Cramp Buster

I just wanted to share that I got a Cramp Buster from Amazon.com and so far it's pretty good.

I got the Standard diameter model and it fit the very end of my throttle just fine. I've only ridden the bike a couple times since then but have not had a cramp in my right hand as long as I use it.

I have the long version so it touches my palm near my wrist. It is more natural to move my arm down than to twist the wrist to crank the throttle.

The angle I have it at is totally flat opposite the brake so it does not get in the way when I brake. I can twist the throttle normally and then hold it with the Cramp Buster or use the Buster to do the twisting. Using the Buster to twist the throttle works better at low speed but it worked up to 60 mph. I have not tried it on the highway yet so don't know if the additional twist at 70 will be comfortabel. (You should not adjust it at speed and really don't want it too high in case you need release the throttle and brake hard.

Once you've experienced the limits of the crampbuster, think about moving on to a throttle lock. A quantum leap ahead in comfort and convenience, in my opinion.

I worry about a throttle lock, though I understand that they don't grip hard, I would still need to turn the throttle back.

Hmmm..... Look ma, no hands....

I might consider putting a fat rubber O ring next to the Cramp Buster....

Has anyone had a problem due to a throttle lock?

I had a Cramp Buster and used it on my Honda Helix 250. I liked it so much I put in on my SilverWing and was expecting the same results and performance. Unfortuntely I was disappointed.

The throttle on my SilverWing is really sensitive. Just a little movement on the throttle and I get a significant, quick change in the way the bike speeds up or slows down. In other words the throttle is touchy.

When I put the Cramp Buster on I was fine on the road in long runs but had a lot of problems when I got into traffic - stopping, starting, turning, etc. If I just bumped the cramp buster with my hand the bike would jump forward. Almost had an accident because of this and I finally took the thing off. I ordered a Go Cruise control and will give that a try when it comes in. At least that is out of the way when one is riding in slow traffic and can be activated or operated easily when on the highway.

I need to take my bike in for the 600 mile checkup soon. I changed the oil at 700 miles and have not felt any sense of urgency to have someone look at the other items on the 600 mile check list. It now has 1,100 miles on it - I'm a little past due. When I take it in I am going to ask for an adjustmet of the throttle so I have to turn it more in order to get the change in speed I want.

I'm not very mechanically inclined. However, this is the picture I have in my mind of how this throttle is working. At full deflection or rotation of the throttle we should get something approaching maxiumu speed - 120 mph. Now there is no way I am ever going to ride anywhere near that speed. In fact I will never get beyond 70 mph. So I would like full rotation of the throttle to give me maybe 80 mph instead of 120. That means the throttle will have to travel further to get the speed increase or decrease I want. Or, that should make the throttle less sensitive. Any comments?

From what I've seen, the speedometer is generous. I would hate to limit my top speed to 80mph indicated. You may seldom go over 70, but when merging with traffic or caught with the only option is to get out of the way, I would want all my power.

I have a throttle lock and cramp buster (CB type 1). Both have their uses. The throttle lock is good if you want to take your hand off the grip for a few moments and the cramp buster is excellent to hold the throttle without needing to grip the grip (so to speak). I shortened my cramp buster to about half length to prevent snagging it. One of these days I'm going to install a Rostra Electronic cruise control in the SW.

The Cramp Buster and Throttle Rocker are just a bits of plastic, and for a cheap fix they are fine. I lost my last Throttle Rocker while adjusting it on an autobahn in Germany and it's probably dust now. I'd like to fit something a lot better, Twisted Throttle do a throttle lock for the Silver Wing made by Kaoko that looks interesting and easy to fit. Remove the bar end weight, and slip the throttle lock on. Takes 5 minutes, sounds like my kind of mod.

Anyone out there in the land of cheese in a can fitted one?

As an update, I rode my bike to the Mid Atlantic Scooter Rally, 270 miles total, and the Cramp Buster worked great. It does not replace holding the throttle, just lets me hold it looser and be more relaxed.

In slow speed driving I can just rest my hand on it to make the bike go or hold a speed. At higher speed it gives me just a little extra something to press against lightly but I am still holding the throttle. Just more relaxed. I don't adjust it while moving. Also, it seems to smooth out my throttle going over bumps. I don't really have a lot of throttle issues but it lets me keep my arms relaxed and at a constant angle to the handlebars.

