Accidentally hitting throttle when hard braking

[Pluot]

So I noticed that coming from an upright bike to one with clip-ons, when I brake hard, the sudden weight transfer forward sometimes makes me accidentally hit the throttle while I'm using the front brake. I am trying to squeeze the tank with my legs and keep my torso upright and against my tank. I know my Sv650s has a more forward leaning riding posture so I find it harder to keep my weight from going forward without applying force against my handlebars. Can you guys give me advice on how to fix this error?

 

[louemc]

So I noticed that coming from an upright bike to one with clip-ons, when I brake hard, the sudden weight transfer forward sometimes makes me accidentally hit the throttle while I'm using the front brake. I am trying to squeeze the tank with my legs and keep my torso upright and against my tank. I know my Sv650s has a more forward leaning riding posture so I find it harder to keep my weight from going forward without applying force against my handlebars. Can you guys give me advice on how to fix this error?

Sure, Get rid of those clip-ons,

They are for closed course race tracks, and more advanced riders.

Wrong as it comes for the public road.

You can get back to street handle bars, by
buying the bars/mounts/cables/hoses, that the street SV650 came with...
Easy peasy that way.

Oddly enough, there was a girl with your bike, that was complaining about how many times she dropped her bike, in the middle of the street.

I went into a Suzuki dealership and asked them if I could sit on a SV650S.

As soon as my hands hit the grips I said to the salesman (and he was a road racer)
"I'd be afraid to ride this bike on the street"

He said, "I know what you mean, but Suzuki knows what sells, and this bike sells".

 

[Enchanter]

Caroline,

I strongly suspect that your application of the throttle is not related to the weight on your hands when braking, but by the location of the brake lever. If you rotated the lever downwards a bit, the angle would reduce your need to rotate your wrist when you reach for the brake lever. You can easily move the lever yourself by loosening the bottom fastener on the clip that holds the brake lever to the handlebar. Loosen it one quarter of a turn at a time and try to rotate the brake lever assembly downwards a slight amount. Tighten the fastener and go for a ride. If it doesn't suit you, rotate the lever a little bit more and try again.

Ignore louemc. He's unable to provide specific advice regarding improving technique / skill.

 

[louemc]

^^^^ ^^^^ Yeah, Nothing "specific" at all.....

 

[Enchanter]

^^^^ ^^^^ Yeah, Nothing "specific" at all.....

Are you able to provide her some skill/technique related advice that she can go use / practice right now?

 

[louemc]

Are you able to provide her some skill/technique related advice that she can go use / practice right now?

No point in talking to you... You can't read my post.

 

[vooodooo]

+1 for Enchanter's suggestions. Set the levers to suit your body.

 

[Map8]

+2 on Enchanter's comments. Having the brake and clutch levers positioned correctly will likely solve the throttle issue and provide additional benefits of more comfort and control.

 

[Owl]

Agree on adjusting your controls for better ergonomics. Don't know if you have to go as far as replacing the whole handlebar/controls.

Would also suggest practicing rolling off the throttle very deliberately to get that muscle memory really ingrained in your wrist. A drill could be as simple as: roll throttle up to 25mph, smoothly roll throttle off down to 5-10mph. Start with no brakes, just throttle (and maybe some clutch) control. Then add brakes when you're ready.

I did this same thing when i started learning to ride (and sometimes still make this mistake, need more practice! Haha). It's not really so terrible if you squeeze the clutch at the same time since you can squeeze the brake, the clutch and rev the hell out of your engine and it'll just be loud. But that practice doesn't correct the problem.

This may be difficult to explain, I'll try to be clear. There are two ways to squeeze your hand over the brake lever:

(1) pull back with your fingers, rolling the heel of your palm forward. This motion is very similar to rolling on the throttle. This results in a somewhat awkward, sharp angle between the back of your hand and the top of your forearm. I would consider this the wrong form.

(2) close your fingers towards your palm (curling down), keeping the back of your hand flat in line with your wrist (even angling slightly down is okay, i think).

For me, with the handlebar in my hand and my fingers curling down around the brake lever, this causes a fairly natural throttle off motion (smoother with practice). Using the second technique you could even snap the throttle shut almost immediately as you're applying the front brake.

I'm a super new rider so please somebody make sure I'm not completely wrong and out of left field with this. Or if there's some subtlety that I've missed/not thought of.

 

[phocup]

When you say "hit the throttle", do you mean weight transfer to the bar or do you actually mean rotation of the throttle ?

If its the latter, I could see a very natural grabbing movement actually rotating the wrist especially if you're forced to extend your fingers to reach the levers.
If the problem is indeed over extension of the fingers, then handlebars wont do squat, you need adjustable levers.

Have you practiced applying the throttle with the bike off to see your hand / wrist movement ?

 

[Maddevill]

Like Enchanter said, your wrists should be in a straight line when in your normal riding position. Extend your fingers over the lever, everything should be in a straight line. This can also relieve arm pump issues.

 

[sanjuro]

Caroline,

I strongly suspect that your application of the throttle is not related to the weight on your hands when braking, but by the location of the brake lever. If you rotated the lever downwards a bit, the angle would reduce your need to rotate your wrist when you reach for the brake lever. You can easily move the lever yourself by loosening the bottom fastener on the clip that holds the brake lever to the handlebar. Loosen it one quarter of a turn at a time and try to rotate the brake lever assembly downwards a slight amount. Tighten the fastener and go for a ride. If it doesn't suit you, rotate the lever a little bit more and try again.

