttle I am still across the intersection before any cage next to me is.

 

[Sherman]

Can someone please explain to me how these throttle issues discussed here manifest themselves? I had an '05 and recently moved up to an '08 and I've never experienced any sort of abruptness or fade in throttle response on either bike. I did find the throttle spring rather tight on the '05 but did some wrist strengthening exercises and eventually got over it. The throttle spring on the '08 is not as tight as the '05 so for me, it's a non-issue. I commute back and forth to work (56 mi round trip) and I do a lot of riding on twisty mountain roads here in NC so I have put both bikes through their paces. I do find the '08 acceleration smoother than the '05, in that before I realize it I'm in 5th gear closing in on 80 mph. Other than the frame sliders, about the only deviation from stock I plan to make on this bike is to change out the mufflers.

I just wanted to be able to read this without the visual effects.

I will try to answer your question now that I have washed out my eyes to get rid of you avatar images. One Flylooper is enough.

[Maybe somebody can explain how these throttle issues manifest themselves.]

The stock throttle setup makes the bike difficult to control, during the transition from idle to go, for most of us, as provided in the stock configuration.

I suppose Popeye would have little trouble, but it is not muscle so much as the finesse required when you try to hold a little throttle through the turns to maintain the ideal frame geometry by loading the rear end with a little power thereby providing maximum corner clearance and stability. The stock throttle is jerky for most of us. Changing the front to rear loading during high performance or even low speed turns is dangerous.

 

[copterchief]

For the AE I think there are three separate issues. 1) smoothness from a stop which has to do with mastering clutch engagement, 2) smoothness through the gears which is mastered understanding how much to "twitch" the throttle through a gear change dependent on speed/rpm, 3) abruptness coming off and back on throttle at speed (where the clutch remains fully engaged).

With about 1200 miles on my bike (06AE), I have no problem from start or through the gears. In fact, it feels like a Cadillac auto transmission. I did the G2 mod which helped a lot to smooth out my run from a dead stop but the rest was just experience with the bike. I disagree with the thought that shifting the AE is smoother at higher rpm. I find, when I am behaving myself in town, I can drop the next gear in with one finger and never get so much as a head wiggle from my passenger. When I'm really scooting, it's still smooth, just not like low rev shifting.

My problem remains with the on-off-on throttle abruptness, particularly in 2nd gear in the curves. I may eventually master it with experience. I may also try the PCIII mod as this problem does seem to be a fuel mixture or fuel control issue. Once I solve this, I'll have an even bigger smile on my face as I ride this awesome bike!

 

[CRMH Eagle]

It's all in the hands.... at least she keeps telling me that

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

<snip>My problem remains with the on-off-on throttle abruptness, particularly in 2nd gear in the curves.

I admit to having never ridden an AE and I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes -- but, what I'm reading here looks like: improper cornering technique.

Paraphrasing MSF: at least steady throttle; or, ideally, light throttle roll-on throughout the curve. Decelerating in a curve un-settles the suspension (among other things) causing instability -- and, maybe, bad "AE-ness"?

Improper cornering technique can sure make a bike seem bad.

Judgement before the curve and following the prescribed technique (MSF and others) makes it good.

 

[copterchief]

<snip>My problem remains with the on-off-on throttle abruptness, particularly in 2nd gear in the curves.

I admit to having never ridden an AE and I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes -- but, what I'm reading here looks like: improper cornering technique.

Paraphrasing MSF: at least steady throttle; or, ideally, light throttle roll-on throughout the curve. Decelerating in a curve un-settles the suspension (among other things) causing instability -- and, maybe, bad "AE-ness"?

Improper cornering technique can sure make a bike seem bad.

Judgement before the curve and following the prescribed technique (MSF and others) makes it good.

It's the "roll-on throughout the curve" where the abruptness comes in. Hopefully somewhere before the curve you have slowed, which typically requires decreasing the throttle and sometimes braking, then hold what you got into the curve, the accelerate out of the curve. When the throttle is turned, there is no response within a zone that normally produces response, then, SURPRISE!, acceleration. The delay is consistent so you can certainly get used to it and still perform well, but it is maddening that you lose the normal smooth throttle response. It's not a technique issue, at least for me. This is the only bike which I've ridden that I've experienced this particular issue.