Adaptive Riders

[Squishy]

A few years ago my daughter broke her neck and no longer has any use of her right arm. I have decided to let her ride again, she is 18 and does light track riding. To my question;

 

We just purchased her a CRF150R. We put the throttle on the left side and left it flipped, so she is twisting forward instead of twisting back. She said it feels good and eliminates her fear of "whiskey throttle". I think it would be more comfortable for her to utilize a thumb throttle. Before I try to reinvent the wheel; does anyone have input on how to install a thumb throttle on the left side of the bike? Also, I was told an oversized  master cylinder for a pit bike will allow the front brake to be flipped with the master pointing up as it should. Right now we flipped it and the master is pointing downward. I am afraid that it will only take a small fall to break it. As of now here are my plans for the bike, any additional suggestions for an adaptive rider would be very appreciated;

 

Stock 2008 CRF150R

Rekluse clutch - Installed

9 oz  - flywheel weight

MRD torque header - Need if anyone has for sale

Thumb Throttle

Seat pad/step - to assist in her staying forward on the bike

 

Possibly;

GPR Steering Stabilizer

 

Assistance and input is greatly appreciated.

Edited September 16, 2013 by Squishy

[flyandride]

For the master cylinder you could get a small street bike unit with remote reservoir which you could mount pointed up regardless of where the cylinder was mounted.  Look on ebay.  

[kawi rider 13]

Look around online I know you can get left side thumb throttles for snowmobiles so maybe you could find one that'll adapt to your needs

[Swiss]

You can also try a Hope Tech 4 bicycle master cylinder/lever which can be switched for either side.  Check out the EBay sellers, some of them are Distributors for the Hope Tech line.  They look like this and should be able to work with the front caliper for the CRF150r..   

 

They are also fully adjustable for angle and reach so that might help her to get a good pull on the lever.  Good luck with it.  SS cables are also available for them and can be cut to the needed length.

 

Swiss

[Squishy]

Thanks for the input thus far. I have found left handed thumb throttles, only issue is cabling to the carb... Looks like the big obstacle is cabling.

 

Also, I spoke with Dave and MRD no longer makes the Torque Head Pipe for the CRF150r... If you have, or know anyone looking to sell one, please let me know. I have looked at all pipe manufacturers websites and can not find one designed for torque.

 

Thanks again for the assistance.

[Freestyle-MX-Racer]

Congrats on your daughter getting back into it! Hope all goes well and you figure this out!

[Virginia_Remington]

Man I am so happy to hear a strong hearted person like her to go thru what she has and still has the courage to get on a bike... 

[Squishy]

Man I am so happy to hear a strong hearted person like her to go thru what she has and still has the courage to get on a bike... 

As a parent it was tough to let her do it... She has lived with the injury for 6 years now and has followed the sport since the day she got hurt. She will never race again as before, but she likes riding with her friends and being part of the community. Her dream and goal is to stay on the bike and I wish I had her drive. A little update;

 

 

Stock 2008 CRF150R

Rekluse clutch - Installed

9 oz  - flywheel weight - Ordered the stealthy 11 oz Flywheel

MRD torque header - Found one for sale from a TT member - Thanks weantright

Thumb Throttle - No luck at all here... can not find any thumb throttle with a 2 cable push/pull setup. Tried sleds, ATV's and custom street bike shops

Left handed Front Brake w/master - A couple options on ebay, still researching this

Seat pad/step - to assist in her staying forward on the bike

 

Possibly;

GPR Steering Stabilizer

 

Thanks again everyone!

[BoxcarWilly]

Glad she is still out riding! I don't have any productive info, but I just wanted to say that,

[Swiss]

Stock 2008 CRF150R

 

Thumb Throttle - No luck at all here... can not find any thumb throttle with a 2 cable push/pull setup. Tried sleds, ATV's and custom street bike shops

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

Understand that the dual cable throttles are ONLY for Ultra-Safety reasons.  The stock springs are fully capable of returning the throttle closed and the newer style carbs like on the CRF bike is an improved design for closing the throttle than the older slide style carbs.  So you really only need the single cable pull throttle to work reliably for her.  Adding a second cable would add more drag to the throttle and make it harder to use with just the thumb lever.

 

Swiss

[LovingOffroadPain]

Dang man, I know this isn't the point of your thread, but did your daughter break her neck riding??  Terrible situation, however she broke it, but I'm glad she has good enough spirits not to let it take her down!!

[Squishy]

Stock 2008 CRF150R

 

Thumb Throttle - No luck at all here... can not find any thumb throttle with a 2 cable push/pull setup. Tried sleds, ATV's and custom street bike shops

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

Understand that the dual cable throttles are ONLY for Ultra-Safety reasons.  The stock springs are fully capable of returning the throttle closed and the newer style carbs like on the CRF bike is an improved design for closing the throttle than the older slide style carbs.  So you really only need the single cable pull throttle to work reliably for her.  Adding a second cable would add more drag to the throttle and make it harder to use with just the thumb lever.

 

Swiss

 

I did not know that, thank you for the information! That will make the search much easier ?

[Squishy]

Dang man, I know this isn't the point of your thread, but did your daughter break her neck riding??  Terrible situation, however she broke it, but I'm glad she has good enough spirits not to let it take her down!!

 

No worries, yes she broke her neck riding. She was landed on by another rider after falling on the finish line jump at Freestone in TX. She avulsed all nerves that control the upper right half of the body so she has no movement or feeling. Since there are no nerve endings, they ruled out the possibility of even using a prosthetic. She rides with her arm in a sling that hold is to her body. I am very proud of her.

[Eric@ScottsPerformance]

I did not know that, thank you for the information! That will make the search much easier ?

