Throttle question

Ok so I have found the throttle to be a little touchy on my 08SDR, it takes a little getting used to but not a big deal. I let my brother take it out for a quick spin last night and he says the bike is not set up right or just poorly engineered because the throttle is an on off switch not a proper throttle. I do not agree with him, but he is a know it all HD mechanic and will not listen to me. Is there a set up change I can do to make it less twitchy or is this just the nature of the bike.

Ok I'll take it the bike is standard but this may not be the case.

After market cans, Akra map or TuneECU and custom map from here. O2 eliminators fitted or TuneECU and turn them off. Remove SAS system. Motohooligan Airbox. You should now have a smoother throttle action although like you say it's something you do get used to. Personally fitting O2 eliminators, Motobox and custom map made my baby super smooth and in a beautiful contradiction even more of an animal

He is an HD mechanic and so is certain to interpret any detectable acceleration resulting from twisting the throttle as a a major fault requiring urgent attention. Just take out one of the spark plugs, fit a tow bar and hitch it to you car (which you should leave in gear) and invite him to ride it again. I'm sure he will be happier with the throttle response after these simple to make adjustments

There is an introduction in the front of the Instructions for the fitting of Motohooligan airbox. It covers the breathing and FI issues that KTM had to deal with when putting the bike through ever stringent Euro. emissions regs. The SAS system, 02 sensors and KTM standard map do nothing to help with performance and control at low down throttle response. It's a well accepted fact that removing or disabling these, as Klinky says, will really go a long way to sorting out your issues. Eventually all SD owners go this way - it just depends on how long it takes them to realise it's the only way and they should have done it a long time ago:lol:

if you're happy with it yourself, tell your brother to shut up and go back to his precious H.D dealership

Few cheep mods to do:

Snorkel removal + adding the spacers to airbox doors :
Throttle sycn. and Custom map with o2 sensors disabled through Tuneecu
Secondary Air System "SLS" removal
Rc8 Throttle Cam - less agressive throttle : ktm P/N 69002021100

Hi mate,
The SDR is always going to be more sensitive and thus requiring better throttle control - which cruiser riders won't know what is...

However, the easiest (and cheapest) mod for a little more progressive pick up is this Rc8 Throttle Cam - less agressive throttle : ktm P/N 69002021100.
Takes five minutes to install.

O2 eliminators cost about $20. You can pick them up at KTMTwins. Simple plug and play.

Indydave, i'll tell you what i tell everyone: disconnect o2 sensors. you will get an FI error code (17 and 18 - front and rear o2 sensor problem). ignore the error for now, it will not cause any issues. go for a ride and see if throttle feels better or not. it made a huge difference for me, and several others. if it does not, simply re-connect. if it does, then either get the eliminators, or get a tuneECU cable and disable them in the ECU. Effect is the same - no more FI light.

the on/off throttle is a result of bad fueling, which in turn is caused, IMO, by the O2 sensors. they try to lean out the mix too much - not sure whether for emmision purposes, or because they are cheap-arse narrow-band sensors (or maybe a bit of both)

my bike has silky-smooth throttle now, o2 sensors made a huge difference, and pipes, motohooligan airbox and custom map put the cherry on top

Harley-Davidson, the finest device known to man for converting gasoline into noise, without the annoying side effect of horsepower....

One more thing to add, after you've done the rest but before remapping, get rid of the secondary flies.

Mine was very snatchy with the Akra map + Akras + Motobox + O2 eliminators..
The cure was Klinck's map + disabled O2 elims in TuneECU

Dear Mr Hardley Dribbelson,

I read your comments in respect of the KTM throttle response with interest. Apart from the difference in bhp, between the Austrian missile and the HD tug boat, would one of the key reasons for the difference in throttle response be the light / competition weight crank shaft of the KTM v. overweight crank of the HD that is needed to smooth out the HD’s over vibey lumpy motor?

lets not compare to HD here, even with simple off or full power switch for throttle HD would not feel jerky, with it's 35hp and 800lb... my bicycle has higher power/weight ratio

disabling o2 sensors is disabling o2 sensors, does not matter if you do it by physicaly disconnecting them, or by disabling them in ECU - as long as the ECU stops adjusting your fuel/air mix based on the o2 sensor readings. Fixed map (no o2 sensor-based adjustments) has some disadvantages, specially if you go between very different elevations, like riding at sea lev one day, and at 4000m above the next, or with large variations in temp/humidity, or anything else that strongly affects oxygen content in the air your bike is breathing.
i would like to run all my bikes always at 13.0 A/F, but on a cold, crispy morning it will be bit leaner, and humid hot day richer. best way would be properly working, wide-band o2 sensors (like those in PC5/bazzazz autotune modules)... since this is not what KTM supplied, next best thing seems to be custom map and no o2 sensors. if you have a 09 or newer, you can actually go with PC5 + autotune, and you're set - no need for dyno or maps, you can change airbox/pipe/ambient temp, humidity etc etc, and bike self-maps... (at least that's the idea, i have not used autotune yet, so i cant judge if it works well or not)

Indydave, i'm in Ottawa ... is it as cold where you are as it is here? WTF? i got serious frostbite on my hands from the last ride...it's the end of April FFS!