LEFT HAND THROTTLE OR NOT?

[Ryan-41]

Left hand throttles are a crutch that make for a lazy rider.

AND...we've seen more wrecked sleds than we care to count because of the lefty freezing up and getting stuck WOT and bye bye sled.

jmo

totally agree

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Yeah, and if PJ can go without one... I mean, seriously...

Yeah, you have one. Since you got short, stubby little T-Rex arms.

 

[togwotee9]

 

[ruffryder]

for powder snow and anything soft, you don't need one.

but the conditions below, they are a big help, or really tight and really slow technical areas where it is hard to reach the throttle and keep your sled from tipping over

The only time I can see needing one is on spring (hard) snow side hilling across a slop that is down hill from left to right.

 

[rotax]

blah blah blah

I use a lefty, and will continue to do so till it doesn't suit me.

If it works for YOU, do it, if it doesn't, get rid of it. /shrug
Could care less what others think of the subject.
Quit allowing others to tell you how to ride your sled..or whats best for it.

It seems the majority of society (as a whole) likes to have their decisions justified by others, or by professionals...theres no need for it. You can make your own decisions.


But, I ride a big heavy pig of a sled that requires me to hang completely off one side of the snowmobile and man handle it like I'm riding a tank. I need all the help i can get..cuz my skills are lacking..and I'm a poocie.... ><


EDIT: My words may have been slightly misdirected, I apologize. But if your seriously considering it, I'd say try it.
I have had lefties on 3 different sleds. Powermadd and SnoBunjie. I preferred the 'clean install' of the Powermadd, and its overall operation. I have not had any issues with using them..nor any close encounters. Your car has a brake pedal and throttle next to one another, are there people who would say you can accidentally hit the throttle instead of the brake in a car? Yeah, no doubt there probably are, but you get used to it and become aware of it. I've never accidentally grabbed throttle when going for brake. These are personal experiences only. I've seen people go through truck windows and over the top of their trucks w/o the assistance of a lefty. So, its generally a user issue if you're going to have one...

 

[togwotee9]

You guys get free tampons with your lefty's?

 

[arctic cat 4 life]

Dont do it! They cause more bad then good. I have 2. My dad just bought a new triton 2 place enclosed trailer and when we were loading our buddys m1000 he went to hit the brake and ended up hitting the lefty and pinning it into the front of the trailer....not to good.

Another story. We were out on a night ride and one of the riding guys (brad...aka crash) and he went into a sidehill of the logging road and his lefty hit a tree branch and was pinned wide open on a ski doo rt 1000 and it launched over his girlfriend (it was her first time out) and went down about 100ft into a tree. Made for a long night in the woods. In my opinion....dont run one unless you are exttemely careful and always aware that its there.
Just my 2.0

 

[2Thetopp]

LEFT HAND THROTTLE OR NOT? Reply to Thread

Wow, I've always used this FORUM to get information about things that I knew nothing about or wanted to learn. The original poster was simply asking for some input from others so he could decide whether or not to use one, people shouldn't get slammed for giving their input, let him decide.

 

[togwotee9]

Another story. We were out on a night ride

Nothing good can happen when you start a story with this line

 

[togwotee9]

Wow, I've always used this FORUM to get information about things that I knew nothing about or wanted to learn. The original poster was simply asking for some input from others so he could decide whether or not to use one, people shouldn't get slammed for giving their input, let him decide.

 

[2Thetopp]

LEFT HAND THROTTLE OR NOT? Reply to Thread

I voted no, just my opinion. On the other hand I had a riding partner dislocate his right shoulder on Pocket Lake at MT. Baker and the only way that he was climbing out was to use another buddies sled which had a left handed throttle on it, so it's nice to have one in your group I guess, just not for me. You decide.

 

[arctic cat 4 life]

Nothing good can happen when you start a story with this line

It wasnt meant to be a real ride. We were taking out all the wives/girlfriends to go look at the stars. But brad took it a little to far. So like i said, if you are smart when using them and pay alot of attention to them, nothing usually happens, its always usually an accident.

 

[Highmarker]

I agree that you will learn to become a better rider and manouver (sp?) your sled better without one. There are times I could have used one but overall it teaches you how to throw that thing around and learn something new!

 

[miko]

I love the responses so far. I bought one the other day and have it at my house but havent' put it on yet. I know that not having one makes me a better rider but I still think I need/want one. I just wanted to know how split the forum is on this topic. I know the group I ride with is just as split too.

