Inoveli - A New Way to Throttle?

There isn’t anything necessarily wrong with the twist-grip throttle design found on motorcycles, after all millions of motorcyclists each year manage to use this simple design with great efficacy.

This, however, does not mean that the current iteration of throttle design is perfect for its application; after all each time you twist the throttle, you are compromising the angle of your wrist in relation to the handlebar. Maybe it is time for another way?

That is the thought process behind the Inoveli throttle concept. Using a rider’s thumb, instead of their wrist, the Inoveli throttle allows one to keep a constant grip on the handlebar throughout the entire throttle range of motion, which translates into less rider fatigue and more rider safety.

The motion made to activate the throttle uses the natural motion of one’s thumb, and thus allows a rider to constantly cover the front brake lever.

This idea goes contrary to current designs, which intentionally make grabbing the brake lever and holding the throttle open a very difficult task, which brings up an interesting debate about the tradeoffs between the two designs.

For our two cents, we think the benefits outweigh the detriments here, and it would be interesting to see what kind of throttle control can be achieved with the thumb throttle design.

So far it looks like the Inoveli FV01 is available only for cable throttles (cost is €230), though hopefully the small French company will debut a ride-by-wire digital throttle as well for more advanced two-wheelrs.