Twist throttle junk

[Jamie P]

I bought this twist throttle from BMI. I asked the salesman for the best one they sell, and he said everyone uses this part. It's total junk.

I like a spring on my throttle to pull it back quickly to idle, but this twist grip just spins on itself in an attempt to overcome even the lightest spring tension, so it's impossible to open the throttle fully. Without a spring it will open the throttle fully, but then it doesn't slow down well on its own.

The bigger problem is that if you inadvertently spin the throttle forward instead of backward the cable pops right off inside the grip. There is nothing to prevent it from spinning both ways, and there is nothing to keep the cable on if you spin the wrong way. Of course I know not to spin the wrong way, but I'm sure that any kid (or my wife) sitting on the thing is likely to accidentally spin it forward.

In summary it's an item that should not be sold anywhere. Don't buy one.

What do you guys use for twist grips?

 

[Functional Artist]

The throttle should have a "stop"
...where the engine just idles
...& so, it can't be turned the wrong way

Sounds like a defective part
...what is the part # of the throttle you bought
...& have you talked with BMI about this situation?

 

[Jamie P]

The throttle should have a "stop"
...where the engine just idles
...& so, it can't be turned the wrong way

Sounds like a defective part
...what is the part # of the throttle you bought
...& have you talked with BMI about this situation?

On their website it's #300305.

I owe them a call. If it's defective I'm sure they'll make it right. I thought it was just a bad design.

Thanks

 

[Hellion]

Have used ones like that one, "Cherry" brand, on classic minibikes. Never a problem........ it's the simplest of items. Are you saying the assembly itself spins on the handlebar and does not crimp tightly? Is it for 7/8" or 1" bars?

What do the innards look like, the cylindrical throttle "tube" and the cam on the end with the slot for the peg on the end of the cable? It should not "freewheel" 360°+, it should only move one way so far then hard stop, and the same way back.

 

[Hellion]

I suppose you could go ahead and buy the motorcycle style that has the 90° elbow on it so the cable is routed along the handlebars, but you may not want that.

I have this style which so happens to match my 1981 Honda XL185 to a T (those nasty Chinese copycats)..



The black cable routing assembly on mine is cast metal painted black so it is pretty rugged. Think the originals were plastic.

 

[Jamie P]

I suppose you could go ahead and buy the motorcycle style that has the 90° elbow on it so the cable is routed along the handlebars, but you may not want that.

I have this style which so happens to match my 1981 Honda XL185 to a T (those nasty Chinese copycats)..

View attachment 160988

The black cable routing assembly on mine is cast metal painted black so it is pretty rugged. Think the originals were plastic.

Where can you buy that style?

 

[Jamie P]

Have used ones like that one, "Cherry" brand, on classic minibikes. Never a problem........ it's the simplest of items. Are you saying the assembly itself spins on the handlebar and does not crimp tightly? Is it for 7/8" or 1" bars?

What do the innards look like, the cylindrical throttle "tube" and the cam on the end with the slot for the peg on the end of the cable? It should not "freewheel" 360°+, it should only move one way so far then hard stop, and the same way back.

The metal part of this assembly is nice and solid and fits tight to the handlebar. The grip is two pieces, one inside the other. If there is any resistance in the throttle cable (like a spring for tension) then the outer rubber piece just spins around the inner plastic tube.

Nothing looks broken or defective. It just appears to be a terrible design with nothing to stop it from spinning backwards and no ability to handle any amount of torque.

 

[Hellion]

Where can you buy that style?

Anywhere you want. I bought mine from ebay. Nowadays, I might pick a U.S. seller to make sure it was free shipping for ease and quickness.

 

[Hellion]

The metal part of this assembly is nice and solid and fits tight to the handlebar. The grip is two pieces, one inside the other. If there is any resistance in the throttle cable (like a spring for tension) then the outer rubber piece just spins around the inner plastic tube.

Nothing looks broken or defective. It just appears to be a terrible design with nothing to stop it from spinning backwards and no ability to handle any amount of torque.

Oh wow, that one IS bad, the recess for the "barrel end" of the cable looks wonky. It's usually oriented 90° sideways and well-captured in the tube thing, kind of like I have illustrated in green....




I also see no notch or stop molded into the tube thingy. Technically speaking you may not need one but I like having it.

 

[Jamie P]

I wanted to update the group. Long-story-short, I won't buy from BMI Karts ever again. I'm not one to rip people apart on-line, but they have the worst customer service I've ever seen.

First, they didn't believe me that the throttle doesn't work. They said they "need to look into it" and will call me back. After 3 weeks I heard nothing so I called them. They said we can refund your $15 but only if you mail the part back so we can inspect it for an issue. I did that and didn't hear back. I called them on Monday, after a couple weeks of nothing, and they said we never received your part, so we'll call you back. Of course they haven't, and it's been 4 days.

We're only talking about $15, so I'm not going to bother calling them again. I gave them lots of opportunities to make it right, and they chose not to. My advise is be careful if you make big purchases with these guys. I can only imagine how stressful it would be to have an issue with an expensive part purchased from them.

 

[Hellion]

Customer service seems to be a dying art along with quality in general. Thanks for the update, closure is good.