Ignore louemc. He's unable to provide specific advice regarding improving technique / skill.

I would agree here.

Here is a simple technique I use in mountain bike fit. Sit on your bike in your normal position with your hands on the grips.

Now imagine if the brake/clutch levers were not there.

Grab the grips normally then open your hands and extend your fingers, regardless of where your levers actually are.

Where your fingers lie is where your levers should be.

 

[GAJ]

If your gloves are not tight fitting that can exacerbate the problem as the excess material can snag on the throttle as you reach for the brake.

Definitely consider the advice regarding lever placement.

 

[horsepower]

+ , what , 7? for what Enchanter said.

Your brake lever can be rotated up and down AND adjusted in and out from the throttle grip.

 

[louemc]

Humm, I'm just different.... I've never done anything "accidentally" on the controls.

I wrap my thumb/palm/2nd,3rd,4th fingers around the throttle...
That's where they stay and the throttle is their job.

First finger covers the brake lever, and that is where it stays..And braking is it's job.

That whole side is One control.

Guess it might be necessary to mention... One finger brakes aren't stock items...

 

[bergmen]

I would agree here.

Here is a simple technique I use in mountain bike fit. Sit on your bike in your normal position with your hands on the grips.

Now imagine if the brake/clutch levers were not there.

Grab the grips normally then open your hands and extend your fingers, regardless of where your levers actually are.

Where your fingers lie is where your levers should be.

That is exactly what I do and have done on every bike I've owned. Tough on some modern bikes that have a pin going into a hole on the handlebar limiting adjustment. I always have to take it apart and remove the stinkin' pin so I can place the lever just like you describe.

This has the added plus of shortening your reaction time since the levers (both brake and clutch) are right where you expect them to be.

Dan

 

[sanjuro]

That is exactly what I do and have done on every bike I've owned. Tough on some modern bikes that have a pin going into a hole on the handlebar limiting adjustment. I always have to take it apart and remove the stinkin' pin so I can place the lever just like you describe.

This has the added plus of shortening your reaction time since the levers (both brake and clutch) are right where you expect them to be.

Dan

One more thing for anyone with small hands, i.e. women. Obviously if you struggle reaching the levers, the reach needs to be adjusted so you can grab it comfortably.

But there is a strong part of your grip, and it usually not at the beginning of a lever throw but closer to the bar.

Now you probably don't want to adjust the levers to reach down to the bar, but it is a fine adjustment to get it right for women.

 

[KittenMeat]

Humm, I'm just different.... I've never done anything "accidentally" on the controls.

I wrap my thumb/palm/2nd,3rd,4th fingers around the throttle...
That's where they stay and the throttle is their job.

First finger covers the brake lever, and that is where it stays..And braking is it's job.

That whole side is One control.

Guess it might be necessary to mention... One finger brakes aren't stock items...

Lou can read my damn mind.

I do my middle finger on cold days because I broke my scaphoid on a downhill mountain bike run mid race.

I despise clip ons on most bikes, but the more important thing is that the bike fits YOU. I'm long limbed, so a lot of bikes feel cramped. Still, there's a good reason the moto gymkhana guys use helibars or risers: the same reason downhill mountain bikers use wide riser bars:
LEVERAGE.

You want your arms in a position and width that allows maximum muscle recruitment. Same reason most dirt bike racers are 'elbows up' a bit

If youre short, make the bike fit you. I hear Doc Wong does an excellent class on this. It's crucial. I'd never ride a bicycle without stem saddle and handlebar adjustments to make it fit me, why should a faster heavier and equally demanding vehicle be ANY different?

 

[KittenMeat]

One more thing for anyone with small hands, i.e. women. Obviously you struggle reaching the levers, the reach needs to be adjusted so you can grab it comfortably.

But there is a strong part of your grip, and it usually not at the beginning of a lever throw but closer to the bar.

Now you probably don't want to adjust the levers to reach down to the bar, but it is a fine adjustment to get it right for women.

Lever shape is important here too. You want a shape that lets you cover the brake with a finger, but also enough play to jam on the brakes HARD without slamming the throttle.


I think OP would benefit greatly with the free mod of adjusting brake lever angle.

 

[BanditaM]

Lou can read my damn mind.

I do my middle finger on cold days because I broke my scaphoid on a downhill mountain bike run mid race.

I despise clip ons on most bikes, but the more important thing is that the bike fits YOU. I'm long limbed, so a lot of bikes feel cramped. Still, there's a good reason the moto gymkhana guys use helibars or risers: the same reason downhill mountain bikers use wide riser bars:
LEVERAGE.

You want your arms in a position and width that allows maximum muscle recruitment. Same reason most dirt bike racers are 'elbows up' a bit

If youre short, make the bike fit you. I hear Doc Wong does an excellent class on this. It's crucial. I'd never ride a bicycle without stem saddle and handlebar adjustments to make it fit me, why should a faster heavier and equally demanding vehicle be ANY different?

I agree....

Not sure if this is your issue, but sometimes the levers cannot be adjusted in far enough to be comfortable for people with smaller hands. I would suggest you keep a nice low to level wrist position to begin with, and when you want to apply the front brake make sure to roll your hand forward, rolling off the throttle as you reach your finger(s) towards and around the lever. Reaching forward with your fingers will give you the throttle roll off and the finger "extension" needed to wrap them (or it) around the brake lever. In this manner, when you pull the lever in your palm is rolling forward slightly, if that makes sense?