Throttle has free play in wrong direction!!!!

[Bodhi]

Got on the bike last night to head home from work and noticed that the throttle was twisting away from me about a 1/4 turn, maybe less. The bike still rides fine and everything, but the freeplay that is now present makes it slightly harder to ride as i keep twisting the throttle fully back until it can't go anymore and then when i go to accelerate it takes that extra bit of turn before the cable obviously starts pulling. I'm guessing it's simply that it's come loose or something, and so I was wondering is there some way of tightening the cable? There seems to be what looks like an adjuster just about an inch away from the bend in the metal bit coming out of the switchgear thing. Do i simply twist this a few times or is there something more complicated that i need to do? Any advice as always is much appreciated as I have no idea with any of this stuff.

Cheers in advance, and apologies if I'm not really explaining the problem very well.

[amorti]

The cables don't go loose all of a sudden, my guess is one of the pair has snapped.

You should really get the tank off, get down to the carbs, disconnect the cables and have a good investigate. If it has just come loose (again, doubt it I'm afraid if it's as sudden as you say) then it's a case of simply adjusting either at the top or at the bottom, where there is a bit more adjustment. About the same as your clutch - when you run out of top adjustment, adjust the bottom.

Be prepared to get your wallet out though.

[Bodhi]

Awh frig, are you serious? Bugger! I'll have a play about with it over the weekend and see. How will I know if one of the cables has snapped? I've no idea what I'd be looking for under the tank, so I'll try adjusting stuff on the bars first. Which thing is it that I adjust though, there's the 2 bits coming out of the switchgear, each seem to be screwed into it and then the front one has what looks like another adjuster just after the metal bend. Which thing should I be adjusting?

[amorti]

I'm tempted to suggest you don't fiddle with it without supervision, given you sound pretty unsre of yourself!!

Just take the tank off, follow the throttle cables down to the carbs, and have a look at where the pair connect, it'll be very obvious if one has snapped when you operate the throttle. It's not a hard or very expensive job to change them. Just remember, if it is that, do them as a pair. If one has gone the other will probably do so soon, too. Apart from that, as you'll probably be buying pattern cables, they can be subtly different to original and not work so well together (ask how I know ) If you do want to try adjusting them, and it might still just be that, it'll be the adjuster nut just down from the metal bend in the cable by the twist grip.

But, given the freeplay is in the wrong direction, I still think you have a broken cable. If the pull cable brakes, the push will be the only one operating, so you'll be opening the throttle by pushing the cable instead of pulling it, which would give you play in the "wrong" direction as you describe (if my brain has pictured it right)

[Bodhi]

Thanks for all the advice folks. Had a go at the adjuster just after the metal bend under the switchgear and that seems to have tightened it up nicely. I'm gonna keep an eye on, but seems to have done the trick. Took it out yesterday afternoon for a run and felt fine, and was scrubbing in my tyres too, so was great having it working properly again.