Why Is My Bike Accelerating Automatically? As you accelerate, there are various forces at work when riding a motorcycle: gravity that wants to push both you and the bike into the undergrowth; torque forces which work against steering; and even angular momentum which influences lean angles.
On occasion, you may experience situations in which your bike starts to accelerate without your input for easily correctible reasons. These could include an uncooperative twist throttle, dirty throttle body or malfunctioning throttle position sensor.
Sticky Throttle Cable
Why Is My Bike Accelerating Automatically? Motorcycle throttles must always function optimally, or else you could end up in an extremely dangerous situation where your bike accelerates without your input. This is an extremely scary event to experience on two wheels and must be addressed immediately; possible causes include sticky throttle cables, out of adjustment throttle bodies or malfunctioning position sensors.
A throttle is a metal wire enclosed in plastic that connects from its handle to an air throttle in the carburetor, opening when you twist its handle to allow more air into the carburetor and allow more acceleration from your engine. Over time, however, this throttle may become clogged with dirt or debris; otherwise it could bind up and remain open, effectively keeping it open for the duration.
Start the bike and slowly twist the throttle until it returns to its rest position when released; otherwise it indicates a stuck wide open throttle that continues accelerating the bike even after you release the throttle.
Normaly, you can remedy this by simply applying an appropriate grease to the throttle cable and following the directions found in your owner’s manual or online. If your throttle remains extremely sticky, however, you may require taking further measures such as disassembling and cleaning both throttle body and carburetor in order to clear away debris that is causing it to stick.
One common reason a bike might accelerate on its own is corrosion in its wiring that leads to its throttle body or carburetor, and you should consult a professional so as to not further damage your motorcycle. There may also be issues with its throttle position sensor which are difficult to diagnose without professional testing equipment; contact your mechanic for assistance here as well.
Dirty Throttle Body
An inadequate throttle body can significantly diminish both power and fuel efficiency for any engine. This part regulates how much air enters your engine to achieve an ideal air/fuel ratio; when you press your accelerator pedal, this throttle body opens to allow more air in through atomization – giving your engine its strength. Unfortunately, over time this part can become clogged with dirt and grime which needs to be regularly cleared away to save money and optimize performance.
Start by disconnecting the air duct that connects to the throttle body, taking care not to disconnect any electrical wires or terminals in the process. Most often this duct will be secured by a hose clamp and should come undone easily by twisting or pulling. You may also discover another air duct on either side that you can expose for cleaning purposes.
Before beginning, ensure your battery is unplugged and that you’re wearing rubber gloves and eye protection – cleaner can be harmful to skin or eyes if it comes into contact with either.
If your throttle body is electronically operated, if requires visiting a certified mechanic to have its throttle position sensor retaught. This sensor sits inside of your throttle body and sends information back to the computer regarding how much gas pedal pressure you exert when pressing the gas pedal – if this signal becomes corrupted then the computer cannot accurately gauge how much air is entering your engine.
There are various signs that a throttle body needs cleaning, including reduced gas mileage, irregular acceleration and stalling. If these symptoms appear on your vehicle, cleaning should take place immediately; but if time and resources don’t allow for professional mechanic services to do it for you, at-home throttle body maintenance could also do the trick.
Bad Throttle Position Sensor
The Throttle Position Sensor, or TPS, monitors how wide your throttle body valve opens when pressing on the gas pedal. It provides this data to your engine control module (ECU), who then uses it to optimize air/fuel ratio to provide optimal power when you need it most. Furthermore, ECU also uses this information to prevent overfueling which could harm your engine.
Failure of the TPS results in inaccurate readings that prevent the throttle valve from opening correctly and in turn alters how much air enters your engine, impacting fuel economy as more gas than necessary will be consumed due to improper air/fuel mixture.
Other sensors in your vehicle rely on accurate TPS readings, so if they’re having problems it could be related to the throttle position sensor. You could also experience difficulties with automatic transmission shifting related to it.
Signs of a failing throttle position sensor often include an illuminated check engine light. Your engine computer is programmed to recognize when this type of sensor provides inaccurate data and trigger the check engine light accordingly, in order to alert you about it.
Engine misfiring is another symptom of a failed throttle position sensor. Your ECU uses throttle position sensor data to understand when your gas pedal is depressed, then send that information directly to the engine to adjust ignition timing and fuel injection accordingly. If a sensor malfunctions, however, this information could lead to inaccurate data being sent directly into the engine, possibly leading to power loss or even complete engine shutdown.
One of the telltale signs of a failing throttle position sensor is increased acceleration without you pushing on the gas pedal. This occurs because your car receives incorrect engine signals, leading it to speed up automatically at low speeds or when sitting still idling.
Read also: Why Wear a Cycling Hat?
Electronic Throttle
Many modern cars feature fly-by-wire throttle systems that replace the mechanical linkage between accelerator pedal and engine with precise air and fuel flow management, creating powerful acceleration. Fly-by-wire throttle systems offer many benefits for improving fuel economy, lowering emissions and protecting powertrain components; however, one major drawback can be throttle lag.
Throttle lag refers to any delay in engine response from an accelerator pedal position sensor signal, which in most vehicles won’t pose an issue; however, some models can experience it and hinder acceleration efforts of drivers. Luckily, diagnosing and fixing throttle lag should not be difficult or time consuming.
Most electronic throttle systems are designed to avoid this kind of failure by employing redundant accelerator pedal position sensors (APP). These are connected to an electronic throttle control module or powertrain control module which then controls the position of an engine’s throttle plate; as the sensors continuously read out data to an ETC module that calculates an appropriate engine rpm before sending signals directly to open or close its plate as appropriate.
The throttle position sensor consists of either a potentiometer or Hall Effect sensor, both using magnetic contact to determine throttle position. While a potentiometer is more susceptible to damage from dirt or wear between wiper and resistance element, while Hall Effect sensors remain unaffected by these factors. If either type of throttle position sensor becomes damaged it can generate irregular signals which cause the throttle to stall unexpectedly.
Locate the throttle body on your vehicle and disconnect any hoses attached to it, marking any as necessary as you may need to reattach them later. Once you gain access to the throttle body, clean all its internal parts thoroughly while applying a light coat of lubricant; reassemble and test its functionality afterwards.
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