How I Made A "Throttle Retainer" For My Suzuki GS500E

DISCLAIMER! This page describes what I did to solve a particular problem I was having. It must NOT be construed as an invitation for others to follow a similar procedure. All throttle-locking devices can be dangerous, and this one is no exception. If you decide to make your own "throttle retainer" you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Click on a picture to see a larger version.	Step-By-Step Instructions (And Rationale)
	BEFORE: The stock bar end assembly
	For the device to work, I first had to position the throttle grip closer to the end of the handlebar. At the same time, I wanted to be able to remove the retainer without a lot of readjustments. So, I: Loosened the screws that held the throttle grip in place. Moved the grip as close as possible to the (tightly mounted) bar end without allowing them to touch each other. (I only had to move it a few millimeters). Tightened the screws again.
	Next, I unmounted the bar end and removed the metal washer/spacer that was between the end of the handlebar and the weight inside the bar end. This allowed the bar end to touch the rubber of the throttle grip (which is what allows the device to work).
	To check how I was doing, I threaded a wing nut and a small washer onto a 70mm-long hex head bolt and remounted the bar end. (Parts list and pictures are at the bottom of this page.) I made sure that by tightening the wing nut I could force the throttle to stay in any given position.
	So far so good. The only problem was, it was a little TOO good; it felt almost too rigid and unforgiving. Also, I was concerned about excessive wear on the throttle grip itself. So, I tried various things until I arrived at the following combination: A fiber washer up against the throttle grip. It has a BIG hole because it actually fits over the plastic part on the end of the throttle grip. A rubber washer up against the lip of the bar end. It has a SMALL hole because otherwise it would fall out of place every time the wing nut was loosened. By itself the fiber washer had a fairly good "grip" on the throttle grip, but not on the lip of the bar end. I added the rubber washer to restore the lost friction. For me, this combination gave the throttle retainer a nicer overall feel.
	And that's all there was to it!

	Fiber Washer - SAE measurements The first picture kinda shows what the washers looked like in the bin. The second picture shows the measurement info a little better: Inner diameter: 1 inch Outer diameter: 1 5/16 inch (any bigger and it sticks out too much)
	Rubber Washer - SAE measurements Inner Diameter: 1/4 inch Outer Diameter: 1 1/4 inch
	Flat Metal Washer - SAE size Inner Diameter: 1/4 inch Outer Diameter: ???
	Wing Nut - METRIC size Inner diameter: 6mm (M6) Thread pitch(??): 1.00
	Main Bolt - METRIC measurements Diameter: 6mm (M6) Thread pitch (??): 1.00 I didn't take a picture of this bin because my local store only had lengths of 60mm and shorter this time. I found that 70mm was just the right length for the bolt. A 60mm bolt didn't grab enough of the threads inside the handlebar, and 80mm or 90mm bolts took too long to install and remove.

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