Convention for direction of rotation of rotary throttle contol (motorbike etc)

[NY]

Is there a convention for which way the handlebar of a motorbike etc rotates to control the throttle? I ask because I have an electric wheelbarrow with rotary throttle and it rotates the opposite way to the way I'd have anticipated, so I wondered what the standard was.

The throttle is on the right hand side. I would expect to rotate the top of it away from me to increase speed, and towards me (bending my hand back towards my arm) to reduce speed. But it rotates the opposite way. Looking end-on to the handlebar, from the end towards the central handlebar axle, it rotates clockwise.

One of the implications of this is that if the speed control is turned slightly too far in relation to how fast you are walking, the barrow shoots ahead, turning the control further *on* - until the barrow leaves your hand when obviously the throttle closes due to its spring. It's also uncomfortable to bend your hand back at the wrist to hold the power on; it would be more comfortable to bend the hand forwards (palm towards wrist).

[Chris Green]

Motorcycle throttles are 'top towards you' to increase speed.

... or as you say, looking at the end of the RH handlebar, you turn it anti-clockwise to increase speed.

[T i m]

Yes.

Std.

So the 'normal' way. ;-)

Correct (a bit of a strange POV for such things but still correct). ;-)

Yup. Watch You've been Framed or Youtube for 'noobs' riding things though fences and sheds.

Yup.

Except you don't typically do that. You hold the throttle in such a way that you have you wrist at such a point that it keeps it comfortable (especially when cruising at a particular or tight range of speeds).

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Not just me then where looking at the rotation direction from the middle is a bit 'unusual'? ;-)

Now it may well be on an 'electric wheelbarrow' you have two steering arms (reminiscent of typical wheelbarrow handles but not what I took from 'central handlebar axle') and so could be viewed from the inside out?

Not having a go at NT, just interested in how others approach things. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[PeterC]

Yup - I've owned about 8 - 10 bikes and ridden about 45 - 50 different ones and they've all been so, even the ancient iron Hog.

[T i m]

<snip>

It's funny, I assume (obviously incorrectly in this case) that

*everyone* (and certainly in the sort of demographic we find here) would have been involved in a motorbike of some sort at some time?

Like you (potentially) I have had and been around mopeds / scooters / motorcycle all my life and currently own about 10 (only one on the road atm). I've never been 'a biker' as such, happy to walk, cycle, motorcycle or use the car as they suit, but I would consider myself 'a motorcyclist' as I enjoy working and being on and going places (or nowhere) on them. ;-)

Thinking on, the throttle direction rotation question also carries on with outboard motors where you do typically look at it from the open end and more throttle is anticlockwise (even my electric one). ;-).

As it is with most taps of course? [1]

Cheers, T i m

[1] And you still get people who ask 'which way to turn it on' with (conventional) taps?

[NY]

No, I've never ridden a motorbike. I went straight from walking to getting a car. I have more experience with bicycles than motorbikes. I remember riding a friend's bicycle which was the only one which I've ever encountered with the front and rear brake levers the opposite way round. Maybe it was originally for the LHD market where the back brake is placed so the opposite arm is free when signalling to turn (left) across traffic.

Interesting that they standardised on anti-clockwise for opening a motorbike throttle, because bending your hand backwards to hold the throttle open is very uncomfortable for more than a few seconds.

The wheelbarrow has the added problem that although the two powered wheels have wide inflated tyres, the single rear wheel has a very narrow solid tyre which leaves ruts in a gravel drive or on grass. A wide tyre might make steering a bit more difficult but wouldn't get bogged down.

[T i m]

<snip>

Maybe you are younger than some, or had more money or were 'put off' motorbikes by your family?

It was the only way I could use something motorised when I was 16. ;-)

Well, same here as I've carried on with cycles as well. Again, pre mopeds at 16, a bike was the only way to avoid walking to school or getting on the bus.

