Hand throttles seem to be a controversial thing. Some people like them and want them while other people don’t care for them. I for one really like them and would not want to be without one. That being said there are three different types … thumb throttle, half and full twist throttle and a trigger type which is the least common. I have used thumb and twist type and as far as I am concerned I will pass on the twist throttles. They are ok for a motorcycle but not for an e-bike. They are hard to hold “on” and just too tiring. A thumb throttle gets my vote and they are tiring enough.

I find that locating the thumb throttle properly makes a huge difference. It needs to be as close to the thumb and as natural as it can be for easy use and the least tiring.

One thing else important to be aware of is accidentally engaging it, especially when you are off of the trike and maneuvering it. It can result in a nasty out of control situation where your trike suddenly has a mind of its own. It is safest to shut the power off if you are going to get up out of the seat. I have had my trike into a dealer to do work on it. A mechanic can accidentally hit the throttle when maneuvering it. It the throttle is engaged even very briefly the trike can take off like a rocket with no one sitting on it. It could easily shoot across the shop into something. It is just a good idea to shut the power off even if you are going to be there very briefly.

I was unloading my trike once out of the back of my pickup truck when the throttle went bad (suddenly broke) turning full power on to the motor without my pressing the throttle. I had a runaway trike on my hands which took me in a circle around the parking lot trying to hold on and control it when I couldn’t. I held on, but it eventually took me down to the parking lot before the power went back off. It was like wrestling a steer. I replaced the throttle as soon as I could as I didn’t want any more of that. I ended up in an embarrassing wreck laying on the ground holding onto my trike, but if the trike was allowed to go on its own it is hard to tell where it would have ended up and the damage it would have caused. It could have hit several cars, a business building, landscaping, customers and more. I could have been sued for a huge amount of money. For what it is worth, I think a steer would have been easier to wrestle to the ground. I lost some blood and skin in the ordeal. I suppose it appeared funny to someone watching but it sure was not funny to me. It is better to be safe than sorry. I needed to shut the battery off and disconnected the battery until I got the throttle problem fixed.

KEEP ON TRIKIN’