Electronic Cruise Control

[JED13]

I just received a notice from the Yamaha FJ-09 forum that they are taking advance orders for an all electronic cruise control made by Brandon Industries and being sold under the "Smart Line AP 900c" label. The cost of the module is $324 and they say it takes about 2 hrs to install. It looks be a nice clean installation (4 wires). The company needs 30 advance orders to go into production.

It would seem that they would be capable of making a similar product for the big VFR. Both bikes have similar electronic packages - Ride by Wire, traction control, etc...

I have inquired as to whether they have a similar application for the VFR 1200. Has anyone ever encountered this company and its products? Would there enough interest among VFR owners?

www.cruizin.net/

[FlamingT]

Sounds good and would be interested to see what their response to your enquiry is.

[veeefour]

Another cruise control project was done already:

[swimmer]

I've been in contact with the maker of the cruise control shown in the video for the last few months. He's made some changes to the design and is finalizing the testing. From what I have seen and have been told it looks like a well done kit. I am very hopeful to have mine in the next few weeks.

[Marsman99]

Sounds good and would be interested to see what their response to your enquiry is.

+1 on this.

I've been in contact with the maker of the cruise control shown in the video for the last few months. He's made some changes to the design and is finalizing the testing. From what I have seen and have been told it looks like a well done kit. I am very hopeful to have mine in the next few weeks.

The unit in the video looks nice as well, except it looks like it mounts where the DCT shift assembly is located. Any more info available on this unit?

[veeefour]

http://www.bikersoracle.com/vfr/forum/showthread.php?t=130536

[Marsman99]

http://www.bikersoracle.com/vfr/forum/showthread.php?t=130536

Thanks. Wondered what happened to Satariel666 on this forum. He's built a nice system, and I'll contact him about it.

[EhViffer]

I'll contact Satariel666 as well. My McCruise Cruise control failed toward the end of last summer's riding season (leaving me with no cruise from BC to Ontario - sucked!) I was wondering what to do next but this looks like it - no more vacuum pump.

[CandyRedRC46]

If you 1200 guys put together a group buy for the rapid bike module, like us 800 guys did last year, the rapid bike has a optional cruise control feature.

http://www.dimsport.it/en/rapidbike/youtune

[crakerjac]

[weven]

yes I am in....................

[BiKenG]

If you 1200 guys put together a group buy for the rapid bike module, like us 800 guys did last year, the rapid bike has a optional cruise control feature.

http://www.dimsport.it/en/rapidbike/youtune

I pondered about that, but can think of no way that they can actually do this, without additional connections to the TCP Sensor which the RB module doesn't seem to have. Also they provide no information about how you would control it. Seems less than half baked to me.

But I'd really like to know more about this, so if anyone has any more info, please shout.

[CandyRedRC46]

http://www.dimsport.it/en/rapidbike/racing/

It works in conjunction with the rapid bike racing module, which I have on my 800. Trust me, it is far from half baked.


I also have the youtune module as well, which works flawlessly. Unfortunately, the 800s do not have ride by wire, so I miss out on the cruise control feature, but everything else works amazing.

[BiKenG]

http://www.dimsport.it/en/rapidbike/racing/

It works in conjunction with the rapid bike racing module, which I have on my 800. Trust me, it is far from half baked.

I also have the youtune module as well, which works flawlessly. Unfortunately, the 800s do not have ride by wire, so I miss out on the cruise control feature, but everything else works amazing.

So you have this in a VFR1200? How does it control the speed? I couldn't find anything about this on their website. Nothing at all in fact about this apparent feature.

[CandyRedRC46]

If you 1200 guys put together a group buy for the rapid bike module, like us 800 guys did last year, the rapid bike has a optional cruise control feature.

http://www.dimsport.it/en/rapidbike/youtune

http://www.dimsport.it/en/rapidbike/racing/

It works in conjunction with the rapid bike racing module, which I have on my 800. Trust me, it is far from half baked.

I also have the youtune module as well, which works flawlessly. Unfortunately, the 800s do not have ride by wire, so I miss out on the cruise control feature, but everything else works amazing.

So you have this in a VFR1200? How does it control the speed? I couldn't find anything about this on their website. Nothing at all in fact about this apparent feature.

[CandyRedRC46]

So one more time. I have a 2007 VFR800. I put together a group buy for Rapid Bike Racing products for the VFR800 in the summer of 2014. Dimsport, which is the manufacturer for Rapid Bike Racing products, said,

"If you get 10 people that are committed to buying, we will manufacture everything for the VFR800."

We actually wound up with over 25 orders and the Rapid Bike products were released for the VFR800's.

I actually have all of the Rapid Bike Racing products on my VFR800 and it has been great.