I'd always imagined the brakes would be the same way round whatever country you live in? That's certainly the case with moped / motorbike hand brakes (not sure about the *very* old motorcycles).

Yeah, but you don't do that. You grasp the throttle with you wrist over the top of the bar slightly and then end up with it parallel.

'Flotation wheels / tyres' I think they sometimes call them. Daughter had a wood chopper built on a trailer that had very wide wheels / tyres to minimise the chances of it getting bogged down on soft ground.

Sounds like a d-i-y mod coming up. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Scion]

Many bicycles with cable brakes can be swapped front/rear right/left in a matter of a minute or so - it's a simple case of unhooking and swapping.

[Chris Green]

Older (but post war) UK motorbikes had the gear lever and rear brake (both foot operated of course) the other way around from the standard nowadays. (Now it's gear lever on the left, rear/foot brake on the right)

There was always speculation that the early Japanese bikes had these on the 'wrong' side because they had a reversed photograph or some such to work from when studying the 'bikes of the time.

[T i m]

Sure.

The issue though is *are they* other way round (to what is 'std' here) in other countries? I don't believe they would be.

Cheers, T i m

[Steve Walker]

Although I have never ridden a motorbike, I have tried a friend's trike. I found the direction of throttle control totally counterintuitive.

[T i m]

Yup ... and because I never grew up on 'old British iron' I had no muscle memory with the rear brake (particularly) that way round (on the left) and so whilst I could normally ride my Royal Enfield Bullet (350/ 'Madras') pretty safely, I couldn't be 100% sure in an emergency situation and with my daughter / Mrs pillion. I did look into swapping them over but it was easier to sell it and buy something else.

Hehe.

I don't believe the foot controls of any conventionally controlled car are reversed, irrespective of what side the steering wheel is are they (except Go carts possibly etc) and so the idea of having a motorcycle foot brake on the right (and the throttle mentally, even if operated by hand as on a motorbike), made more sense.

I've had a couple of mopeds and cycles where the rear brake was a 'back pedal' type and found that ok as well as generally would use my right foot to operate it (bringing the right pedal round to the rearwards position before apply the brake).

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

<snip>

Like a car accelerator pedal then? ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[John Rumm]

It behaves as you would expect a motorbike throttle to then...

You just start with a grip in the hand down position, such that when its rotated to the right speed, the wrist position is neutral.

[T i m]

Sorry, that would probably be a bit too abstract. ;-)

You press a pedal on the floor and the car goes faster and you press another pedal on the floor, the car goes slower and press a third that doesn't appear to much. ;-)

If you consider most motorcycle handlebars have a level of backsweep then rotating the end of the throttle anticlockwise gives more power / speed, just in the way turning on most taps might.

But I get from a safety POV, it might be better to have a system where you might naturally decelerate as you go accelerate, where you have to positively resist that to meaningly go faster but I think that would be very uncomfortable to action ITRW.

This would especially be the case on racing bikes where the rider traditionally sat low to reduce the aerodynamic drag and going faster mean you could sit even lower without changing your grip and 'sitting up' to help the braking was also 'intuitive' re the throttle.

Cheers, T i m

[The Natural Philosopher]

I rode a moped once.

As you say as it accelerates you tend to accidentally open the trottle. All lever throttles I have ever come across have 'maximum rabbit' as a push away from you, as do aircraft throttles AFAIK - IANAP.

Twist grips seem to break this rule universally.

[Andrew]

Or to avoid patents which is why on Nikon (Nippon Ikon) cameras you remove the lens by rotating it the opposite way to a German camera (AFAIK).

[Andrew]

Well it could mean that as you brake hard your bodies and hands tendancy is to grip the handlebars harder and rotate the top towards the direction of travel, thereby cutting the throttle, surely ?.

[Andrew]

A Nissan Leaf allows one pedal to act as 'go' and 'stop' doesn't it ?. This means you can hold the car on a slope without the handbrake.

Not sure if you put you foot under it and attempt to lift it that the car goes backwards :-)