Last month I promised a ride report about Glamis. Since then, my ever-present editor-in-chief painfully informed me that the Thanksgiving weekend that the trip was planned for falls after the deadline for article submission. So Glamis is nixed (for now) and a tech piece slides into the slot.

Ahh, I can hear it now. "Did he say tech, as in 'technical', piece? Could he be suggesting that I get out my tools and attempt to work on my own machine?" It often befuddles me how many people panic at the thought of doing their own mechanical work but think nothing of launching their prized ride off a sand dune and flying so high they should file a flight plan. Well, fear not all you Tim Taylors' out there The_Dave will guide you through this simple modification and soon you will be eyeballing the Snap-On truck in a whole new way!

One thing I would like to mention before we get too far is that twist throttles are not for everyone. If you have motorcycle experience then the conversion to twist throttle is a no brainier. If you are an advanced rider with lots of time on your ATV then the use of a twist will be easier to get use to. A new ATV operator would be well advised to get a little more riding time under their belt before going to a twist throttle. No matter what the case may be you should take it easy the first time or two out as working a twist, especially on rough terrain, is tricky.

OK, before we get started lets take care of the standard precautionary and good practice guidelines. Exercise caution when dealing with your fuel system and always work in a well-ventilated area. Do not store your fuel tank assembly near a source of ignition. Water heaters come to mind. Wear the appropriate safety gear. It is hard to go riding when you are in the ER. Do not use kitchen utensils for tools. Always use the correct tool for the job. Finally and most important, make absolutely sure the new part or modification is working correctly BEFORE you go ripping across Mother Earth. Stupid hurts. Don't be stupid!

Well let's get to it. In my first article I stated that I hate thumb throttles and now I am going to get rid of mine! Who's with me? Your thumb will thank you for it!

Assuming you have acquired the appropriate twist for you particular machine the first step in installing it is to remove the old pain inducing thumb assembly and its' associated cables. The old grips will also have to go. More on that in a minute. Once the thumb throttle is off the bars separate it from the cable, dribble back to the three-point line, take careful aim and file it in the appropriate waste can. Next, we find the other end of the cable.

More than likely you will have to remove the tank assembly to access the carburetor as to remove the old cable and install the new one. The procedure for removing the tank will vary from model to model but it should be no problem. First, shut the petcock and remove the fuel line from the tank. Next determine how the tank assembly is held in place. On the 400ex I had to first remove some of the plastic along side of the tank to access the hold down straps. Again, work your way in and THINK about what you are doing and it should be painfully obvious as to what needs to go to remove the tank.

Once the tank and associated plastic is out of the way you should have a clear view of the carburetor and all of its ducting. Carefully examine you carburetor to determine how to remove the old cable. On the 400ex carburetor as well as other Hondas I have work on there is a plastic cover on the right side of the carburetor body that is held in place by two Phillips head screws. Under this access cover is the bell crank mechanism that operates the carburetor. Now all you have to do is roll up the bell crank that the cable is attached to, slide the cable out of the slot, and you are ready for the final step in removing the cable. Carefully begin to snake the cable back from the handle bar area towards the carburetor noting the way it is run so when you install the new cable it will follow the same path. Again on all the Honda carbs I have worked the cable sheath has a metal 90deg. end on it that threads into the top of the carburetor. Loosen the jam nut on the sheath and unscrew the cable guide until it is free of the carburetor. On ATV's made by different manufactures the carburetors will most likely have a different method to attach and remove the cable from the carb. In all cases it should not take much effort to determine how it is done.

Time to remove the old grips. If the grips are new or not very old and you wish to save them for use at a later date an easy way to remove them without getting into a tug-o-war with your ATV is to use a blast of compressed air. Just work your blower nozzle under the grip and give a blast of air while pulling the grip and it will slide off. If you don't have compressed air nor the brute strength to make the grip see things your way the only option left is to liberate them with razor knife. Please be careful here or you might really need a thumb throttle....if you know what I mean!? Remember when buying new grips get the correct type. They are made to work with twist throttles and the right grip has a slightly larger bore to accommodate the twist sleeve.

