Free Cruise Contro!! You guys won't believe this!!

[Chris]

Here is the free cruise control! And it works surprisingly well. The problem with a throttle lock is it dosEn't release the throttle quickly when you need it to. But this rubber band (may take two) just barely holds the throttle in place. So you can easily cut back the throttle when you need to. Often I just leave the rubber bands on while I am dealing with the throttle and, when back on the open road, take my right hand off the throttle.
Got back yesterday from a motorcycle camping trip to the ocean on the Georgia coast. Four days, 900 miles. Great trip, but I don't want to do it again any time soon. Would have been better to bike down and stay in a motel.
I'll put up another post on that trip.
Chris
http://www.postimage.org/Pq1rNSdS.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1rNSdS)

[alanmcorcoran]

Chris, you may not have seen it but Easy's O-ring, while not perhaps free, certainly cheap, is both functionally and esthetically superior to your office supply based approach. Check out his mods under mods.

[Chris]

Hi, Alan,
You've got a problem with my rubber bands??? OK, perhaps a bit redneck. I just used what I had and it works well.
You mentioned age: how long in the tooth are you? I just got on Social Security, but the bike dosen't seem to know it.

Chris, retired guy in Atlanta

[primal]

Alan, Chris's solution isn't without its advantages. For instance, its easier to disengage in an emergency that Easy's (or so I would imagine). It would also be easier to engage while riding since you can reach over with your left hand to engage it.

Chris, I bet some black rubber bands would be more aesthetically pleasing. ;)

[Sarris]

This is the one I have on my GZ. It isn't free (or cheap) but it works really well .

Cruise Control (http://www.brakeawayproducts.com/appguide-5CP02.html)

:chop:

[alanmcorcoran]

Sorry guys, but I think Easy's is easier to work as well. But I've I got no problem with rubber bands. I'd say that is the big advantage of yours Chris - I have lots of rubber bands around the house and probably no spare O rings.

One of my best bicycle "mods" was a rubber band/mini binder clip GPS system. Just stick your little printed route sheet in there and you are good to go. A 100% office supply based innovation. Go Staples!

Chris, I guess I am a youngster compared to you (just 50.) But I aspire to do the kinds of rides you are knocking out. I bought the bike to work my way up to touring, so I'd have a good excuse to get out of the house for indefinite periods of time when I retired. Last time a did a little camping was a couple of years ago in Yosemite with the oldest who is quite "outdoorsy." I enjoyed most of it but the sleeping part. I basically need something that closely resembles a bed, preferably one with a high end mattress. Probably can't fit that on the back of the GZ, even with that plywood luggage rack I seen.

[Magnar Infectus]

If you go with the Rubber band method, remember to change them out once in a while. Rubber bands start to get brittle after a while and break. You wouldn't want them breaking while you were driving. It probably wouldn't cause a crash, but might make you soil your shorts.

[Badbob]

I bought the bike to work my way up to touring,

No need to work up to touring. You can tour on a GZ250.

[gzrider]

why couldnt u tour? people always go north america to south america on 250 enduros.

[Easy Rider]

Sorry guys, but I think Easy's is easier to work as well. But I've I got no problem with rubber bands.

Well, let's just play-like for a minute that I did NOT post the O-ring idea.......as in, I am not trying to defend it, necessarily, OK ??

I see two things potentially wrong with the rubber band.

It looks to be fairly easy to snag your hand in it and dis-engage it.....or worse, put tension on one side or the other and NOT disengage it, causing unexpected throttle movement.

Secondly, for it to work, the throttle must slip inside the bands, so that the only remaining pressure causes the throttle to "bind". If the bands do NOT slip where they go around the throttle but instead stick to it a bit......then it might tend to snap closed .....or worse, move toward the open position when you don't want it to.

AND once again, with the O-ring, one does NOT need to disengage it; you simply move the throttle where you want it and it stays there. If you are coming to a stop or reaching for the front brake in a panic situation, you close the throttle .......and it stays there.
The only time you need to disengage it is when putting around town. It does give shifting a different feel. I is possible to get used to the feel and leave it on all the time.......but that is NOT recommended.

[Water Warrior 2]

The o-ring is a friction device only. It will hold the throttle at a given opening and can be over ridden by closing the throttle will very little effort. Much safer than an elastic band which will try to open the throttle after you close it. The amount of friction can be adjusted with slight repositioning of the bar end IIRC.

[Badbob]

This all seems very dangerous to me.

Besides the safety issue, I can't imagine this being very useful any where except a flat straight road with no wind or traffic. I can't think of a single instance in 27,000 miles where I did not need to adjust the throttle for any distance.

It certainly isn't a cruise control. Its more like a sticky throttle.

[Easy Rider]

It certainly isn't a cruise control. Its more like a sticky throttle.

It is exactly that. :)

Being in northern Florida, you can't get much of anyplace without going through mountains, or hills or whatever you call roads that are crooked and not flat.

Those of us that live in or near the "great plains", however, can set our "sticky throttle" on 60 mph and cruise litterally for HOURS without touching it except for a slight creep toward the closed position.

And, finally, except for the Goldwings and a few select other large touring bikes, ALL of the devices advertised as a "cruise control" are really just sticky throttles; many taking more conscious effort to "disengage" than a simple friction ring.

[alanmcorcoran]

I think Sarris posted a link to a "real" CC. Does that one popoff if you squeeze the brake?

