Throttle Tube Dirt--How do I keep it out??

[bbeakley]

I have an aftermarket aluminum throttle tube and when I lay the bike over on the throttle side, I get sand between the tube and the bar and it causes excessive friction and wear on the tube and the bar. Does anyone know of a way to seal the throttle housing to the bar to keep out dirt? I was going to try a light bead of silicon sealant to see if that helped but I wanted to see if anyone else had any ideas first.

BTW, after a polish with some fine grit sandpaper and a thorough cleaning I put a small amount of gear oil on the bar and the throttle operation is silky smooth until I crash again (maybe I should just quit crashing?)

[Shawn_Mc]

Get an aluminum throttle tube. They dont usually have a hole in the end, and they are really really tough. Ive had one now for about a year, and Ive come to have a lot of confidence in it. I did something I thought Id never do, I greased it. With the plastic tubes, I always just cleaned them really well and ran them dry, just to avoid what your describing. You can get an aluminum throttle tube from www.rockymountainmc.com/home.asp?sid=0001562365 for like 29 bucks. I found these about a month after I paid 70 or 80 bucks for mine. Its amazing how nice the throttle action is with a metal tube.

[Shawn_Mc]

Also, get the dirt out of the handle bar. It sounds to me like you have sand/dirt in the bar that is compounding your problems. Youll have to take both grips off to flush the bar out. If you do that, dont buy the Renthal grip glue. All it is, is contact cement.

[Fireballsocal]

Beakley: Does your throttle tube have an o ring inside it that seals out grit? Mine does and I woul assume yours should. If it doesn't and is machined for one, get ahold of one. I cracked my stock tube in two weeks and have had my aluminum tube for three years now without ever having to take it apart so something is wrong with yours.

[bbeakley]

Shawn, thanks for the tip about dirt in the bars. As I mentioned in my original post I already have an aluminum tube but the sand seems to be more noticable in it than it was in the stock nylon tube.

I got a low end one (forget who makes it) but there is no o-ring groove. I've cleaned the bars already, the dirt just seems to sneak by the cable housing assembly when it's buried in sand (oops). I'll try to fashion an o-ring or rubbery seal on it. Like I said the action is sooo smooth with a little lube when it's freshly cleaned, I just gotta find a way to keep the dirt out.

[Shawn_Mc]

Is the bar plugged on BOTH ends? If you have a rip in the left grip and dip that side into the sand, its just a matter of time before the sand migrates to the other side. I plugged both sides of the bars with those little press in plugs. I got them from home depot for like 29 cents or something. The plug also gives the end of the grip something to be glued to, so even the end is really stable.

[bbeakley]

Shawn, I got new grips when I got the tube and neither is torn yet, but that's a great tip. I'll have to find some on my next HD run. Thanks!!

[bassr_#186]

I've got an O'berg aluminum throttle tube so I don't have to worry about dirt getting in on the throttle side. On the clutch lever side, I use the "old school" method of putting a nickel in the end of the grip. This helps the grip from being torn in a layover crash, but the end plug idea posted above would likely seal the bars better.

[Ga426owner]

O'Berg is the best way to go.....