Triumphrat

redninja · 11-06-2007

anyone use a cruise control,and know of a good one,be nice on highway rides,tired of the clutch and ring hand out

SLOBonnie · 11-07-2007

When I had my bonnie, I used the Vista Cruise Control (for 7/8" bars). I had to bore the internal diameter to fit the 1" throttle tube, but that was easy with the Dremel. I haven't gotten one for my thruxton yet for two reasons. First, I've been trying out a rubber O-ring I bought at the local hardware store. I have it placed on my barend mirror when not in use and roll it between the mirror mount and throttle grip when I want to use it. The two I've tried so far have been too skinny and don't provide the sufficient resistance to keep the throttle consistently in place. I'm going to try a bit larger one this weekend. The beauty of this method is that it is inexpensive (each O-ring costs about $.60) and still allows you to close the throttle with the ring seated if necessary. Second, I had "football-style" grips on the bonnie whereas I have the OE grips on my thruxton. The former don't have the hand ring on the medial portion of the grip. That allowed the Vista Cruise Control to grab the throttle tube when engaged, yet not create any resistance when disengaged. I'm not sure that the same will occur with grips that do have the ring due to the space between that ring and the starter/kill switch housing seeming being sufficiently more narrow than the thickness of the Vista Cruise Control. It may be possible to make the cruise control mechanism less thick, but whether that will compromise the mechanism is unclear. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing and how it works.

redninja · 11-07-2007

hmmm,think i'll play with a homemade set up also,let you know,but gonna try the oring thing first,maybe a gromet would work

ocguyocguy · 11-07-2007

I would avoid anything that can hold the throttle on with out you holding on and the reason I say that is because I had a very bad crash using a cruise control...I got off the bike hard in a crash BUT the bike kept going at full throttle...full blast into a head on with a car two blocks away from where I got off...no one got hurt BUT it totalled my bike AND the car it went head on into...a "throttle rocker" device is good because it holds while you rest your hand on it but if and when you let go of the gas it shuts down...

Jon-Law · 11-13-2007

You can go the cheap route and put yourself in a position to get yourself hurt or you can bite the bullet and buy the best and cry but once.

I put a "Brakeaway" throttle control on my Thruxton and it works beautifully.

Just understand...They are made for a specific grip. Once installed you can't start changing grips around for snits and grins.

Check um out......

http://www.brakeawayproducts.com/

Weasel Pete · 11-13-2007

We're almost like microsoft. 10 ways to do the same thing.
For the whoppping cost of $0, nothing, nadda, zilch. You can also adjust your idle cable a bit tighter. That's the "push" throttle cable. If you get just the right amount of tension on it, the throttle will stay where you leave it but still rotate open or close. Basically it adds some friction inside the cable housing. Of course it will cause some premature wear and you might have to replace the cable 5000 miles sooner. The Vista cruise is a cheap solution, but they're not the most durable. I've seen the Brakeaway ones before. Nice! But for $200, I think not.
All cruise systems have the potential for a safety issue. Like the book says, it takes 5 limbs to operate a motorcycle properly and the one on top is the most important.

Jon-Law · 11-14-2007

Weasel Pete,

The original poster (redninga) asked for a good one, I passed on my opinion of a good one. The ultimate choice will be his.

Weasel Pete · 11-14-2007

Don't get me wrong, the Brakeaway is a fantastic choice, as a matter of fact that thing's like using a stick of dynamite to kill a mouse. It's the most elegant solution to the problem and is actually better than "good" in every way except the price IMO. Unless it's made of unobtanium.

ggRAT · 11-14-2007

I've had a BrakeAway for four years and mounted it on three different bikes. In other words, it is very adjustable. It fit on my Speedmaster with 1" bars and on my Sprint ST with 7/8" bars. (I haven't mounted it on my Bonnie yet because I'm "playing" with the grips right now.)

Here's a picture of it mounted on the Sprint ST...

Jon-Law · 11-15-2007

ggRat,

Wow! I guess I misunderstood that one. I thought because of the way the slip ring is mounted that the Brakeaway was grip specific. I'd love to change my grips but haven't for that reason. I'll have to check into that.

If you do mount it on your Bonneville, please let us know what grip you used. I have large hands and need something longer than stock.

Thanks!!!