No To Throttle Control – On Facebook– It’s Not All Speed
14th July 2010
Right To Ride says that you can now support us against the “Throttle Control” of motorcycles on Facebook.
As previously reported, “EVSC (Electronic Vehicle Speed Control) is back with a vengeance through the re-introduction of the Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) – or – speed control system in a European Union (EU) Commission funded project called “Saferider”.
Of the five warning systems being developed in the project, the Force Feedback Throttle is the most dangerous. When the bike enters a lower speed limited zone (e.g. riding from a 40mph limit through to a 30mph limit without slowing down) then the force feedback throttle will warn the rider that the bike is travelling too fast.
The throttle reacts by resisting the rider when trying to accelerate. When the correct speed is reached, the throttle returns to full control of the rider.
Throttle control is not all about speed, there appears to be a mistaken belief that, “The throttle on a motorcycle only makes bikes go faster and therefore safety can be improved simply by closing the throttle and slowing things down.”
Motorcycle trainer, Duncan MacKillop, says “The primary function of the throttle is to turn our bikes from something that is statically unstable to something that is statically and dynamically stable.”
“The secondary function of the throttle is to control our suspension. Most riders know that the forks extend when we open the throttle (..). Few riders appreciate that the rear suspension also extends when we open the throttle. This extension of the suspension when we open the throttle gives us lots more ground clearance which is essential in any corner as well as putting the suspension in its sweet spot.”
“Finally, the throttle does the relatively simple job of changing the speed of the bike. With an open throttle, a bike is more stable, has better ground clearance and has improved suspension function. With a closed throttle a bike is less stable, has less ground clearance and reduced suspension function. Of these two states, which is the safest?”
As riders we may not understand all the technicalities of the link between the throttle and the control and stability of the bike, but what we do know is that the balance of riding, accelerating, braking and cornering on a motorcycle requires full control of the motorcycle without interference with the throttle.
The “Saferider” project has a myriad of partners which includes the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA), made up of 25 rider organizations across Europe, including the UK. One of the aims of the “Saferider” project is to study the potential of the integration of systems on motorcycles for riders comfort and safety.
At Right To Ride we can only hope that FEMA has drawn a red line by saying – “No To Throttle Control”
Join Right To Ride on Facebook and say – “No To Throttle Control”
Links
No To Throttle Control! – On Facebook – Click Here
View the Right To Ride report – Throttle Control – Back With a Vengeance – pdf 210kb – Click Here
Saferider – List of Deliverables – 5.1HMI concepts and strategies – pdf 1.4mb – Click Here