This is taken directly from the link I sent you:

YouTune is the new handlebar mounted controller putting a technological revolution in your hands. A compact and innovative calibration device allowing to customize your bike’s performance in real time, whether you are on the street or on a race track.

To be purchased as a separate accessory for installation with Rapid Bike EVO and Rapid Bike RACING modules.

• Modifying target of AIR/FUEL RATIO PARAMETERfor auto-remapping fuel adjustments. Displaying air/fuel ratio value and changing its target in real time (with My Tuning Bike installed)

• Fine tune modulation of QUICK-SHIFTING kill time

• DISPLAYING THE MAIN ENGINE PARAMETERS: RPM, TPS, AFR, OEM Lambda Status, Gear – also TC and EB operating.
• RPM/SPEED CONTROL "Activation to maintain constant cruising, a very useful tool to drive comfortably even in traffic jams, areas with speed-traps cameras, etc"
• Modulation of ENGINE BRAKING (now available also for Rapid Bike EVO)
• TRACTION CONTROL* activation and fine tuning modulation of its effectiveness
• LAUNCH CONTROL* activation and management to enable and modulate settings for a 'flying start'

[CandyRedRC46]

The way that the Rapid Bike Racing module works is similar to power commander and bazzaz, but a little more sophisticated. The module plugs into the wiring harness just the same as a pc or bazzaz does to interpret and modify the throttle position sensor output as well as the fuel injector duty cycle, but it also intercepts the crank position sensor, so it is able to get a much more accurate reading of crank position and RPM, which allows for ignition timing adjustability and an overall more precise tuning capability.

Where the cruise control comes into play or as Dimsport calls it "RPM/Speed Control", when you add the Youtune module/display to either a Rapid Bike Racing or Evo module, the Youtune module is able to interpret and modify the throttle position of the factory ride by wire system and therefore maintain or modify rpm and consequently speed.

So back to what I was saying, Dimsport already offers the Rapid Bike Easy module for the VFR1200, so I am sure it would not be very difficult for them to manufacture the Rapid Bike Evo and Racing modules for you guys as well. I would bet if you VFR1200 owners got a group of 10 people together to commit to buy, they would release the Rapid Bike Racing and Evo systems for you guys.

[Marsman99]

I'm in. Tired of the throttle lock, want ECC. Been looking at the decat/DAM/PCV mods as my spring project. I read the thread on the Rapid Bike unit and it looks like I can kill two birds, with a few other benefits.

Anyone else?

[ca315]

Why don't you just buy a McCruise? Comes with all of the VFR800 parts of the shelf. Specifically designed for a bike. You get what you pay for.

http://www.mccruise.com/collections/honda/products/honda-vfr800f-fd-from-2014-new-product-featuring-our-compact-electric-servo

Only mod I made was a couple of remote LEDs on the dash to indicate it was turned on and set. You can see them in the photo to the top left of the speedo.

[BiKenG]

Ok, first of all, CandyRedRC46, I can and did read all that I could find before you ever mentioned the Dimsport products in relation to this thread. In particular I was interested in that exact feature you mention, but I could find no information about it on their site or anywhere else. It is one thing to claim they can control RPM/speed, but quite another to actually take control of the TCP Sensor signal to the main ECU and hence be able to act as a Cruise Control. Another concern being that a CC requires very easy control to set and modify speed and to cancel, as I'm sure you understand. But again, I could find no information about how Dimsport intend this to be done. Where are the additional button sets etc?

All in all, it looked very half baked, just a wild claim of what they say it can do with NO further information to back that up and/or explain how they propose this is actually done. I'm not knocking the Dimsport product as the RB module looks very good. Yes I read the 'Group Buy' thread some time ago, from start to finish as I like to be fully informed. I intend to try and use an RBR on my 800 project and have identified a supplier in the UK (conveniently an existing supplier I use) since the 'Group buy' option has long since expired.

Having said that I am of course fully conversant with the fact that the 800 is NOT RBW and so electronic CC is irrelevant in this case. But it may well be an option for the 1200 - if I can establish it really is CC and not something basic that they for example use as a 'pit-lane limiter'. Your previous posts implied you were already using it for CC function, which implied usage on a 1200. I now realise that in fact you were simply referring to Dimsport's incomplete and inadequate information.

I am however very keen to find out more about this, although Prez on the VFRWorld forum (was he Satariel here?) is well advanced in developing a dedicated CC for the 1200. I currently have a PCV on the 1200 and it certainly has no CC functionality. But the idea of perhaps a single module for fuelling AND CC is very attractive, but we'd need to encourage Dimsport to increase the range of their VFR1200 offerings.

