Anyone using Motor Cycle Cruise control?

Santa just may have a surprise for me this year but he needs some technical advice. Which is a better cruise control for my 2007 FJR (manual shift) - the Audiovox or the Motor Cycle Cruise (Australian company) unit.

Any help/suggestions appreciated so that Santa will know what to do.

Jon

Jon said:

Santa just may have a surprise for me this year but he needs some technical advice. Which is a better cruise control for my 2007 FJR (manual shift) - the Audiovox or the Motor Cycle Cruise (Australian company) unit.
Any help/suggestions appreciated so that Santa will know what to do.

Jon

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It seems the audiovox has some issues on the 07s. I have been looking at the MC Cruise but would like to talk with someone who has it on a 07. I would think that since it is plug and play it should work fine, but for 500 or so it should jump out of the box and install itself!

Same here. I have an AV in a box but don't have the technical know how to install it.

I've got the MCC, it's worth the coin IMHO. Everything bolts up exactly like it should, and looks like a factory install.

I have an 07 with AudioVox CC. Mine is flaky and I have not been able to figure it out. I had the same problem with 2 different units. I don't think anyone with and 06 or 07 with the problem has figured it out. Not all 2nd Generation bike have the problem. I have not heard of any Generation 1 bike with the issue.

See this thread https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...audiovox++flaky.

An interesting observation. When it is hot the AVCC is very flaky. The colder it is the better it works. A couple of weeks ago I went for a 450 mile ride and the temps were in the low 60s mid 50s and it worked for the entire 450 miles. There is something about the system, 06-07 bikes and/or the AVCC alone or combination, that seems to be temperature sensitive.

I would not try to install the AudioVox on a 2nd generation bike due to unsolved issues with some installs.

I will probably install an McCruise Control the spring after I have contacted the company to confirm they don't have the same issues.

rfulcher said:

I will probably install an McCruise Control the spring after I have contacted the company to confirm they don't have the same issues.

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I would like to know if McCruise encountered the same problems. On the other hand, I just did the conversion and $579.129 USD is too rich for my blood.

smitty141, are you watching this? Do you have this gremlins worked out? If not worked out, do they at least have names?

I'm guessing that AV doesn't provide any type of schematic of the unit.

I think that the problem is in the tach pickup lead. Since they only use a a 20k resistor as the filter, I would try some inductance as close to the controller as possible, an easy way, if you have extra lead, would be with Radio Shack 273-104 or if you don't mind soldering (or just wire nuts to try it) 273-102 in series with the tach lead.

You may actually need some resistance and capacitance to ground on the tach lead as a filter, that's why I'd like to see the AV circuit diagram.

Joe2Lmaker said:

I would like to know if McCruise encountered the same problems. On the other hand, I just did the conversion and $579.129 USD is too rich for my blood.

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Having a device with direct control of the throttle that's flaky in ANY way is my personal definition of unacceptable. If you require cruise control, you can spend the money to add a proper one, or buy a bike with cruise on it. I'm glad lots of folks are getting the AV unit to work on their bikes, more power to you. I simply wasn't comfortable with the risks. A few dollars mitigated (in my opinion) those risks.

I have the MC Cruise on my 07. Takes about 6 hours to install. All looks factory when done. Works perfectly. Got mine from Spoiledbiker.com. Also had one installed on my 05. Never any problems with either. Spoiledbiker also offers excellent support over the phone if there are any issues with install. Worth every penny.

If you have a Gen II FJR and want to have best odds of a functional cruise install and ~$600 or more doesn’t matter to you the MC unit is the way to go. The AVCC is inexpensive (as opposed to cheap) and when it works, it works quite well but there seems to be a high number of Gen II installs that fail when hot.

Zorlac said:

I'm guessing that AV doesn't provide any type of schematic of the unit.
I think that the problem is in the tach pickup lead. Since they only use a a 20k resistor as the filter, I would try some inductance as close to the controller as possible, an easy way, if you have extra lead, would be with Radio Shack 273-104 or if you don't mind soldering (or just wire nuts to try it) 273-102 in series with the tach lead.

You may actually need some resistance and capacitance to ground on the tach lead as a filter, that's why I'd like to see the AV circuit diagram.

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Some thoughts about the failing AVCC units:

Since the majority of the AVCC problems are reported as speed sag and not abrupt shut-off, that should rule out the brake circuit, power circuits and gross tach signal read errors.

I agree that the speed sag failure symptom is consistent with a coil signal read error. I had suggested that some intrepid soul use the magnetic pickup in place of the tach tap as a diagnostic tool. At least one person wrote back to say that with the magnetic pickup they still had the same failure when hot. I dunno, guess we have to assume they actually did the mag signal and they accurately reported the results. If the problem was resolved by substituting the tach signal with the magnetic pickup there could be a number of ways to resolve the problem. The first best way would be to build a ' non-retriggerable one-shot' circuit to buffer the tach signal, followed by modifications to the stock AVCC 'filter'.