 

[Chaos]

Last season was my second season riding in the Rockies so my skill level in deep snow is "beginner". While following friends through the woods and trying to maneuver around tight trees at slow speeds, while hanging my antiquated body off the side and reaching for that throttle on the right, I thought, if I only had a throttle on the left, I could put even more leverage on the sled by hanging on the mountain strap instead of the right throttle.

I also bought the snobunje unit but I have not figured out how to remove the throttle lever on my 08 XP in order to mount the base plate, otherwise it would be on.

At my age, I don't care what it looks like, I am only looking for functionality. Having said that, the information posted is great for situational awareness.

Anyone know for sure how to remove the right throttle lever?

Have a safe weekend.

Chaos

 

[94fordguy]

I have a goldfinger and though I do not use it very often, it can be very useful when trying to get out of a tight spot. They are a tool like anything else and if you have one, you need to train yourself how to properly use it so there are no accidents.

Also agree 100% with using a tether cord, the best real-time insurance policy you can have IMO:beer:


Here's an old post from a while back that really sums up my thoughts on the topic a lot better.

These anti lefty threads are funny.
They make me laugh.

The same tired arguements come up about people not taking the time to learn where their new throttle sits in relation to the brake, and then blaming the part that they just operated improperly.
Operator error is not the fault of the part on the sled.
It's a throttle in a location that you are obviously just not used to yet.
Being mechanically inclined enough to mount it does not make you good at using it.
Get into a meadow and play with it enough to get used to it's feel.
Go into the trees on a sidehill and play with it to weave through them.

You didn't start out riding being good at it,
you got stuck, and then got stuck some more.
I did it, we all did it.
It wasn't the sleds fault that we weren't used to it yet.
Now we laugh and point when our friends get stuck.

Lefty's do not make you gay
(hanging out tap dancing in the far stall with Larry Craig is what makes you gay)
Having a lefty does not make you a pu$$y
It's just another tool that will come in handy at times.

Truth be known,
It's not really even used for straight sidehilling.
Any one can grab a big handful of right throttle and let the horsepower hold the right side up with some practice.

I normally end up using mine on the way down where it's hardpack and steep off to the right, right where I need to go left.
It's better to stay out left and finesse the throttle from there,
rather than to reach down hill and have to grab a big handfull to correct what I just did.
That slow steep off side stuff is where it's good to have it as well as knowing how to use it.

Is it for every one?
evidently not. That's OK though.
I just think the lefty bashing threads are funny and throw in my 2 cents.

Carry on

 

[motojunkie101]

I put a gold finger on my sled shortly after I picked it up. Call it a crutch, call me a pansy/lazy rider - I dont really care because its been a nice tool to have. Its been the most useful in the spring when on hardpack with a sidehill to the left. When everyone else is stretched to their limit reaching the throttle, I just hang off the side and cruise right along.

+1 for a lefty - with a word of caution. If you let anyone else ride your sled, make sure you pin the lefty so they dont hammer your sled into a tree at WOT and hurt both themselves and your sled.

you'll get a lot of gruff from people on SW when it comes to anything like leftys, ported tracks, bigwheel kits, or mountain straps.

 

[turboless terry]

I don't need to tell anyone on here what to use. I will give my opinion and if you don't like it don't ask the questions. This kind of stuff all depends on your riding skill, what type of riding you want to do, and if you want to keep progressing. Left handed throttles and sidehill bars are a crutch. I said this before chris burandt was making schooled videos. I didn't say you couldn't sidehill if you used them. If you can make them work for you, then great. Who cares what everyone else thinks.

 

[backcountryislife]

While following friends through the woods and trying to maneuver around tight trees at slow speeds, while hanging my antiquated body off the side and reaching for that throttle on the right, I thought, if I only had a throttle on the left, I could put even more leverage on the sled by hanging on the mountain strap instead of the right throttle.

And that's where the average lefty owner goes all wrong...

Pull the sled TO you, don't hang off of it like a dead eel hoping the sled will go where you want!! If the sled is pulled to you, your hands are on the bars, where they need to be to properly control the sled. The mountain bar is something you'll learn to avoid eventually. I find my riding improved greatly when I got a setup without one.

Gotta admit, if I had a sled over 550 lbs again I'd likely put a lefty on it. With the light sleds of today though, pulling the sled to you just isn't that hard.

 

[Clarke673]

Ok guys. What is the general concensus on this. I am thinking of putting one on my sled.
Can someone put up a poll so we can see the results?

Thanks

IMO, left hand throttles are for 13 year old kids or guys that can't ride. They are a DANGER!