In the meantime, if anyone does have any REAL information about this function in the Dimsport products, I would be very keen to hear.

[BiKenG]

Why don't you just buy a McCruise? Comes with all of the VFR800 parts of the shelf. Specifically designed for a bike....

But this thread is about ELECTRONIC CC on a VFR1200. The McCruise has to use a mechanical actuator and that's not what the 1200 needs. I'm sure McC has an offer for the 1200, but it just involves strapping all that unnecessary mechanical garbage on top of your engine. Manufacturers of mechanical systems just want you to buy their existing product. Many claiming there's a mechanical link between the twistgrip and the butterflies in the VFR1200 which is nonsense and shows a lack of understanding of the machine they are claiming to support, or they're lying just to flog their inferior product. Neither of which encourages me to try their product.

The OP mentions an electronic product that is based on the exact same car unit (nothing wrong with that) as I have been working on. It's a good unit and would work well, but needs some additional work with wiring and button controls etc.

However, Satariel666 has a new electronic CC, purpose designed for the VFR1200, about to come to market and I would recommend everyone looks to him for supply as he's got it all.

Except for the possible Dimsport option, but I don't know enough about that yet.

[dawson]

The link that CCRC46 posted has a button that opens the user manual for the YouTune. The module has three buttons on it, Mode, + and -. Pressing the - button for 2 seconds when it's in rpm mode will hold the RPM at its current value. Once activated, + and - will adjust the RPM up and down in 100 rpm increments. RPM hold is cancelled by pressing Mode, holding - for two seconds or opening the throttle wide open. Oddly, it says the last option is not for bikes with ride-by-wire.

Note that this device regulates rpm, not speed, making it more like a throttle lock than a true closed loop cruise control. However, chances are your main reason for purchasing a RB module is tuning rather than cruise control, so it's a nice extra.

[BiKenG]

Looking further at the Dimsport info and they do refer to it as constant RPM which is not necessarily the same as constant speed. In any one gear it is, but across different gears, it is certainly not the same. However, the information is very limited and keeps switching to Italian so it's impossible to establish what this feature really means.

Also, the rather simplistic wiring schematic doesn't help, in fact it rather implies they cannot do what they claim. It shows a parallel connection to the TPS, but this is NOT what determines the speed (at least on the VFR1200). The TPS is what the ECU uses to monitor the position of the butterflies. It is the Throttle Control Position Sensor that is controlled by the twistgrip and is read by the ECU, telling it what the desired throttle position is. IOW what speed/power the rider wants. It is the connection between the TCPS and ECU that a CC needs to interrupt and take control of the signal that goes to the ECU and tell it a virtual twistgrip position appropriate to maintain the desired speed, as being monitored by the CC electronics. VFR or not, it is this signal that any CC needs to control, eliminating the real twistgrip position signal and the problem I have with Dimsport's RB product is it makes NO mention of this, no TCPS, no twistgrip position, nothing.

So how does it control the speed/rpm? Fuel mixture/quantity, ignition? Neither of these are suitable for a true CC. Which makes me think this is not intended as a full CC, but rather some more limited and basic speed control. Does it have all the software routines to completely control the vehicle speed safely, e.g. with immediate cancellation due to any use of the brakes or clutch? Where are the connections for the set of buttons that will most definitely be required to set and control any such feature?

I would love to find out that a single module could control fuelling AND provide full CC functionality, but with the limited information at my disposal, it doesn't look like the Dimsport RB can do this. More and better information may prove me wrong and I would welcome that, but right now, I doubt it.

Having said all the above, if one is planning to fit a Dimsport RB to an 800, then any form of simplistic speed/rpm control would be a real bonus as full electronic CC is otherwise impossible, unless the latest bikes are RBW which I don't know. It certainly makes the RBR even more desirable for my 800 project.

But as a full CC for a 1200 it is looking unlikely.

[Marsman99]

Does it have all the software routines to completely control the vehicle speed safely, e.g. with immediate cancellation due to any use of the brakes or clutch?

Bingo. Without these override provisions it would be quite unsafe for CC. Still like the unit as a fuel controller because it allows the use of the OEM O2 sensors...I have reasons why I prefer this. However, I emailed the US source (Cycle Pro) and Yaman confirmed only the Easy unit is available for the 1200 and no plans were afoot to offer more. He hasn't yet responded to my further inquiry about a group buy to encourage them to make the EVO or Race versions, and more detail on how the RPM/Speed control function actually works.

Prez's (Satariel666 here) unit looks well thought out as a true ECC and would mount cleanly in 1200 specific locations, but last thread I saw is he had some software updates he wanted to test

[BiKenG]

Yes Prez is not yet quite ready, but not long I think. Worth waiting for.