cruise control?

[thagnome]

long story short, ill be taking the new(to me) FJ on a trip from co springs, to upstate ny in the next 2-3 months, and the bar vibration is going to kill me, i do not need anything too fancy to get me there, just something to take my hands off and cruise for 5-10 to reset my hands from vibrator mode.

i did a search on the site and come up with nothing, so i started looking around, im not exactly "comfortable" with some of these mechanical cruise controls, but thats just because ive never had one i guess, was wondering if anyone had any cruise control they use?

any help on this will be appreciated, and if i missed a link on the site that someone else had that would also be appreciated :p

ammendment 1:  found this link on the http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=226.0 and have decided i wont be using that throttle lock

[rktmanfj]

Sounds like you need a good carb sync, etc.

Check out the Vibernator thread, too...

I'm partial to the Vista Cruise, others like the Throttlemeister, still others like the Caterpillar o-ring thing.

The Cat o- ring is pretty cheap, the Vista Cruise is about $20, and the Thottlemeister is more expen$ive (& I hear takes some practice).

YMMV,
Randy T
Indy

[spsmith_fj1200]

You won't be able to take your hand completely off the bar, but you can move it around and wiggle fingers by using something like a CrampBuster http://www.crampbuster.com/

[Scooterbob]

I go with the Vista Cruise and some good foam grips from Randy @ RPM.  That, along with some decent gloves that have a little gel padding in them, should help you out the least expensive way.  If you are able to spend the money, I have heard nothing but good news on the "Vibernator" upgrade.

Check your motor mounts, make sure the front fork oil is up to the task, and all of the other normal checks of a pre-trip and you should be fine.  Have a great trip!

[Dan Filetti]

In terms of foam grips, I really like the Progrip 722:

http://www.bikebandit.com/progrip-722-foam-superbike-grips?m=8936

It's stylish (to the extent that a grip can be 'stylish') and it helps reduce vibration transmission.  And it's not as dorky as those pregnant looking grips some use...

Dan

[Dan Filetti]

I made the below reponse to another thread, it was meant for this one: (forgive the duplication...)

CTRL-C, CTRL-V:



Don't under-estimate the value of that little Throttle Rocker on end of the throttle.  This is similar to the 'Cramp Buster' just mentioned.  I have one on the Gixxer, and it makes a big difference on long rides.  And I don't think anyone would disagree with the statement that the Gixxer is inherently crueler, ergonomically than the FJ.  Anyway, just the weight of your wrist will operate the throttle and the ability to completely relax your fingers helps much more than you might think. 

Funny thing is it makes you bike feel faster until you get used to it.  As part of that, do be aware, be cautious if you use one of these.  As I first got to using it, there were a couple of times that I thought the throttle was closed, but in fact, it was not; a bit dangerous.  You really need to explicitly raise your wrist, -not just let the throttle roll off naturally.  Once you've trained yourself at that, it is a great little $15, addition.  It's on and off the bike in seconds too, attaches simply with Velcro.

Last point; don't leave it on the bike if anyone else rides it, for the reason mentioned above.

I had the Throttlemeister bar-end replacement style cruise control setup on the CBR1000 -paid like $130 for them.  I did not like them, they were expensive, and I never did get them dialed in so that they would A) not affect normal, non-actuated throttle operation, but still B) hold firm, and not slip when trying to leave my hand completely off the bar for any time.  They say there is a happy middle ground in there, but despite trying +/- 5 times, I never found it.  I did get to the point where it would hold for 10 or 15 seconds before slipping, but I expected better, especially for the money.