I suggested that someone tee a vacuum gauge into the line going to the AVCC servo which another person says they did and the vacuum was adequate, though the vacuum levels they reported were not in the range I would have expected.

I suggested that someone try measuring the force needed to move the throttle bell-crank and see if some of the problem installs required higher than normal(?) force. No feed back on this one -- has anyone that's having a problem already released the throttle spring?

Since Smitty has done a ton of these installs I think it is safe to say that the installs were done essentially the same. Just to review, the dip switches were set for light vehicle, high power and correct number of cylinders? The servo unit itself is solidly anchored? The servo throttle cable is securely anchored close to the throttle bell-crank? The bell-crank attachment doesn't bind when heat expands the parts? If the control pad was sealed, is there a possibility that the Coast button is inadvertently being activated?

"At least one person wrote back to say that with the magnetic pickup they still had the same failure when hot. I dunno, guess we have to assume they actually did the mag signal and they accurately reported the results."

Who was that?

I'd like to know more.

I wouldn't think that the the bikes throttle tension would be greater than a car, but inadequate vacuum could be related.

Are people using an additional vacuum reservoir?

Please excuse my lack of history here, I'm late to this party but find it interesting.

Zorlac said:

"At least one person wrote back to say that with the magnetic pickup they still had the same failure when hot. I dunno, guess we have to assume they actually did the mag signal and they accurately reported the results."
Who was that?

I'd like to know more.

I wouldn't think that the the bikes throttle tension would be greater than a car, but inadequate vacuum could be related.

Are people using an additional vacuum reservoir?

Please excuse my lack of history here, I'm late to this party but find it interesting.

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By the miracle of the SEARCH function I found this thread. Plan to spend a while reading :lol: Straight to the magnetic pickup post >>CLICKY<<

Thanks Alan,

All this was before I even owned an FJR, so I think I can be clueless with impunity!

Reading Ross's post #54 seems to indicate that the servos will work for awhile and then peter out.

I'm not in the tach signal camp anymore.

I'm thinking that a test fixture with a function generator for the tach signal, and a fish scale and a vacuum pump connected to the the servo i/o ports and maybe the servo itself tossed into a thermal chamber might be in order. Just a simple low cost home test fixture.

Not sure why Gen II bikes would be worse though.

Maybe Ross should install the one that drops out into his car?

Check out the cruise from Rostra. It uses an electronic servo so you don't have to develop and mount the vacuum canister.

My question on cruise for bikes is.. If it's hooked up to the throttle don't you have to be careful not to bind up the unit with the hand grip?

I was thinking about this mod but still on the fence.

Well, there are those that say the MCcruise isn't worth it..

They are right...for them.

Me. I LOVE my MCCruise control. :yahoo: It works flawlessly and has won "The Single Best Farkle Award" for best performance by a leading farkle.

I use it ALL THE TIME. :clapping:

Whatever bike I may own in the future will have at least these two features:

1. ABS brakes

2. Real honest to god cruise control!!!!!

Last Chance

once you have it you it is hard to go without it. My other bikes have it and I sure miss it and the FJR. I had the Audiovox on my Concours and it worked excellent with never a problem, but the problems are putting me off on it for the FJR-nothing worse than a cruise that does not work right.

spalkin said:

Check out the cruise from Rostra. It uses an electronic servo so you don't have to develop and mount the vacuum canister.My question on cruise for bikes is.. If it's hooked up to the throttle don't you have to be careful not to bind up the unit with the hand grip?

I was thinking about this mod but still on the fence.

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That's why the cruise cable has a bead chain on the end of it, so it can go slack when the grip is used. Using the grip does not force the cruise cable at all.

As for AV issues, I put one of these on a 2004 Miata, and it was worthless. Never found the alleged speedometer signal, would not stay engaged with the tach signal (run for half a minute, disengage) and even the magnetic pickups worked for short periods only, like 5 to 10 minutes. I think I had a bad unit, but they wouldn't replace it. Almost turned me off of Audiovox completely.

I'd previously, about a hundred years ago, put one on a '75 Plymouth Fury, which it worked perfectly (the cruise was perfect, not the Plymouth.)

I've had zero issues with my AV on my GenI bike. The guy I bought it from has one on his '07, working fine. Seems like you just play the odds, if it doesn't work, sell it (or toss it, or put it one of your cages) and move up.

I'm on the fence about the MCruise because of the space it seems to take up under the seats. With a blue sea fuseblock, a few tools, etc. it is getting crowded under there, and I don't want to have to move things around.......for those that have it, can you give insights on space taken up by the unit and what space is left where?

Can't say about the mccruise units, but here is a working audiovox cruise on a Gen II that preserves the tool tray under the seat: a bit o work.