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Ideas to lighten throttle - shattered knee help (w/pic)

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Old 10-17-2006 | 08:24 PM
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Default Ideas to lighten throttle - shattered knee help (w/pic)

Any ideas how to make the throttle pressure lighter so it's nearly "pressure-less" to push the gas pedal?

I shattered my knee 2wks ago in a fluke accident, which leaves me non-driving for a couple months. Post physical therapy will require light pressure to get back to driving, and I'd like to drive the 928 rather than the Kia

Suggestions?

[btw: official surgery was Reconstruction of Tibial Plateaus - pic is 4days after]
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Old 10-17-2006 | 08:27 PM
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install a straight thru exhaust
then it will rev at the touch of a feather!
Old 10-17-2006 | 08:30 PM
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Ouch!!
There's a minimum back pressure necessary on the gas pedal in order to SAFELY overcome the inherent resistance in the system so that the throttle doesn't stick open. That pressure can be adjusted at the throttle return spring IIRC.
Speedy recovery!
Old 10-17-2006 | 08:34 PM
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I wanna hear about the 'fluke' accident?

Someone threw a mutimeter at yer knee?
Old 10-17-2006 | 08:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Randy V
I wanna hear about the 'fluke' accident?

Someone threw a mutimeter at yer knee?
The scopemeters are pretty freakin' big!
Old 10-17-2006 | 08:58 PM
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Something like this or this maybe?

Old 10-17-2006 | 09:11 PM
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DR's supercharger kit has a SUPER light throttle! I had to add an extra spring to give it a bit more resistance.
Old 10-17-2006 | 09:11 PM
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Oh yeah... sucks about the knee.
Old 10-17-2006 | 09:13 PM
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Originally Posted by SharkSkin
Something like this or this maybe?

Very clever Dave .... this looks like a control adapted to a very short ( but talented ) single leg. That may work for anonymousagain .... but how can it be used with your pants on? Definitely a good reason to stay anonymous ....
Old 10-17-2006 | 09:15 PM
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pressure can be adjusted at the throttle return spring IIRC
I'll have to see how difficult it is to get to the spring. I'm thinking it can be "relaxed" some, but for safety it should probably still have some snap to the return. Wonder if linkage can be modified to help??


Sharkskin - a bit too elaborate for my temporary need and likely costly, but that sure seems like a simple hand control adapter. wow!

Andrew - lol. I wish this could be justification for the DR enhancement

Randy, I wish it was just a multimeter

Was adjusting the carb on the RM80 in front of the house, 1st gear idle, slight roll on throttle with right hand while adjusting screws with left hand. Small bbrrrrpp then off...screw in bit, small bbrrrrpp then off...screw in a tiny bit more --> slightly too much bbrrrrpp [idiot , idiot , idiot ] and front end lifted slightly, right hand on bar only turned the bar right, I panic grabbed the bar with my left to straighten out the wheel...which yanks my right hand backward and pins the throttle = looped it leaning right, off-balance at maybe 10-12mph.

Stuck out my right leg to break my fall and instead of my knee "normally" bending under the pressure, it didn't. Apparently muscles, tendons, ligaments refused to give, so as the Femur compressed my knee, it had to go somewhere; Femur is larger than Tibia, so the Tibia lost and the Femur just blew through the front half of the knee (it did take the Fibula with it, luckily a clean break).

Ortho Doc scratched his head (no road rash or anything to indicate other than what happened), truly a fluke and typical of falling 5+ stories or ejecting from a Freestyle jump @ 40' in the air <what he initially thought when I said motorcycle accident>. More amazing, no CL damage or tears to any surrounding tendons/ligaments, just a focused crush of the Tibial Plateaus.

Trauma prevented just moving to knee replacement, so I get ~10yrs with the added plate and screws before knee function demands replacement. 8wks no load bearing, then "we'll see" about driving possibilities. I'm hoping to prep for 928 use at 8.1wks
Old 10-17-2006 | 09:36 PM
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I looked up stuff for paraplegics. There's a guy at work with no legs below the knees, and he has an M5 and a 993 rigged for his use, and that's what gave me the idea. $250 is a lot less than an SC...
Old 10-17-2006 | 10:31 PM
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lol, yes, $250 is a lot less than an SC...although, I could still use the SC in 3mos after all is healed

Wonder if Kaiser will cover some of the cost as an theraputic aid to recovery
Old 10-17-2006 | 10:51 PM
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tie a string to the throttle linkage.
worked for me once.
Old 10-18-2006 | 12:42 AM
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How are you going to operate the brake?

Left leg?

If so, just use your left leg for the gas too. I've done a lot of left leg diving (mine was not because of a leg injury, but rather from driving in the passenger seat). You adjust to it quicker than you think. One or 2 drives and it'll seem natural.
Old 10-18-2006 | 01:23 AM
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OUCH! And I'm sure it feels a lot worse than it looks!

Yeah, the throttle linkage spring is under the manifold on the throtle body, of course. I was thinking we could add an assist spring to throttle quadrant, but that would screw up the throttle idle return. Maybe just the right amount of helper spring would work. Otherwise you need to cut off your bad leg and just use the left one.

Last edited by Bill Ball; 10-18-2006 at 12:03 PM.


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