At high speed I do have to bend my wrist so my palm is turned up. I am almost pushing forward and down lightly on the handlebar. Makes me think of a Tai Chi push. However, I do not turn up the Cramp Buster for a more relaxed grip since I don't want interference if I have to brake hard. It still helps and I end up moving my hand around to different positions sometimes using it more, sometimes twisting the throttle with my fingers in a hook, sometimes using the thumb and fore fingers.

I've had it snag on my sleeve a couple times but the key here is to make sure it is flat on the handle before starting. It only snags when it has been turned so the end is sticking slightly up. When it is turned too high and likely to snag in the sleeve I have to reach over it in a slight cupping position to grasp the throttle. My Basic Motorcycle Safety instructor said don't do that. They said start with your and horizontal and able to cover the throttle and brake, then twist down or push to twist. Properly adjusted the Cram Buster just touches the outside of my palm when it is flat and does not snag my jacket.

Oh, they make a short wide version and I might suggest one of those if sleeve catching is a concern. I expect to get gauntlets for cold weather anyway.

My Cramp Buster is on the very end of my throttle and my pinky is right next to it or on it slightly and I push with the meaty outside of the palm. Sometimes on the highway I will shift my hand so it is more in the center of my palm.

Also, I tried a poor mans speed control - a large, fat rubber O ring that I could slide between the rubber of the handle and the end weight. It seems to hold for a little while but I do not like having to twist the throttle back manually. It would be unsafe to play with putting it on while riding so has to be done at the start of a trip. Most of the time I am adjusting speed to the situation - hill, turn, traffic. The O rings are on the end of my steering bar weights but are not likely to be used unless I head out on a really long trip.

midlandchip wrote:

The throttle on my SilverWing is really sensitive. Just a little movement on the throttle and I get a significant, quick change in the way the bike speeds up or slows down. In other words the throttle is touchy.
...
When I take it in I am going to ask for an adjustmet of the throttle so I have to turn it more in order to get the change in speed I want.
...
So I would like full rotation of the throttle to give me maybe 80 mph instead of 120. That means the throttle will have to travel further to get the speed increase or decrease I want. Or, that should make the throttle less sensitive. Any comments?

I think limiting your upside speed is effectively limiting how much gas you can give your motor - i.e. it will prevent you from accelerating really hard. You may not want to go fast but you may need to accelerate hard to get on the highway from a short on ramp.

I suggest you explain the problem to the tech and see what they recommend. It may be as simple as lubricating your cables / throttle or adjusting spring tension. If the spring tension is too high you might be over compensating to get it going. If it is too low and you have a heavy hand making you work for it might help, though then you will need that cramp buster for tired hands.

One thing I am noticing on my bike is that it is responsive - I need to be smooth when I operate it. I get the best results when I apply meditation techniques while riding. No, I don't close my eyes.... but I try to make riding my focus point and instead of "Ommmmm" I say "Zzoooooommmm".

Ishkatan wrote:

I've had it snag on my sleeve a couple times but the key here is to make sure it is flat on the handle before starting. It only snags when it has been turned so the end is sticking slightly up. When it is turned too high and likely to snag in the sleeve I have to reach over it in a slight cupping position to grasp the throttle.

I replace my Crampbuster with a Wrist Rest and never had any interference ( http://www.hognutz.com/grips-throttle/188/ ). The Wrist Rest is more adjustable and comfortable ... I even have a Wrist Rest on the left side too.

honda_silver wrote:

I replace my Crampbuster with a Wrist Rest and never had any interference ( http://www.hognutz.com/grips-throttle/188/ ). The Wrist Rest is more adjustable and comfortable ... I even have a Wrist Rest on the left side too.

Now you tell us!

That looks like a terrific improvement and I think I will get one - after my Cramp Buster breaks or gets lost. It's saved in my Gizmos list.

Meldrew,
I've had a Kaoko throttle friction adjuster on previous bikes, it's quite expensive and I never found it as easy to use as they would have you believe.
Having said that I have one in the shed that came off my Varadero and I'm thinking of shaving it down in the lathe to fit the SWing !!

