Throttle stuck resulting in crash

[cochris]

I've have a 2006 People 50 with about 4k mi. .

I've been riding motorcyles for over 40 years.

I accellerated from my drive and about 50 yards down the road as usual and approached a sweeping right hand turn so I closed the throttle. As usual.  What didn't happen was the throttle didn't close.  I was still accerating toward the turn.  I was heading to an impact .  I grabed the brakes and left skin and blood on the pavement but I didn't slam head on into anything.   Better to be run over than to be run into.   All this happened in about 3 seconds.  

I asked the local shop if there were any service bulletins about this and the (DB) said that is what the red kill switch is for.  Really? ... Really?  (DB!)

Over the years I have never had this happen with any of the several bikes I've owned and now I can see the shortcomings of not having a clutch.

Question:  Has anyone else experienced this kind of situation?  I don't think I can feel comfortable with an open throttle in the future.  Trust is hard to restore.

Update:  After healing up, the scar tissue and hemotoma will take some time to clear, I opened up the carb.  The slide had stuck open .  A little tap and it dropped back in place.  Since then I have had it stick open one other time not in a threatening situation this time.  I will be trying some spray carb cleaner with the thought that there is some "varnishing" of the slide which may be causing it to stick. Next would be a carb overhaul.  Riding and not accelerating with a full open throttle seems to work for now but not ideal. In town I prefer to ride the 3.5 hp scooter rather than my 90 hp road bike.  60 mph capability in first gear is not very useful with in town driving.

[ts1]

In winter times at -5°C and high humidity, during running at WOT for some kilometres, the my throttle cable frosted and stuck.
Release of the throttle was strangely easy.
Scooter didn't slow down.
The turn was there - now.
The sudden adrenalin run really picked me up.
...
Happily the scooter had only a 50cc engine and an enough powerful drum brake.

[Drbeastmaster]

wow thats pretty scary, meybe the pin that moves up to squirt gas in the carb or whatever opened but didnt close , idk amateur guess

[juice]

same thing happened to my 2002 p50 . It was a stuck "slide" in the carb . I went over the handlebars . I was scraped up but ok . Hope you heal quickly .

[JustWantToRide]

I've had a few motorcycles where I had pulled the throttle so tight that I had lifted the cable out of the keeper in the top of the carb, and had it stick there.  The clutch is much more instinctual to grab than the kill button...

I love Yamaha's FJR1300, and the shop had a gently used 2007 when I was trading in my Vstrom.  It would have cost me a couple grand over the unused 2009 Xciting 500Ri and it would have been easier to fit my 4 year old behind me.  The reason I didn't get it was it was the AE model with no clutch.  Odd that I didn't even consider that my Xciting doesn't have a clutch either...  Hmmm...

I had an old Lambretta scooter sieze up on my several years ago.  Luckily I wasn't in a corner when it locked the rear wheel, and I managed to hang on.  A clutch would have been handy for that too...

[roboscoot]

wow...never had a throttle freeze up like that ....your pretty lucky something did not run into you...i would check the whole throttle assembly/linkage....sure with a clutch you probably would have more options for slowing down.....as for kill switch....i know of no one who managed to avoid a serious crash...by hitting the kill switch....do you?......

[JustWantToRide]

In my experience the only time I've ever hit a kill switch in an emergency was after I or someone else had already fallen down.  When I jammed the throttle cables I think I turned the key off.  The kill switch would be better - but it's all in what you think about at the time.  Maybe it would be a good habit to turn your engine off using the kill button so it is your first instinct to hit it...

[dalebor]

... Maybe it would be a good habit to turn your engine off using the kill button so it is your first instinct to hit it...

When I was an MSF instructor we required the students to always use the engine kill switch to turn off the bike. There were two reasons for this. One, You were sure that the engine was off. These were beginner riders and they would often forget to put the bike in neutral and sometimes forget to actually turn off the key. Second, you became instinctively aware of where the engine kill switch was located so that if you did need to use it, you could find it without even looking.

Of course the instructors were expected to use the kill switch as well to set a good example. It was awkward for me at first but it quickly became second nature. The last MSF course I taught was in 2001 but I still always turn off the engine with the kill switch.

DaleB

[cochris]

Thanks for all of the responses.  Skin is growing back and I can freak out my friend by the two square feet of purple and magenta and green on my thigh.  I have been thinking of charging for a look as an homage to Tom Sawyer.  Maybe a web page?

After opening the airbox I saw that the pin on the carb slide had propped the slide open.  Lifting the slide with my finger and tapping the pin freed the slide.  I tried to get it to stick again with no luck.  Of course. 

So I will change my behavior and not do full open accellerations without a straight open road ahead of me.  We'll see how that works.  Maybe if I think of my scooter as my other bike, Vstrom 1000, and not hammer the throttle when in town.

I've got to scoot  

Later

[fshfindr]

When I was an MSF instructor we required the students to always use the engine kill switch to turn off the bike. There were two reasons for this. One, You were sure that the engine was off. These were beginner riders and they would often forget to put the bike in neutral and sometimes forget to actually turn off the key. Second, you became instinctively aware of where the engine kill switch was located so that if you did need to use it, you could find it without even looking.

DaleB
[/quote]
Did you also teach "TCLOCKS', which is what I was taught to do before each ride?  Part of the "C", which stands for controls is to twist the throttle several times to be sure it is free.  I do it before each ride.  Maybe that would have prevented the accident, maybe not, but it is a good practice.
Richard L.

[cochris]

I think we have identified the difference between theory and practice.  Given the window of opportunity of 3 seconds for identifying that something is very wrong and what to do next to avoid impact .  One may reasonably be expected to grab the brakes with enthusiasm which usually over rides  a well considered decision.

Better to scrape than to slam. 

I think   

[blue]

dont understand the kill switch thing But ok. the kill switch does no good if the bike is stell in motion you dont have time to react to that.

[fshfindr]

dont understand the kill switch thing But ok. the kill switch does no good if the bike is stell in motion you dont have time to react to that.

I was taught that the kill switch is actually an emergency switch.  Kill switch may be ok for something like this since you want the engine to stop pushing you.  3 seconds is a long time to act.  Switch and brake could have prevented an accident.  He probably did not have 3 seconds.  He was in a turn so there was definitely something in front of him.  Cochris, could you have just completed your turn?  I guess not since you had accelerated and were now probably going too fast for the turn.  Sometimes it is just going to happen.

Richard L.