Throttle Pull Extremely Stiff

hey guys,

I have a 2002 r1150rt (with heated grips) and the throttle is extremely stiff and difficult to pull. The previous owner, a friend, said it didn't used to be like that then became stiffer over time. He didn't know what it was but preferred it like that so didn't do anything about it. The bike was just in at the dealer for annual service and I had them take a look at they had no clue what was causing it either and suggested to fix it to replace the distributor box and all cables and of course they wanted a pretty penny for it. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas on what would be causing it?

Sounds like old cables. A new set is a little over $100. Bit of a PITA to install. It will be a good chance to acquaint yoruself with the bike.

just had similar situation, except my return was not as expected...

took the hand control apart and lubricated it...

worked for me

I would first assume the throttle tube on the handlebar needing cleaning/lube to be the cause before going after the cables. My 94RS had the original throttle cables up till I replaced them at 160K miles because one cable had frayed at the LH TB.

Jim and Andy have hit the 2 most likely causes.

clean and lube area of throttle grip first- it's easier and nearly free. If no improvement, it's time for new cables. My S's throttle action was getting "slow", until one day it decided it would not return without my reaching down and manually shutting the RH throttle plate. A dealer's quick analysis said "bad throttle body"- my labor revealed a cable that was badly shredded inside of the bowden box.

What type of Lubricant?

Thanks guys! I'll start with lubricating the throttle, any suggestions on what I should use to do that?

White lithium grease works. From a tube.

Mark