Dan

[thagnome]

rode my bike (the actuall pedal bike) over to my friends house to check out what you guys said, the motor mounts seem to be in really good order from what ive read of the lean that happens on the mounts, it does only have 15 k on it so that might have something to do with it, the fork seal has a leak, i knew it was a leak, a 'slow' leak if you will when i bought it, it has a fair amount of fluid on the ground now, and more leaked down the fork over the brake's and such. since its not on the road ill have a chance to fix this before i get it on the road.
but thats a side track there at the end, bottom line, the engine looks to be sitting straight, fork seals are leaking, and as for the carbs they def need synced(sank?) im pretty sure 100-200 dollars will clear up all my mechanical problems, problem with this is that im not back home where i have access to my father in laws nice garage, with all his nice tools, and his 20+ years of experience that doesnt involve going back and forth to the computer(his wife wont let him bring expensive electronics into the garage since he dropped a quart or 4 of oil onto her nice new laptop), so everything im doing is in my buddy's PL, without a lift or such, i might put it on a truck and drag it onto post so its in my parking lot.
side note:   i also need to adjust the throttle cable, it idle's somewhere around 500(not to be confused with 5k) im talking actuall 5hundo and it will randomly cut out while sitting at a light.

[Scooterbob]

Idle is adjusted by a screw under the center of the carbs IIRC.

GET THE FORK LEAK FIXED! Oil down on the tire is a bad bad thing when zooming down the road.

[1tinindian]

I tried the Vista Cruise, but it was not all that great in my opinion.
With the trimming to fit, and awkward final position, I was glad to see it go.
I now use a combination of lubed engine mounts, the Vibranator bar end weights, Throttle Rocker, and the Cat O-ring.
Seems I have found the best possible option for me.

What Dan said about the Throttle Rocker should be paid attention too, because it does take some getting used to, but once you master it, you'll never want to be without it.

Leon

[ddlewis]

I had a vista cruise.. it worked well, but so does the virtually free o-ring trick.  IMO, the throttle locking types (o-ring, vistacruise, throttlemeister) are mostly a nuisance except on totally flat highway - slight ups and down grades throw off your speed a lot.  If that doesn't bother you then you'll be ok - it drives me nuts.

Of things I've tried, grip puppies + cramp buster are the best way to go, and cheap too..  grip puppies (foam/rubbery grip wraps) all but eliminate the buzz and the cramp buster lets you relax your grip.

[thagnome]

thanks for all the input, i get the feeling the cat o-ring is probably the best option, not because its cheap, but it seems to be the simplest, and i get distracted easy.  as for the leak in the forks, i learned my lesson on that one a few years back taking my gix750 around a corner so fast and hard that i compressed the fork way too fast, and did what felt like bottoming it out(is that possible?) and just hopped out from under me.

[nvmike24]

I like the CAT o-ring idea but have not seen more info on it. Is there a specific dimension or CAT P/N anyone has to narrow the bugger down?

[FJ Flyer]

I've got the throttle rocker - never take it off.  I tried the Catepillar O-ring, but found it didn't hold very long before it started slipping.  I now have this, which works pretty good, and was only about $20:



Can be found at http://www.2wheelride.com/

[E Double]

I've got the throttle rocker - never take it off.  I tried the Catepillar O-ring, but found it didn't hold very long before it started slipping.  I now have this, which works pretty good, and was only about $20:



Can be found at http://www.2wheelride.com/

I have this one. 

Eh, it works ok-it typically takes a few tries before it doesn't slip, but it does what its supposed to do; Let my right hand take a break from holding the throttle.  I'll just have to wait until I can afford a K1200 RT to get some actual cruise control

[DB Cooper]

  I have the vista cruise, and a crampbuster. The cramp buster is a really nice, but it is a little tricky getting used to it. As mentioned, if I let a buddy try my bike, I take it off! But when I get on my buddies bike, I really miss it.
The vista is really nice as well. It took a couple of tries to get it dialed in just right so it doesn't slip but once I got it set right ( a matter of carrying a small screw driver in your pocket and tweaking it at a red light),  I haven't touched it for almost 10,000 k. It is a bit of a nuisance going up and down inclines, but it sure does reduce the hand fatigue.
Kevin