cruise control

This topic is discussed almost as much as the windshields but I am having problem so this is where I seek some advise. I have a 2008 AE with about only 17,000 miles on it. I put a AudioVox cruise on it last year and it seemed to work okay. It would not set as easily as the factory installed one in my truck, but it held pretty well once set. The last time I rode the bike the cruise worked. This spring I took the bike out for the spin and the cruise did not work. The backlight for the controls lit up and then when I turned the cruise on the lights got brighter as they should, but nothing happened to control the speed. I tried several tricks to help it get started but it never did anything.

Over the summer I had some time to pull the tank and everything in the way assuming that it was a vacuum line off or something. I cannot find anything disconnected, broken or pinched. I am getting very frustrated and ready to just remove the whole thing. Before I do something like that I thought about asking all of you if you had any thoughts. I have all the little switches set to the numbers most widely agreed to by others on this site. Like I said, I put it up working, and then took it out and it is not working. I even thought about removing it and installing the MCCruise as it seems to be designed for the bike and perhaps has a better way of trouble shooting. I never bought a MCCruise in the first place due to the cost and that really hasn't changed except that my need has grown a bit more.

Any good advice would be appreciated...

A really common issue can be a very lightly sticking rear brake pedal. Is your rear break light on all the time?

Did you seal the control pad? Water in the pad, even a small amount will cause problems.

I did seal up the pad. I even broke the god seal and opened it up to investigate. Everything seemed to be in good shape. as far as the brake being on, I haven't noticed that to be an issue. I do most of my riding during the day so I do not get a chance to see the red glow from the brakes coming/sticking on. Is there a better way to test the brake thing. I do not have a riding buddy to follow me either to tell me.

Just FYI on the MCCruise. I have an Audiovox cc that my exceptionally skilled brother in law helped me install. Knock on wood it's always worked just like it should. I used to ride with a guy that had a MCCruise on his '08 FJR, and we would switch bikes sometimes. He said my AV just worked better than his MCC. It would set faster, hold speed more accurately, and increase up or down with the buttons better than the MCC. Not sure if it's due to the unit itself or the install, but after that I've always thought the MCC may not be worth the price. This is just one example of course, but something to consider. The point being if you want cruise and already did an AV install, you might just consider re-doing it w/ a new unit if you can't find the problem.

67DLA said:

I did seal up the pad. I even broke the god seal and opened it up to investigate. Everything seemed to be in good shape. as far as the brake being on, I haven't noticed that to be an issue. I do most of my riding during the day so I do not get a chance to see the red glow from the brakes coming/sticking on. Is there a better way to test the brake thing. I do not have a riding buddy to follow me either to tell me.

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Try the brake when parked (ignition on). Push the pedal down, check it comes up freely and the brake light goes out. No need for a follower. I'd suggest lubricating the lever pivot anyway, can't do any harm, and it's one of the maintenance items easily forgotten.
Of course you could always go through the diagnostic procedure that's in the installation sheet. That should very quickly give an idea of what is wrong.

Funny thing is that I never even used the provided directions really as I just followed the directions as provided here on the site. I am not even sure I still have them. I will download them and see if my problem is discussed.

Knowing nothing about the cruise control and commenting only about the brake pedal issue. I've owned four FJR AE models. two 08s and two 06s. All of them have had issues of sticking brake pedals.I don't care what Yamaha says, this is an issue with the design. The brake pedals need to be checked frequently and the pivot point needs to be lubed frequently!

I don't understand "the lights got brighter as they should" when you turn on the cruise.

The only thing the lights should do is the buttons should light up when the bike is on, as those are (should be) connected to the bike's running lights. The center light, between the buttons, turns on when the unit is turned on, as a pilot light. If you have the brown wire permanently connected to power, then the center light should always be on. Some folks set it up that way. Nothing actually gets brighter (unless "turning on" is what you meant by "got brighter." Technically, a light that is on is brighter than one that is not..... )

And the sticky brake pedal is very common, not just on FJRs but on just about every motorcycle ever made. It simply isn't possible to completely avoid the effects of water and grease intrusion into the pivot point, unless you spend a LOT of money on seals and stuff. It's just a plain old naked bushing, is that pivot point, and it needs care once in a while. You can easily check it by turning the bike on as it sits on the sidestand, stand on the right side of the bike, lean back so you can see the brake light and reach forward with your foot and depress the brake pedal. Did the brake lights come on? Did they go out when you released the pedal? If both are yes, then you have a different issue somewhere.

If the brake lights did not illuminate, check some fuses. If there's no power to the brake light circuit, the cruise will not engage.

If the brake lights stay on after release, then clean the brake pedal pivot.

Hello 67DLA,

I am having exactly the same issue with my Audiovox cruise. I used it on an 8K mile round trip up into Canada and it worked terrific.

I let it set up in the garage for a few months and now it will not engage. I will be investigating this next week and let you know what I find.

Wiring splices are important, too. Crimp connectors are useless, even the "weatherproof" ones. Cut the wires and solder them wherever connections are made.

I will clarify a couple of things... I should not have said that the pad gets brighter. The center LED comes on when the unit is turned on. So it does get the power to illuminate the backlight, and then the power to have the system turn on. The brake pedal seems to operating fine. The brake light would consistently turn off as I would release the brake by either foot or hand . I will lube up the pivot anyhow as recommended by everyone. I will go through and check all the wire connections to assure good connections. I did not solder all the joints so perhaps I can go back through and change out the connectors for solder joints and shrink tubing after.

