[Jupiter]

I have been enjoying riding my Scrambler this fall, but there are a few things I would like to change.

The twitchy throttle still bothers me. I have seen several suggestions to remedy this, exhaust, rear sprocket and the throttle tamer. I am considering purchasing the throttle tamer. Has the throttle tamer eliminated the throttle problems? Will a dealer put on a throttle tamer?

Next up are the handlebars. I'm a 5' 7" female and the handlebars are too wide and not close enough to me. I have rolled the original handlebars towards me but I would like them closer. Any suggestions on which handlebars to look at?

I don't love the grips on the bike. They are too small in diameter for me and make my hands ache. I haven't decided if I would like heated grips or not. Any suggestions?

I would appreciate any suggestions. I hope to make these changes when my bike is in for its 600 mile service. Thanks for your help.

Heidi

 

[asiaoildude]

You could possibly have 1/2" cut off the bar ends. Don't know if that's enough.
I'd look at the foam style grips myself.
I am buying a throttle tamer (with 300 cam) after almost coming off the back due to a throttle snatch when I wasn't paying attention. Also changing to a 14T front sprocket to lower gearing and improve low speed tractability esp. in traffic.

 

[fastwoman]

I'm a 5'7" female also, I weigh 125 pounds all geared up. The handlebar is just right for me, although at speed I sometimes wish for a lower bar; but overall it feels right for everything else, including dirt.

The grips felt very hard to me at first also, and made my hands hurt. Turned out the problem was the unforgivingly harsh rear shock and badly shaped seat; without thinking, I found myself gripping the grips hard to help pull myself up off my butt every time I saw a road irregularity coming up, to save the shock to my butt and my spine, to use my knees as auxiliary shock absorbers. The hard grips stopped bothering me once I changed the rear shock and seat, I no longer held them in a death grip.

There is some consensus that the OEM fueling causes a snatchy throttle condition; I don't know about that from personal experience because I had a race pipe and map from new. But it seems likely that condition could also cause you to squeeze the grips all the time.

That said, Biltwell rubber grips are said to slip right on, and Grip Puppies slip right over the stock grips.

Hope this helps.

 

[John]

Any bike shop will fit the throttle tamer for you, its pretty easy to fit and would take them 15 mins or less, easy to order from the manufacturer or amazon / ebay. Power is much smoother when you open the throttle, great for the wet weather here in the UK recently!

But I definitely thought the throttle felt less snatchy after my 600 mile first service, I mentioned it was snatchy to the mechanic when I dropped the bike off so maybe they did something , I don't know. But maybe wait and see when you get it back if its better?

 

[Retikulum]

I don't know if the handlebars are realy too far away for you, but acording to Motorcycle Ergonomics it should be fine for your height, because leaning a bit to the front is usually a good thing, especially when the wind pushes you back. I don't know how long you rode your Scrambler already, maybe you just have to get used to it? If the posture is hurting you then you should change if of course, but it may will be hard to find something that's a good fit. If someone can help you then I think it's a Harley custom shop. You also have to remember, that you probably need new brake, clutch and throttle cables, because the standard ones won't be long enough. You see this will be kind of a big deal, but a Harley shop will be able to help you with that.

 

[ichitz]

I'm 5'6" female. I've gotten used to the throttle and the FT's handlebar width/height. Originally I felt it was a bit wide as well. Now I don't mind it so much. The grips are seriously horrible. The pinky side of my hand goes numb after an hour along with soreness. Possibly from death grip, possibly from vibration. I just fitted the Biltwell Kung Fu grips last weekend and rode the whole day yesterday. No more numbness, no more pain. Maybe I'll add some bar end weights in the future, but for now the grips are a fast and cheap solution for me.

 

[Jupiter]

I'm a 5'7" female also, I weigh 125 pounds all geared up. The handlebar is just right for me, although at speed I sometimes wish for a lower bar; but overall it feels right for everything else, including dirt.

The grips felt very hard to me at first also, and made my hands hurt. Turned out the problem was the unforgivingly harsh rear shock and badly shaped seat; without thinking, I found myself gripping the grips hard to help pull myself up off my butt every time I saw a road irregularity coming up, to save the shock to my butt and my spine, to use my knees as auxiliary shock absorbers. The hard grips stopped bothering me once I changed the rear shock and seat, I no longer held them in a death grip.

