Triumphrat

Tom Herold · 10-12-2008, 01:38 AM

I've been waiting for my fuel level sending unit to come in from the dealership so I could tackle the cruise control at the same time since the tank would be off. Since it all came in today and the wife's out of town, I figured it was time for the "other woman" to get some attention.

I purchased the Audiovox kit from Murphskits, a popular FJR supplier, for $105 (US) delivered. It came with a small vacuum resevoir, so I didn't have to run out for a check valve or fabricate one myself. You don't need a canister, the check valves work just fine, but since I had one on hand....... I installed it.

Overall the install is pretty straight forward, the hardest part is figuring out the connection between the actuator and the throttle bodies. Safety being at the forefront of my thoughts, I took extra time and tried a few different set-ups to gauge the possibility of the chain hanging up on something.

I took a few pics, maybe some of this will help someone else out.

Mounting the Actuator was a pretty simple exercise. I used the top fairing mount since the bracket and mount shared the same deminsions and it fit nicely behind the fairing.

I then used a bracket from the kit to mount the vacuum canister. A few simple bends on the shop vice was all that was needed for steering clearance, the bolts came with the kit too. As you see, it all tucks up under the fairing nicely.

The throttle body connection I was most comfortable with was the simplest of the three I tried. I used another bracket from the kit and mounted it to the side of throttle body #1. The chain is pinched in 3 times on the bracket; no chance of it coming loose and there's nothing for it to catch on when the throttle is manipulated. Note the angle of the cable, I adjusted it to lessen the bend after the photo was taken. I made the mounting bracket out of some old stock I had around, bent it to suit the application, and used the left side fairing mount to mount it to the frame - just like I did with the actuator on the right side. I tapped into the #3 throttle body for the vacuum, using a T-fitting from the kit, and ran the tubing through the wire loom to the vacuum canister.

I spared you the boring details of running the wires, it's easy enough and split loom covers everything. I tapped into my Hyperlites for the brake light connections so I didn't have to hunt down wires or make multiple piercings through the wire covering. The red wire goes to the red tail light wire, it's a constant 12v feed when the ignition is on. The purple wire goes to the blue tail light wire, it's 12v when the brakes are applied. Both these wires monitor the tail light power and will cancel the cruise control The black and grey with coming from the actuator aren't used, so I bundled them up and tied them off inside the split loom. The blue wire coming from the actuator taps into a tachometer source, I used the negative wire from the #3 coil for this. The blue wire monitors the tach signal and will cancel the cruise control if it senses a change like pulling in the clutch without engaging the brakes. Mine shuts off within 500prm of pulling the clutch lever in, I'm okay with that.

The control module fits nicely on the Helibars, a simple bracket out of the same stock I used for the actuator cable, a couple of holes drilled, and a bend in the vice was all it took. I tapped into an unused connection behind the front fairing for the control unit power and lights. You can see my grip heater control and GPS Ram Mount all have a place there too. Be sure to use some silicone to seal the unit up and water proof it. It comes apart easily, I used clear silicone around the buttons and around the back where it snaps together.

Overall, I spent 5 hours installing the cruise control, cleaning out my gas tank, changing the fuel filter and installing my new sending unit.
I have to admit, it works like a charm and holds a nice steady speed. On hills, I loose about 1 to 2 mph depending on the grade and I can certainly live with that. I'm planning a trip the the Cherahola Skyway, the Hell Bender and Tail of the Dragon, which are about 5 hours away, so the cruise is going to get a shakedown flight pretty soon. I'll update in the ride report.

If anyone has questions, feel free to track me down. I'll gladly help as much as I can.

Tom Herold · 10-12-2008, 01:40 AM

Here are a few more pics...

Catenaccio · 10-12-2008, 02:05 AM

Nice write-up. I've been thinking of the same mod for my bird. Your other pics show some other interesting changes to the bike too.

dmulc · 10-12-2008, 07:52 AM

Good job Tom. I'm glad you got it done. I've had mine for 4 or 5 months and it works great.
I'm going to be in the area you mentioned later this week so I'll get to check it out on real hills. It's pretty flat here in Florida.

Tom Herold · 10-12-2008, 10:37 AM

Thanks, honestly I just followed the other threads and advice from pervious installs. The rest was a little creative thinking and taking the time to do it right.

The result is a longer distance ride with fewer stops and the ability to wiggle around a bit for comfort without being tied to the throttle. I'm guessing I'll be testing the 250 range on my gas tank.....

dmulc · 10-12-2008, 11:46 AM

Before I put the cruise control on, I tested the the 300 mile range with a fully loaded bike. 309 to be exact (GPS and odometer verified miles). Still had 1/2 gallon left. I got 61.5 MPG on that trip. I averaged 73 MPH.
On another trip I ran out of gas at only 220 miles but I was riding it hard.
I haven't tested the MPG w/ the cruise control yet.

ExKellick · 10-12-2008, 01:26 PM

Wow Tom, you've got some serious hardware hanging off those bars.

Tom Herold · 10-12-2008, 01:56 PM

You're right, but this is the last addition I've been waiting to. As far as I'm concerned the bike is finished with the exception of wear and tear items like tires.... they're next...... a set of Michelin Pilot Road 2CT's for $289 delivered from ridedirect.com, the best price I've found so far.

Then it's off to slay the Dragon and get rid of those chicken strips properly!

ralphus · 10-12-2008, 05:14 PM

Tom

Good to see you have had a crack at installing one of these.

From what I can work out you have mounted the actuator cable on the LHS of the throttle bodies. Looks like pretty good access there.

The only thing that looks a bit concerning to me is the actuator cable mount, it looks like the cable is exiting the cable sheath at a nasty angle rather than straight out. The actuator cable will not last long if that is the case.

Did you try running the speed sensor off the rear wheel or are you using tach pulses off the coil? My preference is for running off the back wheel, this seems to work better in my opinion.

Cheers

Ralphus

oldndumb · 10-12-2008, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ralphus

The only thing that looks a bit concerning to me is the actuator cable mount, it looks like the cable is exiting the cable sheath at a nasty angle rather than straight out. The actuator cable will not last long if that is the case.

Very reasonable comment.
The cable will fray and separate shortly if left as is. The significance is that the fraying could cause a hang up in a retracted position, or separate at an inopportune time.