I've had 2 scooters and have had the cramp buster on them both. I recently put a throttle lock on my Silverwing and like it less than the cramp buster. It keeps the throttle locked in one position which is great for flat areas, but in hills you speed up and slow down while your throttle never moves. You don't have this trouble with the cramp buster.

I discovered with my cramp buster that when I was in town driving that you can roll it over out of the way and completely ignore it, then easily roll it back when you're ready to cruise at a maintained speed for a while. It easily rolls against the pull of the throttle.

honda_silver wrote:

I replace my Crampbuster with a Wrist Rest and never had any interference ( http://www.hognutz.com/grips-throttle/188/ ). The Wrist Rest is more adjustable and comfortable ... I even have a Wrist Rest on the left side too.

Forgive my ignorance, but what size do we need, Bill? I could really use this on my weekend rides to Tempe to see my girlfriend.

Somerled wrote:

Forgive my ignorance, but what size do we need

Small.

Like you, Bill, I bought two and they arrived today. I'll test them out a bit on post but the real test will be this weekend when I head over to Tempe to see my lady again.

Somerled wrote:

I bought two and they arrived today. I'll test them out a bit on post but the real test will be this weekend when I head over to Tempe to see my lady again.

Let us know "Wrist Rest" results ... both around post and on the longer ride.

I ride 95% of the time with the Wrist Rests in the same position, but for the longer runs I will then vary the position.

Riding around post today I was impressed at how well they worked. I have tried the Cramp Buster type thing on my HD200 in the past and I really didn't like it. The thing was too much in my way at best and at worst felt like I was not in proper control. The the Wrist Rest's small size that doesn't take up the whole throttle and ease of moving out of the way when desired is exactly what I was wishing for. I fully expect them to make my ride to Tempe and back much easier on my hands and wrists.

While I haven't tried either the Cramp Buster or Wrist Rests, I really like my Throttle Lock (2wheelride.com) because I've been able to let it keep my speed for a little while. There are times when I'm on a long ride and I want to just relax my throttle hand. The Throttle Lock lets me do that easily and safely. I've had more than a few bikers catch up to me wondering how I could take my hand off the throttle and stay up-to-speed while passing them.

For those that don't have a Throttle Lock, I use my small sized throttle lock on the inside of my grip and it does a very nice job holding the throttle at speed for me for about a minute. Much more than that and it tends to slip a little but that's very easy to fix/adjust.

Has anyone here tried just cleaning the rubber ring to see if that fixes the slipping problem? It's not bad for me, but I can see that over time, it's likely to get worse due to collecting dust, dirt, etc.

KB

Well Bill the results are in for my long distance ride experience with the wrist Rests. They definitey DO help! My hands were a lot better off using them. Still a fair amount of bother from vibration though and I'm wondering if the Grip Puppies would ease that some? One other issue is that the Wrist Rests are very solid. That's a good thing so far as durability goes but it does kind of cut into the wrists after several hours of riding. I would like either a padded or foam covered end on them.

Tom,
There is a liquid rubber sold at most home depot and similar type stores that tool handles are dipped in for insulation. You could try dipping your wrist rests in that and it may offer some protection for you.

Dan

Somerled wrote:

Still a fair amount of bother from vibration though and I'm wondering if the Grip Puppies would ease that some?

I believe the Grip Puppies will help. The Grip Puppies are a very inexpensive option, so there is not a lot of risk.

One time I do not know what I did to my arm, but I was super sensitive to movement/vibration ... and I did not want to stop riding for it to heal. So I purchase the Manic Salamander Bar-end weights to reduce the vibration even more. The Manic Salamander did remove the vibration, but it also changes the handling characteristics too.

Somerled wrote:

One other issue is that the Wrist Rests are very solid. That's a good thing so far as durability goes but it does kind of cut into the wrists after several hours of riding.

What position did you ride the Wrist-Rest in?? I ride with my left side at 3 o'clock position and right side at 9 o'clock position ... both against the handlebar with Grip-Puppies.

If it is not the position ... I would be curious what position you have the Wrist Rest angled on the handlebar.