I have also notified AudioVox trough their website contact page. I explained the problem and will wait for what they may say. I was happy to hear the report that the AudioVox seems to work as good or better than the MCCruise.

Obviously the cruise control is not totally necessary, but once you have it its hard to not have it. It also drives me nuts to have the pad up there for the cruise and it does not work. Thanks for all the advise so far and I will report back as things change.

Check the connector, control pad to harness. It could be corroded (not waterproof) or one of the terminal pins may have pushed out not making connection. Agree recheck all the wiring where you hooked in.

As mcatrophy sez, you can run the diagnostics for the cruise control. On the servo unit, by the rear connector there is a red LED which will flash/turn on to check the functions and it also gives voltage checks for the switches. The tests are in the AVCC manual.

I have seen a small number of AVCC which have sticking solenoids and failed solenoid drivers as the root cause of failure to set speed. If everything else checks out then this may be the problem with your cruise but his is really, really low on the probability list. The following is excerpted from an older post of mine:



When I take the solenoids apart what I usually find is that the plunger is slightly cocked in the bore. I put a small bit of vacuum grease on the red vacuum seal on the plunger and put it back together. The stroke of the piston is really too long for the support of the bore to keep it true and in line. I would suspect that a sharp rap (only on the black or white plastic, never, ever, ever, never on the yellow coil) would also free a sticking plunger, but that would only be a temporary band aid, very lightly lubing the piston should be a near permanent fix. Trotting out a well used photo:



Newer cruise controls don't seem to have the DUMP solenoid. On the plastic strip at the top of the yellow solenoid windings you can see the ends of metal tabs. Holding the solenoid bank like shown, the individual solenoids will pull/slide off straight forward giving you access to da guts. If you are brave I mean, what the heck, it's already dead. In the few servos I have looked at it has been the main vacuum solenoid that sticks.

I have a 12 year version of the AudioVox. The only issue I had was with the control pad. I took it apart, cleaned the contacts, put a "very small" dot of dielectric grease on each contact, and assembled it. It has worked perfect since then.

This may not be your issue so I would check each connector with an electrical multi-meter and if you have magnetics and pick up check the clearance between them.

You want to be sure you have a signal from the tach. No speed input = no workie-workie.

You want to be sure the purple wire is ZERO volts when the brakes are off. Not 4, or 2, or even 1. ZERO.

Disconnect the 10-pin connector at the servo and check the signals on the wires:

Black: ground

Red: 12V when the bike is on. Should be getting this from the brake light circuit on the bike.

Brown: 12V when the unit is on, 0 when it's off

Purple: 12V with the brakes applied, 0 when they're not. (Your 2008 may need a relay circuit to ensure this. If the Purple wire does not go 0, or no more than a fraction of a volt, the cruise won't set.)

Green: 12V with the Set/Coast button pressed (with unit turned on)

Yellow: 12V with the Accel/Resume button pressed (with unit turned on)

Blue: Increasing AC voltage with engine speed

Gray: not used.

..and no one has mentioned to check the ground for corrosion?

....or the tap off the coil?

dcarver said:

..and no one has mentioned to check the ground for corrosion?....or the tap off the coil?

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Indirectly, yes. The diagnostic procedure will point to where to look for a problem.

I briefly did some checking the other night trying to use the info provided. The first thing I did was to check the brake pedal and it seems just fine. The brake light went off and on as I moved the pedal. Then I chased down all the wires to see if I could find a loose end anywhere and kinda tested all the splices and all appeared to be fine. Then I opened up the little cover on the side of the servo unit to see if in fact the LED would be on. I was hoping that it would not be so that it would narrow my search but it was on. I put the bike in gear and as I revved the engine the led blinked faster. So I put the seats back on and went out with my hopeful attitude of messing with the stuff that it was magically going to work...and I was disappointed once again! It was late and dark and misting so I did not stay out long.

A funny thing though. I am not sure if it just my imagination or not, but it almost seems like it wants to work. With the cruise "ON" after I hit the "SET" button hold my speed steady for a few seconds and then release my grip a bit on the throttle it almost acts like it is going to hold. The first time I did it I thought that it was working again but it did a nice slow deceleration. The delayed "HOLD" for my cruise seemed to be normal. Once I would "Set" it, it would decelerate anyway and then it would all the sudden kick in and rev back up to the speed at which I hit "SET". I have read others say that this is how theirs worked so I live with it. Kind of a clunky start but it held and that was what I ultimately was after.

I work a lot but I hope to spend some time Sunday doing a thorough check up. I have not replied to all the advice given, but I appreciate it and I will try all the different things to get this resolved.

dcarver said:

....or the tap off the coil?

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The first sentence of the post right above yours, thankyouverymuch......

As for other t/s steps, make sure the CC cable on the throttle isn't excessively slack. The CC doesn't yank the cable, it moves it a bit at a time. If the CC pulls the cable and nothing happens, it pulls a little farther. If this happens too many times (which may only be 3 or 4, I dunno for sure) with no engine response, it gives up and doesn't set. Bead chain at the throttle should have almost no curve in how it hangs.