Phew! We are half way home! Now we start putting it back together!

OK, so far so good. Now that everything is removed it is time to start installing the new cable assembly. Yep, you guessed it, we are going to do everything we just did in reverse. Start by attaching the new cable assembly to the carburetor body by threading the 90deg. sheath elbow to the carburetor body. I ran mine down until I could see it starting to extend past the opening on the other end. At this time I orientated the cable sheath in the correct direction and locked it down with the jam nut. Attach the new cable to the bell crank using the same method as before. Replace the side cover and reinstall all removed ducting. Just as before, if you have a different model, the cable attachment method will differ slightly. Either way if you got the old cable off you should be able to get the new one on.

Route the new cable the same way as the old cable using the factory installed guides and fold-over tabs. The cable should be hanging in position and ready for the twist housing to be installed. Now that the cable is routed and the carburetor has been reassembled you could reinstall the tank and its plastic fairings but the 'smart' mechanic will make sure that all is well before closing her up. It blows to have to remove the tank a second time for a minor adjustment. You be the judge of your mechanical abilities and then proceed as required.

At this point we will make sure that the twist sleeve will fit over the bars and rotate smoothly. You may have to remove some paint from the area that is directly under the twist sleeve to allow it to rotate smoothly. My installation did not require me to remove any paint but if I did have to perform this chore my tool of choice would be my 4inch mini grinder with a sanding disk. Use what you have. Sandpaper by hand would be a better choice then your 8inch,two men and a boy industrial grinder with a 50 grit tiger disk. The choice is yours, choose wisely! After the paint is removed and the twist sleeve rotates kissy smooth you may want to apply a LIGHT coat of primer to the bare metal to prevent rust. One last thing to do here is to check the length of the twist sleeve to that of the new grip. The sleeve might be longer than the grip. This is not very likely but if this is the case cut down the sleeve as required.

Now we attach the twist grip housing to the cable. Start by removing the cable adjuster in the housing. Align the slots in the adjuster and drop the cable in. Feed the cable through the housing and reinstall the adjuster assembly. On the twist grip conversion kit I used, the cable routes around a pulley wheel and then attaches to the twist sleeve. If you study your assembly you will see how the cable is routed. It helps to have the adjuster screw turned all the way down so you have maximum cable length available making it easier to get the cable connected to the twist sleeve. At this point you should be ready to permanently attach the twist assembly to the bars.

OK, now that the twist throttle is attached to the bars and the cable is attached to the carb. it's time to adjust the system. Roll the twist sleeve forward until it is against the stop. Now check the cable for excess slack and adjust it out with the adjuster on the twist throttle body as required. Check to see it everything is operating correctly by rolling the throttle on and then releasing it. It should roll back to the idle position immediately. If not find the source of the problem and correct it. It must roll back by itself as anything else would be dangerous. When everything is working as it should you can reinstall the tank and its' assocated parts if you haven't already.

Now it is time to get a grip! If you examine the grips you will note that one has a bigger hole then the other. This is the one for the twist. I used grip glue to make my grip attachment more permanent. This is highly recommended as loosing your grip (literally!) at the wrong moment could be disasterous. Allow 24 hours for the grip glue to cure before riding you ATV.

Everything reassembled? Good! Now we are ready for the last test. Start you ATV and make sure it is idling like it was BEFORE you did any work on it. If the idle is too high adjust the cable length with the adjustment screw on the twist unit until the idle is correct. Now while the bike is running turn the handel bars full travel in both directions. The engine speed should not increase. If it does increase you don't have the cable routed correctly and you are intorducing a bind in the system. Again dubble check your work and find the source of your probem.

Well, that's all there is to it! Easy aye? Now all you have to do is get used to the twisting action and you will be ready for a days' worth of riding without having your thumb put an end to your fun! By the way, you may want to wear a watch to keep track of time as the "my thumb is too sore to ride any more,we must have been at this for hours" method no longer applies!

Good Luck with this little adventure and I will see you all next month! What's in store for next month you ask? I have no idea! I guess we shall find out together!