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Veefour Electronic Cruise Control, Installed And Tested


swimmer

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I've always used some sort of throttle lock on any motorcycle I've owned that was primarily ridden on the street. Living in the Western US long hauls on open roads are a matter of fact and being able to rest my right hand is a requirement. Except for bar end types of throttle locks I could never really get one to work on the VFR. After about 9 months of owning my 2012 VFR1200 which I bought new in October of 2014 and after making some suspension upgrades to the bike I realized how much I liked this motorcycle and knew I wanted to keep it for a long time and felt it worthwhile to invest in some sort of real cruise control as for me, it was the only feature lacking on an otherwise fantastic motorcycle.

I looked around a little and found the existing units available to be mostly lacking in one way or another or just really expensive. At this point though I was willing to spend almost whatever I needed in order to get a real cruise control.

At the end of last year I was steered towards Prez and the cruise control he was developing for the VFR1200 and VFR1200CT. I begged him to let me test one of the first units using the excuse that with year round riding weather here in Arizona I could start testing as soon as I got it.

Here is the link detailing the development of the CC.

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

OK, enough BS, I got my cruise control last week and immediately went to work on installing.

INSTALLATION

The install was, for me, a somewhat time consuming but straightforward task. Its time consuming because of the need to route the wiring harness and PCB enclosure in a way that is not noticeable. The job could be a lot easier if the wires were just run along the outside of the frame,etc... but to install it in a proper way just takes time. The two side fairings need to come off and the tank needs to be lifted and the airbox removed. Stuff we are probably experienced with but nonetheless its just time consuming. Then routing the wires and connecting everything. I would put the install time at somewhere around 6 hours taking your time. Others may be faster or slower.

The connectors supplied with the CC are all OEM, high quality pieces. At thee locations you need to intercept the existing connectors with the CC connectors, Everything fits together perfect. And then there are CC wires which need to be soldered to existing wires. This stuff is all explained in the manual and is easy to follow.

Here is a picture of the CC controller mounted on my motorcycle. Since I have my grip heater controller mounted to the screws where the CC is supposed to go I have the CC using only one of the existing screws for now. I will make a modification to bring the CC controller closer to my hand where it would normally go.

cc20mounted_zpszproxnsu.jpg

USING IT

As can be seen in the link thread there are 4 buttons (shared on two rocker switches). One for on/enable, one for setting and recalling memory, one for setting and increasing speed and one for reducing speed. There are two LEDs on the front. A green one for showing the CC is enabled and a red one for showing that the CC is actively controlling the speed. Both a dim when off and get bright when activated. I've ridden at night and the brightness both on and off is perfect.

When activated the CC holds speed very well. Over the mild hills and somewhat windy conditions I've ridden in since installing the CC I've only seen the speed vary +/- 1mph from the setting. As good or better than any auto CC I've used. Besides being able to rest your hand another nice benefit of CC that you might not think about much is suddenly being relieved of having to check your speed often when riding on long stretches of road. The CC has the normal increase and decrease the set speed by tapping on the bottom buttons. That works the same as it does on an auto. A very cool feature is the memory function. You can preset one memorized speed by holding down the memory button for several seconds while you have the CC engaged and to recall the memory you just set the CC at some speed, hit the memory button and the bike will accelerate or slow to that speed. Normally I have the memory set at 68mph. Its a very weird feeling to set the CC while doing 40mph, let go of the throttle, tap the memory button and have the bike accelerate by itself up to 68mph. It gets up to the the memorized speed quite quickly and you are certain the bike is going to overshoot the memorized speed but it doesn't. It works amazingly well. I've included a video link below (couldn't figure out how to embed) where I have the memory set to about 50mph. I engage the CC at about 40mph and you can watch the speed increase to the memorized setting.

https://vimeo.com/161865344

To disengage to CC tap the brakes or pull the clutch or, turn it off. Pulling the clutch causes a brief spike in revs so I prefer to tap the brakes or turn it off. I hope to make another video this weekend which shows the decel and accel functions but those are pretty standard. The CC functions in every gear except 1st. And, it's actually possible to change gears while keeping your speed set if you do it quickly.

Overall I don't really see how the CC could work any better. Prez did a fantastic job. I am looking forward to my next long trip on the open roads.

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Not really required over here but nice job. :beer:

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Very nice, is there a way to purchase yet?

I am not sure of the status of the order queue but maybe his is making a list of those interested. Info is in that thread I linked I think.

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Why don't you mount both units (CC and Oxford switches) next to each other on a small shaped aluminum plate. This way you can have a very professional look of your bike.

Some aluminum, a file and some small DIY tools can do wonders to the look of your bike...

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Why don't you mount both units (CC and Oxford switches) next to each other on a small shaped aluminum plate. This way you can have a very professional look of your bike.Some aluminum, a file and some small DIY tools can do wonders to the look of your bike...

Like I said previously, I intend modify the mount.

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What are we looking at for $$$? Of course that will dictate who might purchase. The unit does like nicely done!

I think in that linked thread he states the price will be $450EU.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/10/2016 at 6:02 PM, veeefour said:

If anyone is interested I have a "used FULL kit for F model/under tank mount" for sale. It has some scratches - comes with normal warranty.

300€ plus shipping.

 

2 hours ago, Freddo said:

I have sent you an email Prez

Sold!

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I did my first longish ride on Wednesday since installing the cruise control. A 4hr ride.  So long enough for me that my right hand/wrist would have been feeling tired by the end of it. Having the cruise control was fantastic.  Lots of open, rolling terrain.  Really made the ride more enjoyable being able to just watch the road and the scenery without feeling need to monitor/adjust my speed.

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If I wasn't dumping all my money into my track bike and track days I would have one of these.  I did a LONG ride yesterday as well and as my wrist started getting sore, I started using my throttle lock (and constantly adjusted that for speed).  I was wishing I had the cruise control once I got back to the slab.  On the curvy roads, I just followed a Camero with a plate that read '1FASTV8'... Needless to say, he set a good pace and made a cop/oncoming traffic buffer.

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17 hours ago, crakerjac said:

If I wasn't dumping all my money into my track bike and track days I would have one of these.  I did a LONG ride yesterday as well and as my wrist started getting sore, I started using my throttle lock (and constantly adjusted that for speed).  I was wishing I had the cruise control once I got back to the slab.  On the curvy roads, I just followed a Camero with a plate that read '1FASTV8'... Needless to say, he set a good pace and made a cop/oncoming traffic buffer.

 

 

Start dumping your money if VFR as well - I wont mind :cool:

 

ANNOUNCEMENT for Crosstourer users(if any here?):

I will have one of my test harnesses(FULL version) returning form the customer soon, who have chosen the other module location as he cant remove the EVAP
tank so I ended with making a custom harness for him.

So, slightly used FULL Crosstourer kit up to sell for 300 EU plus shipping(around 20 EU depending on location). Interested? Email me directly: 
veeefour.ecc@gmail.com

 

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The last 3 days have been the best riding on my VFR ever!  1300 k’s have rolled under the wheels. 

I have fitted Prez’s ECC (lite version) how the hell did I ever own a motorcycle without it.  I just fell in love with this bike all over again.  Man this thing is a keeper.  :cheerleader:

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