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When I bought my Aprilia Futura, it had all the right goodies that I was considering adding (OK - I might still add an aftermarket shock).  Because I am cheap and have avoided buying one to date, it coming with a Throttlemeister was a novelty and a chance to test one out.  On my former ‘97 Valkyrie, the previous owner installed a Vista Cruise.  That didn’t work well because it was not adjusted right and…I was lazy.  The problem was the first impression that it left:  throttle locks suck.

Upon taking ownership of this Futura, it was one of the things I wanted to try.  I have a 36 mile commute of easy and uninterrupted highway roads to get to work.  One stretch is about seven miles of flat empty highway which was a good test section for accuracy.  I also went to the mountains once and played with it there.

These are made from billet stainless steel and replace the OE bar ends.  The fit and finishe is excellent and well-refined.  My only complaint is that they are heavy.  Probably good for vibration damping, but not good for the weight reduction freaks.

This unit, works by using friction.  A piston moves in and out of the Throttlemeister itself and puts friction against the throttle tube which in turn, counteracts the throttle return spring. You rotate the bar-end in the same way you twist the throttle - counterclockwise to engage the lock & clockwise to release.  The friction level can be tuned with a stack of shims through a little trial and error.  The action of the unit is very smooth and the feel is consistent.

NOTE:  Its worth mentioning that regardless of what these mechanical devices call themselves, they ARE NOT cruise control. They are throttle locks.  (Hmmmm - let me make a correction for the ass-wipe, lawsuit-happy trial lawyers:  Throttlemeister calls their unit a ‘throttle control’ and so should you ;).)  The difference being that cruise control compensates higher or lower to get back to your desired (set) speed.  Throttle locks do not compensate for anything.  Go slightly uphill and you will slow down noticably.  Go downhill or draft someone and you will speed up.  Throttle locks hold a constant speed only if the road is flat and the wind stays the same.  END NOTE.

The flatlands - At first I had a hard time setting the speed where I wanted it.  The process to engage the control is easy enough, but takes a little practice to do while holding a constant speed.  My technique is to grip the throttle with my thumb and index finger at the outside edge of the grip and rotate the Throttlemeister with my other three fingers until there is just enough friction to hold the speed.  I then fine adjust by moving the throttle slightly until the spped is correct, then add about another 1/4 turn on the Throttlemeister and I’m good to go.  Again, not hard, but takes a little practice.

Because I’m a man of science, I have varied my environment to see what the impact on the speed would be.  Here is what I found:  The things that slowed me down were road inclines and sitting more upright than original position (creating more drag) both made moderate differences that needed correction.  The things that sped me up were road declines (duh) and drafting.  I got behind a semi and had to unlock the throttle to avoid ass-packing him.  The amount of increased speed in both cases was enough to need a correction.  To me, a correction means over 5mph change from the original ’settled’ speed.

The mountains - Not very useful because of the big impact that elevation change (up or down) has on speed.  I know you’re thinking “why the heck would you use that in the mountains?”  This applies to interstates that have elevation changes.  I just found it too cumbersome.

The Good

• Fit and finish are very nice and will compliment any bike well.
• Great idea and works well on level ground.
• Perfect for giving the right wrist a short break.
• Easy to install and use after a little practice.
• Comes with matching clutch-side bar-end.
• Adjustable by using the shims.

The Bad

• Like I have mentioned, its not so practical anywhere that is not flat (nor is any other throttle lock).
• Changing body position that changes the drag will likely require a correction of some sort.
• A little heavy for my taste (but bar-end vibration damping is probably over dry weight) - what about aluminum?
• The price is a little much for my need at approx. $140 new - Vista Cruise is about $40 (but a very different design and mechanism).

The Ugly

• This is a love/hate product.  There is no middle ground.  People either swear by them…or at them.
• The website is full of disclaimers about throttle controls.  This is no doubt due to scum-sucking trial lawyers.

Overall, I like having it.  The Throttlemeister is very good looking: OE good looking.  Its a great way to give the right wrist needed rest on those longer rides.  The function and mechanics of the piece work well, once they are tuned to your liking. 

Whenever I get my next bike, I will have a tough decision.  I don’t use it a lot, but when I do it feels great to have the option to relax the right hand for a minute.  At $140 though, its likely going to be a ‘want’ not a ‘need’ in the list of goodies that always folows a motorcycle purchase.

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