[Badbob]

Being in northern Florida, you can't get much of anyplace without going through mountains, or hills or whatever you call roads that are crooked and not flat.

Doesn't sound like you have been to North Florida. It's not flat here in Tallahassee but there are only teeny little hills and nothing that I would consider twisty. Just a few miles in just about any direction from Tallahassee and it is nearly flat. It's about 400 miles to any where that has a mountain or a road that you could call twisty. People who live in the mountains would probably consider this area flat. Florida roads have curves to get around the swamps, marshland and sink holes. I have never seen anything in Florida call a mountain but there might be. Developers give crazy names to things.

Your right the road would need to be nearly dead flat and the weather conditions near perfect for this to work. However, I still would not do it. If an armadillo should suddenly or some other road hazard should suddenly appear in the road I would not want to add even a microsecond to the time it takes to stop or slow enough to avoid it. At 60 mph you will travel 86.8 feet per second. If it takes you half a second to disengage or otherwise back off the throttle you have increased you stopping distance by 43.4 feet. And what happens if you panic and forget.

I don't like any of the commercial versions for the same reason although you could argue that they work better.

[Easy Rider]

Your right the road would need to be nearly dead flat and the weather conditions near perfect for this to work.

And what happens if you panic and forget.



Well, like my mis-characterization of N. Florida roads, it's pretty obvious to me that you have never tried to ride a bike with a throttle "drag" on it. Up until about 1970, that was a standard feature on lots of models.

Even on a GZ, the roads do NOT have to be perfectly flat and straight for it to "work".......unless maybe there is a big truck riding your ass.

So now we know you don't like the idea and that lots of other people DO. Different strokes and all that.

Panic and "forget" to roll the throttle closed when I want to stop.....WHAT ?? :??:
Maybe I would panic and forget that I have brakes too!! :biggrin:

[Badbob]

it's pretty obvious to me that you have never tried to ride a bike with a throttle "drag" on it. Up until about 1970, that was a standard feature on lots of models.

You right about that. I'm going to ride with one either. I would not wedge something under the gas pedal in my truck either.

Maybe I would panic and forget that I have brakes too!! :biggrin:

More likely that some one would forget that they are not driving a car that has computer controlled brakes and grab a fist full of front brake or stomp the rear brake skid and crash. Although I'm sure someone has for got to put their brakes on. After all its not to hard to find someone who forgot to put their kickstand down and dismounted.

I rode a motorcycle once that didn't have a foot brake or a shifter. Both levers were brakes. In spite of being told about this I hit the ground the first time I tried to stop. My body just did what it had been trained to do pull in the clutch when you stop. The wheel locked and down I went. With one of these you might just forget its there. Yes you could train yourself to use it perfectly but it will still increase your stopping distance a little. I'm not willing to give up a foot.

I know several people who use throttle locks and the like and like them. I also know some that bought motorcycles equipped with one and removed it for the same reason I don't like them.

I'm probably beating a dead horse, but I just felt like someone should point out the trade off. I'll shut ups and go away now.

[alanmcorcoran]

Badbob! Don't go away! We missed you terribly when you went quiet.

My two cents? I have cruise control in both my (4 wheeled) vehicles and never use it either of them. Of course, I haven't done more than 150 miles in a day on the GZ yet, and Chris just knocked out a 900 miler, so maybe I'll change my tune.

[Badbob]

Badbob! Don't go away! We missed you terribly when you went quiet.

Not going away literally. Just not going to discuss this topic any more.

[Easy Rider]

you guys do have a copy, don't you ?

Sure we ALL do......NOT! How about a short summary ??

[Easy Rider]

The GZ test was a comparison of fuel efficient motorcycles.

That part IS available online. I couldn't find the other one either; maybe copywrite of a single author.

[jonathan180iq]

In every review I have ever read, the Gz is always knocked for being low on power but is always given props for looking like a bigger bike and handling well.

[alantf]

Many, many years ago, when I first started riding, bikes weren't fitted with indicators. You had to take your hand off the throttle, & stick your arm out, to signal your turns. So what happened? The throttle closed? No - bikes were fitted with a liitle screw on the throttle, to adjust the friction & keep them open. This meant that every movement of the throttle had to be done manually. We never had problems with this. I think that it's just a matter of remembering that you've made a D.I.Y. throttle lock.

Incidentally, other things we never had were :-
Multivalve engines
5 speed gearboxes
electric starters
Brake light switches on the front brake
Engine cutouts on the side stand
Disc brakes
Mirrors
Neutral indicators
Automatic petcocks
Plus a few other things that I can't remember, but that we didn't know were "missing" in those days. We didn't really have very good wet weather gear either, so come on guys, a throttle that must be manually closed can't be such a big deal, can it?

[Easy Rider]

I want to be able to hit 75-80 mph on the highway without getting into the fetal position over the tank.



Good luck. Overall reports would tend to indicate that is NOT going to happen. You might be able to "hit" 80 once in a while but highly doubtful that you will be able to maintain it.......unless you are drafting a van or big truck. And then there is the strain on the engine at continuous high speeds........

The Kaw Ninja is the only 250 that will maintain that kind of speed.......if you can stand the whine above 10K rpm's. !! :)

[Easy Rider]

Brake light switches on the front brake

so come on guys, a throttle that must be manually closed can't be such a big deal, can it?

Front brake ???? What's a front brake ? :??: :biggrin:

These new riders are such wussys. :poked: :cool: