Hey guys,
Now I have been riding atvs and dirtbikes since I was a toddler. I, for one, have found that the twist throttle on dirtbikes/motorcycles are much more comfortable than the thumb throttle on an atv.

So does anyone know why the thumb throttle is still in use? Are there advantages to the thumb throttle? And I wonder how it came into existance?

 

idk why theyare only on quads but i know one reason is that if you pull a wheelie and you fall off the back you pull the twist throttle with you sometimes. Ive never done it but ive seen some people on youtube do it.

 

I drove an ATV with an MC type throttle. At first I loved it, then when I got in to real rough stuff like downed trees and large rocks all over the place, I realized why we have thumb throttles. The jerking action caused the throttle to jump all over the place. It was really hard to use. I wouldn't switch. If you're a smooth trail guy and put on 100 miles a day it would work. But, if you're a technical guy who loves to rough it don't bother.

By the way, I have been driving MC's for about 45 years and owned about a dozen bikes. If I could use an MC throttle belive me I would!

 

There is so much more bump steer involved with a quad than on a bike. A quad takes so much more body english to control. With a thumb throttle it is much easier to hold/control the throttle potition over bumpy terrain. Just think of how much you actually twist your hands on the grips while repositioning your body on the quad. I know people that love twisties on quads. It's a personal preference.

 

All very good points. That does make sense, and to some degree I have even hit a bump on a motorcycle and had the throttle rev against my will. On an atv it would be much worse I imagine...

 

It is a darned good question and I believe that the reasons are well illustrated here in the above posts. I used to feel the same way particularly when I had a couple of wave runners. Instead of a thumb throttle they had a finger throttle that you pulled instead of pushing with your thumb. I often thought of switching it over to a twist grip, but with the thrust it would definately have the potential for disaster in given circumstances. I would definately not be interested in having a twist grip for the extreme and technical area that I ride in. I remember when we used to do climb seriously steep hills on our dirt bikes, so steep that centrifugal force was the only thing that got you over the top, and you had to let off the throttle at 3/4 the way up the hill to keep from launching over the top. My uncle's foot slipped off the peg and it made him keep the throttle wide open all the way up the hill and the bike was literally about 25 feet high. He was only about 15 feet high, but that was a wreck that still hurts him today and that was 25 years ago.

 

ATV are year round machines unlike dirt bikes/motorcycles. Thumb throttles do not freeze stuck at wide open trottle due to freezing moister like twist throttles do,thats why there not on snowmobile either.

 

i have a thumb throttle on my 250 twostroke and love it.I would not let my kids ride it with the twist.
Snowmoblies jetskis atvs all have them with no problems you
need more body english to ride these than a bike.I think it is just tradition why they are still used.I used a yamaha warrior throttle body.I also know some atv riders that switched to twist but after a few close calls switched back.

 

The body english aspect is exactly right. When you ride a bike and lean into a corner your hands and arms are still in basically the same position(the bike leans with you) and the twist throttle works great. With an ATV you often have to take your rear right off the seat and lean heavily when pitching it into a hard corner. You can find yourself in some very awkward positions that make it all but impossible to operate a twist throttle comfortably.

 

That i am only 13 but i like the sand dunes in CA and when you go down those drags you really need a thumb throttle or else you will be going vroom vroom all the way down instead of a steady throttle now since i ride an lt 500 "Quadzilla" by suzuki it would not be safe for me to keep using the stupid twist unless i wanna hurt myself or maybe put to much stress on the quad this smiley should be what another dragger would say