There is some consensus that the OEM fueling causes a snatchy throttle condition; I don't know about that from personal experience because I had a race pipe and map from new. But it seems likely that condition could also cause you to squeeze the grips all the time.

That said, Biltwell rubber grips are said to slip right on, and Grip Puppies slip right over the stock grips.

Hope this helps.

I really don't like the suspension. May I ask what seat you put on your bike?

 

[Jupiter]

I don't know if the handlebars are realy too far away for you, but acording to Motorcycle Ergonomics it should be fine for your height, because leaning a bit to the front is usually a good thing, especially when the wind pushes you back. I don't know how long you rode your Scrambler already, maybe you just have to get used to it? If the posture is hurting you then you should change if of course, but it may will be hard to find something that's a good fit. If someone can help you then I think it's a Harley custom shop. You also have to remember, that you probably need new brake, clutch and throttle cables, because the standard ones won't be long enough. You see this will be kind of a big deal, but a Harley shop will be able to help you with that.

You are probably right. I need to get used to the handlebars. Coming from a small cruiser I am used to the handlebars being closer and not leaning forward.

 

[littleowl]

I have been enjoying riding my Scrambler this fall, but there are a few things I would like to change.

The twitchy throttle still bothers me. I have seen several suggestions to remedy this, exhaust, rear sprocket and the throttle tamer. I am considering purchasing the throttle tamer. Has the throttle tamer eliminated the throttle problems? Will a dealer put on a throttle tamer?

Next up are the handlebars. I'm a 5' 7" female and the handlebars are too wide and not close enough to me. I have rolled the original handlebars towards me but I would like them closer. Any suggestions on which handlebars to look at?

I don't love the grips on the bike. They are too small in diameter for me and make my hands ache. I haven't decided if I would like heated grips or not. Any suggestions?

I would appreciate any suggestions. I hope to make these changes when my bike is in for its 600 mile service. Thanks for your help.

Heidi

I'm 5'3" and when I first got the Scrambler felt the bars were WAAAAYY too wide for me, I thought I would want to change them but persevered and now don't mind them at all. I angled them as far as they would go towards me and I'm completely used to them, they aid stability and sit me in a good position. Since adding a Dart screen the wind blast has been substantially reduced on my body. I had a sit on an FT at the dealer's (with the lower bars) and felt I was leaning too far forwards. Give it more miles before you make your mind up (I've now done 5,500).

I still find the throttle a bit snatchy but have pretty much got used to it, may get the Rexxer tuning at some stage though.

I didn't like the grips at all, too thin and hard and have changed them for fatter grips. I tried Grip Puppies but they were too fat for my small hands! I ended up with a cheap pair of comfort grips. I'm not sure whether the OEM heated grips are exactly the same dimensions as the standard ones, so it might be a good idea to find out before you commit, unless you want a different brand.

 

[fastwoman]

I really don't like the suspension. May I ask what seat you put on your bike?

I have a Nitron rear shock with the lightest spring they make, and I had the stock seat reshaped, made flatter and taller, with gel insert added; done by Pirate Upholstery in Kingston, NY. The shock was the more significant upgrade.

 

[greer]

Heidi,

The stock grips are just junk far as I'm concerned, worse I've ever seen on a factory bike and I couldn't wait to get rid of them. For a super easy solution, take a look at Grip Puppies or Grip Buddies, they slide over the factory grips (give them a good squirt of cheap hairspray or soapy water) and will help a bunch, may be all you need. If you want to change out the grips completely, you might take a look at the Pro Grip 714 and Oury Road grips, my favorites and you should be able to get either for $15 or less. Good luck, and keep us posted; it'll take a little trial and error to get things just right but that's all part of the fun.

Sarah

 

[Jupiter]

I haven't had any luck finding Grip Puppies here in the US. Does anyone know where I can find them?

 

[fastwoman]

eBay
Grip Puppy Motorcycle Grip Covers; Fits OVER Standard Grips!

 

[Jupiter]

eBay
Grip Puppy Motorcycle Grip Covers; Fits OVER Standard Grips!

Thank you. I just ordered a pair.