Lever Control Throttle or not?

[MGriffin]

Hi there,

Looking at whether i should stick to setting up the lever throttle on the 28’s carburettor or perhaps look to use the twist type throttle control.
I have no experience with using lever throttles let alone adding the use of hand gearchange at the same time.

In this day and age are there any issues using a lever throttle with modern traffic flows?

Any feedback appreciated.

[ian williams]

hi michael ;
i have a 2 lever throttle and air control on my 1922 little flat tank carfield motorbike ,with a 2 speed hand change albion gearbox , also belt drive with a heel operated rear brake which is basically just a bit of leather against the belt rim .
if you have ever worked in a factory on a production line , then this is the way you ride it , with all hands arms legs and feet having something to do .

my throttle is a stiff set type so doesnt spring back to idle and also needs to work with the air valve lever for best running , so you twiddle about with them as you are going along and then push and pull the throttle back and forth to speed up or slow down , but once you are aquainted with their actions it is easy and pretty much a thumb and forefinger job then .
i think wider handlebars make things easier for some reason .

pulling off is ok but changing gear in coordination with the throttle lever is a race against time changing down to go uphill , and due to mine not going much above 20mph flat out i lose momentum rapidly myself .

saying all that thought the lever throttle and hand change is no problem for me , and it is the belt drive that causes the biggest problem due to fact they will slip when going uphill if you have too much power going into them .
when i smell rubber i know the belt is slipping .

if you have a chain drive then your laughing to be honest .

you will probably find a lever throttle is easier to use with hand changing gears especially when you change up to a higher gear and can simply flick the lever back with one finger and a thumb to get the revs up after chaning up.

see how it goes with a lever and if you dont like it you can allways change to twist grip .

one other thing is you may have beaded edge tyres , so make sure they are pumped up hard or will come off the rim , over 40psi reqd .
cheers
ian .

[adrie.degraaff]

I had a twistgrip on all my pre 1930 Ariels, even on the 1898 tricycle, better safe than sorry.

[MGriffin]

hi michael ;
i have a 2 lever throttle and air control on my 1922 little flat tank carfield motorbike ,with a 2 speed hand change albion gearbox , also belt drive with a heel operated rear brake which is basically just a bit of leather against the belt rim .
if you have ever worked in a factory on a production line , then this is the way you ride it , with all hands arms legs and feet having something to do .

my throttle is a stiff set type so doesnt spring back to idle and also needs to work with the air valve lever for best running , so you twiddle about with them as you are going along and then push and pull the throttle back and forth to speed up or slow down , but once you are aquainted with their actions it is easy and pretty much a thumb and forefinger job then .
i think wider handlebars make things easier for some reason .

pulling off is ok but changing gear in coordination with the throttle lever is a race against time changing down to go uphill , and due to mine not going much above 20mph flat out i lose momentum rapidly myself .

saying all that thought the lever throttle and hand change is no problem for me , and it is the belt drive that causes the biggest problem due to fact they will slip when going uphill if you have too much power going into them .
when i smell rubber i know the belt is slipping .

if you have a chain drive then your laughing to be honest .

you will probably find a lever throttle is easier to use with hand changing gears especially when you change up to a higher gear and can simply flick the lever back with one finger and a thumb to get the revs up after chaning up.

see how it goes with a lever and if you dont like it you can allways change to twist grip .

one other thing is you may have beaded edge tyres , so make sure they are pumped up hard or will come off the rim , over 40psi reqd .
cheers
ian .

Thanks for the feedaback Ian.

[Dave.Barkshire]

I think it's very much down to personal taste. I have a mix of both and on pre 30 bikes prefer levers.

My twistgrips are usually set to return with the spring and the levers are not. Changing gear I find very easy and setting the tick over at the lights easy too, especially when combined with the advance-retard.

If you've not tried one then why not give it a go? You can always change if you don't get on with it.

[MGriffin]

I think it's very much down to personal taste. I have a mix of both and on pre 30 bikes prefer levers.

My twistgrips are usually set to return with the spring and the levers are not. Changing gear I find very easy and setting the tick over at the lights easy too, especially when combined with the advance-retard.

If you've not tried one then why not give it a go? You can always change if you don't get on with it.

Thanks Dave…..i probably will

[john.mitchell]

One thing that doesn't work well is a bump start. I once did about a hundred yards horizontal on the bike trying to shut the throttle on my 1927 Model E. It was terrifying.

[Dave.Barkshire]

One thing that doesn't work well is a bump start. I once did about a hundred yards horizontal on the bike trying to shut the throttle on my 1927 Model E. It was terrifying.

That sounds very Buster Katon!

I once started the VB on the stand, fully retarded and unknown to me in first gear. As I pushed it off the stand the bike started to move, my weight was too far back and I was struggling to keep my legs moving. After a while I got to the handlebars but it was very Norman Wisdom.

[tony.barnett]

I have a lever throttle on my 1930 Model B - it works really well. Dead easy to use and not a problem with gear changes. Give it a go.

[markus.nikot]

Michael,

I ran my 28 Model B some years with a lever and converted it then with a straight pull twistgrip. This makes it much better, quicker response, agility (well ,its a Model B) and safety in the end.
I would recommend it.

Markus