The biggest worry you have with the single cable is that a four stroke develops so much vacuum that it can suck the slide to the front of the carb causing it to be stuck open. little 50's,70's and 80 type bike don't develop enough for this to be a problem. the 150r is a different beast and I would be leery of running a single cable set up. You might call Flanders Motorcycle company here in California as they make cables and might have some ideas for you.

[emerybrian]

Give a call to my friend Harold Glissen, he's an awesome guy that I'm sure would love to help.  http://onlyoneinspiration.com/

[Squishy]

The biggest worry you have with the single cable is that a four stroke develops so much vacuum that it can suck the slide to the front of the carb causing it to be stuck open. little 50's,70's and 80 type bike don't develop enough for this to be a problem. the 150r is a different beast and I would be leery of running a single cable set up. You might call Flanders Motorcycle company here in California as they make cables and might have some ideas for you.

 

I will give them a call tomorrow, I appreciate the information.

[Squishy]

Give a call to my friend Harold Glissen, he's an awesome guy that I'm sure would love to help.  http://onlyoneinspiration.com/

 

Will do, thanks!

[Swiss]

The biggest worry you have with the single cable is that a four stroke develops so much vacuum that it can suck the slide to the front of the carb causing it to be stuck open. little 50's,70's and 80 type bike don't develop enough for this to be a problem. the 150r is a different beast and I would be leery of running a single cable set up. You might call Flanders Motorcycle company here in California as they make cables and might have some ideas for you.

Eric,

You are aware aren't you that the FCR carbs actually have roller wheels so that the slide moves freely.  ? Pretty unlikely that you would stick one unless you got some serious dirt inside the slide tube and jammed the wheels.  Again, it was a Safety-crat thing to prevent frivolous lawsuits from people who didn't clean and take care of their machines and then wanted to blame some one else when they had problems.  Tens of thousands (probably more like hundreds of thousands) of the Old Style carbs were run for 40-50 years with only a few people having problems with sticking carbs and typically on BIG engines like big bored TT500/600s with worn slides from again low maintenance and care allowing sand and dirt to cause slide/body wear.  Then cock them a little in the bore and they MIGHT stick under high vacuum conditions.  Little CRF150r engines with roller slide FCR carbs are not typical for sticking slides. 

By the way if you search, you can find Training Wheels so that you can't fall over also. And they make rubber tabs for your street bike side stands so that when you forget to put your stand up and blast off down the street it will do it for you before you crash!  That was also a Safety-crat anti-lawsuit issue back in the late '70s early '80s because of stupid people who had friends who were lawyers!

The legal system gives us all sorts of things that we don't really need and they call it Progress!

 

Swiss  

[Eric@ScottsPerformance]

Eric,

You are aware aren't you that the FCR carbs actually have roller wheels so that the slide moves freely.  ? Pretty unlikely that you would stick one unless you got some serious dirt inside the slide tube and jammed the wheels.  Again, it was a Safety-crat thing to prevent frivolous lawsuits from people who didn't clean and take care of their machines and then wanted to blame some one else when they had problems.  Tens of thousands (probably more like hundreds of thousands) of the Old Style carbs were run for 40-50 years with only a few people having problems with sticking carbs and typically on BIG engines like big bored TT500/600s with worn slides from again low maintenance and care allowing sand and dirt to cause slide/body wear.  Then cock them a little in the bore and they MIGHT stick under high vacuum conditions.  Little CRF150r engines with roller slide FCR carbs are not typical for sticking slides. 

By the way if you search, you can find Training Wheels so that you can't fall over also. And they make rubber tabs for your street bike side stands so that when you forget to put your stand up and blast off down the street it will do it for you before you crash!  That was also a Safety-crat anti-lawsuit issue back in the late '70s early '80s because of stupid people who had friends who were lawyers!

The legal system gives us all sorts of things that we don't really need and they call it Progress!

 

Swiss  

Just keep in mind that in the last 18 years working retail with motorycles I've seen some interesting stuff... but yes, I overall agree with you. Then again I am not a parent of a child getting back in MX after an accident who may not know why some things are done the way they are.

[Swiss]

Just keep in mind that in the last 18 years working retail with motorycles I've seen some interesting stuff... but yes, I overall agree with you. Then again I am not a parent of a child getting back in MX after an accident who may not know why some things are done the way they are.

Eric, I understand your concerns but if Dad wants to keep his daughter absolutely "safe" then even considering letting her get near another motorcycle would be totally impossible!  Accidents happen and she is going to fall down, she will low side and high side and fall off the bike and make mistakes!  But evidently it is exactly how she wants to live her life and she should be given the chance.  There is no 100% safe way to do this and regardless of how many things you think you have covered, something else will happen that wasn't even considered.  Stuck throttle?  I don't think she will be riding much at full throttle in a higher gear with her current handicap.  Riding fast?  Sure she will make that happen but if she has some caution and wants to continue to enjoy herself on her bike, she will not ride at a High Risk Level. 

In the last 50 years of riding I have also seen some interesting stuff!  Not many stuck throttles but a couple.  Typically with machines that ingested some dirt, which can happen with a roller slide FCR as well as a standard slide carb.  There is no 100% Safe!  I worked at a dealership when the dual throttle cables came out and when the rubber side stand tabs came out.  Both of them were admitted to me by a Honda Tech Rep. to be basically anti-lawsuit designs for those 1% situations.  Honda actually got taken to court and lost the case over the rubber side stand tab idea because their design information claimed that it "corrected" a previously unsafe situation!  Bad wording for a legal claim! 

Building/modifying a single cable thumb throttle to a dual cable unit would be possible.  But as I said, it will typically add some resistance to the thumb throttle for simply opening it.  Cables aren't friction free.  Better would be a good kill switch located so that she could work it easily if anything should happen.