Fitting a Hand Throttle ...

At some stage or another, you would have tried to use the brake, accelerator, and cluth at the same time. The answer is to fit a Hand Throttle to your Suzuki SJ. The system consists of a hand or thumb lever that can be mounted to your gear stick and a cable that connects to the throttle of your engine. Once installed, you can work the accelerator using your hand or thumb, leaving both feet free for other tasks. If you use the bicycle gear shift lever, you will be able to lock the thumb lever in place to hold the engine RPMs an any desired speed. Once you've installed it, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.

There are two variations that can be used for the lever. These can be seen in the pictures below.


We recommend using the bicycle gear shift lever, as the revs can be controlled using the thumb. The lever is designed to lock into place as it is rotated, so when the desired revs are reached, they will remain constant.

Installation ...

Installation is very simple. First, mount the thumb lever. One of the most practical mounting positions is the top of the gear lever You may have to make some minor adjustments to find the right position that feels comfortable for you. Sit in the driver's seat, and try to work the system from your normal driving position. Experiment with different locations before deciding on the final mounting position.


No matter which method you use, there are a few points to remember:-
-You must make sure that the outer sheath of the cable is held tight at the terminationpoint. This will allow only the inner cable to move when the thumb lever is actuated.
- Avoid tight bends when routing the cable. Tight bends will only cause excessive tension on the system and your throttle return spring may not have enough power to de-activate the the hand throttle with you release it. You may have to upgrade to a heavier throttle return spring to your carb, or add an additional springto give it more "pull".

Connecting to the carburettor throttle linkage ...

Route the cable into the engine compartment of your vehicle, using cable ties to neaten the cable installation. This can be done by going through the firewall. If you need to go through any rubber grommets, it is better to "melt" a hole of the appropriate size using a hot soldering iron, as the hole will be less likely to rip with age and stress.

Once the cable has been routed, it is time to connect the cable to the throttle of your carb. This may require a little engineering on your part as each vehicle and carb differ slightly. Drill a small hole in the throttle cable bracket. This is where you will route the new cable through to attach to your carb. This hole should be as close to the standard throttle cable hole as possible and must only be big enough for the internal wire of the new cable (the black sheathing that protects the cable must not fit through this hole. Pull the cable tight so that the black sheathing is resting against the outside of your bracket.

Now Attach the wire to the throttle cable. This is usually accomplished by loosening the screw on the existing throttle mounting point and inserting the new cable. Make sure that the hand throttle lever is all the way down, and that there is no slack in the cable. Tighten the screw to hold both cables securely.

Connecting to the accelerator pedal ...

This is the easier of the two methos, however, it requires more effort to use the accelerator pedal. The procedure is quite simply to feed the cable through a loop at the top of the accelerator pedala and crimp a stop to the end of the wire cable. Secure the outer sheath to the steering column using cable ties.

In conclusion ...

Now that the Hand Throttle is installed, working the thumb lever will now work the accelerator on the vehicle as well. Keep in mind that some vehicles may require a bit more engineering to find a mounting point for the new cable.