Rostra Electronic Cruise Control Install Instructions

[larolco]

I recently installed the Rostra “Global Cruise” electronic cruise control system on my ‘06 DL1000. It works great, and for anyone else who’s interested, here’s the rundown. I warn you now; it’s lengthy and detailed, and I am in no way a professional cruise control system installer, so take this for what it’s worth. Refer to the pictures if my words confuse you. PM me with your e-mail if you'd like me to send you higher resolution photos. The instructions continue through three posts.

General Info:

First, have a look at this link where Roy Bertalotto discusses his installation on a DL650. It’s where I first got the idea to go the electronic route rather than the common Audiovox vacuum route: http://11109.rapidforum.com/topic=109768999276 (http://11109.rapidforum.com/topic=109768999276)

Then have a look at his detailed write-up of the installation of the Audiovox system on a DL650. It’s a very similar process to installing the Rostra system (apparently, Rostra makes the Audiovox system), except you can ignore all the vacuum stuff and there are a couple of slight wiring differences mainly to do with wire colours: http://www.rvbprecision.com/articles/24/motorcycle_electronic_cruise_control (http://www.rvbprecision.com/articles/24/motorcycle_electronic_cruise_control)
That should give you an idea of what you’re up against.

I tried to purchase the unit in Canada, but the only place I could find it wanted over $400 for the cruise unit and switch. I ended up buying it online from Brandon Distributing for $203 USD and having it shipped to the border. I declared it and brought it across without paying anything more, duty or taxes.

This is the cruise control #250-1223: http://www.brandondist.com/products/cruise1223.htm (http://www.brandondist.com/products/cruise1223.htm)
This is the switch I used (same as Roy) #250-3592: http://www.brandondist.com/products/Univ_switches.htm (http://www.brandondist.com/products/Univ_switches.htm)

Disassembly:

First you’ll have to tear down the bike, taking the plastic side fairing pieces off in order to get access. You also have to remove the gas tank and the airbox. For the installation I did, you must also remove the throttle bodies in order to drill a hole and tap some threads into the throttle body bracket. Others have got away without doing this, but I thought it made for a cleaner installation (I connected to the front cylinder throttle linkage rather than the rear, which it seems most others have done). More on that later.

Installation:

Then you will have to decide where to locate the main cruise unit and the control switch. I mounted the switch off the left mirror stalk, to the left and ahead of the mirror, above the flash to pass lever, which allows me to use my left thumb to operate the system without removing my hand from the grip. I made a bracket out of a piece of scrap aluminium angle and cut the stalks off of the back of the switch and just used Goop to stick it to the aluminum. To make the switch watertight, I used Goop to seal around the switch casing and the grommet I used to hold the wires. When I get around to it, I will paint it black.I was able to fit the main box into the right-side rear panel, just behind the rear brake reservoir. Roy Bertalotto says it won’t fit there, but it does. It is a tight squeeze, though, and I did file down the box a very little bit where it rests against a weld on the frame rail. I also filed down the weld on the little bracket that is attached to the frame rail (I guess it's for locking helmets onto …). I zap strapped the box to the frame. This way, you don’t have to give up any under-the-seat storage.

continued...

[larolco]

You will have to decide which connectors you want to use to attach to the throttle linkage. Initially, I tried connecting to the rear cylinder linkage, but found the clearance under the gas tank to be too limiting to get a good pull angle with the cruise cable. Instead, I fed the cable past the rear throttle linkage and along the throttle body bracket to the front cylinder linkage. The rod linking the rear and front throttle bodies pops off easily and you just slip a connector onto the pin and replace the rod. I used the connector labelled G7 in the kit and crimped a length of bead chain onto it. The bead chain connects to the cruise cable. (Note: the bits and pieces that come with the Rostra electronic cruise are not the same as the bits and pieces that come with the Audiovox CC100 and you hardly use any of them. They just provide you with a lot of options.)

It is important to leave a little slack in the cruise cable. The manual outlines how to determine how much - works out to leaving one extra bead on the bead chain. Initially, I thought I had left enough slack, but after a bit of riding, I found that the cruise cable was keeping the bike from idling right down. Test this carefully before putting the fairing back on, or you’ll end up taking it all back off again.

I used three clamps to fix the cable to the bike. They are labelled G11 and G12 in the kit. One of them is threaded and, after making threads on the end of the cable by using a nut provided in the kit, you thread the clamp onto the cable. This clamp must be affixed to the throttle body bracket and you’ll have to drill a hole for this. I used a screw I had in stock and drilled a hole and tapped threads to match the screw. If you put enough threads on the cable, you’ll have some adjustment to position the end of the cable and to play with the cable slack. I used an existing throttle body bracket screw to attach the next cable clamp and I used a piece of one of the supplied kit brackets to attach the cable with a third clamp. (Thanks to Vstromper for the bolt size to attach the bracket to the rear cylinder head - 10x1.25.20) See page three of link for his photos: http://www.stromtrooper.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24666&page=3 (http://www.stromtrooper.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24666&page=3)

continued...

[larolco]

Wiring:

Next comes the wiring, which for me, was the intimidating part. I am no electrician. When you pull that cruise unit out of the box and see all that wire, be assured, you’re not going to use it all, and it’s not that difficult to figure out, especially if you use the schematic supplied in the manual. If you look carefully, they even print on the wires what each is for. At this point, I would recommend reading the manual thoroughly so you know the principle behind what you’re about to do. I would also recommend throwing away all the quick connectors supplied in the kit. Instead, solder all the connections and use shrink wrap and electrical tape. I used two of those quick connects and neither of them worked well. I ended up removing them and soldering instead. I also cut off the harness connectors, which are really only there to help you feed wire through a car’s firewall.

You have to locate a few wires on the bike so you can tap into them.

The first is the brake circuit, hot and cold. The red wire off of the main cruise unit (with 4-amp inline fuse) connects to the orange wire you will find paired with a black-with-white-stripe wire in a connector just in front of the battery. The violet wire from the main cruise unit connects to the black and white wire in the same connector. This circuit tells the system if you have activated a brake, which will cancel the cruise.

Next is the blue tachometer wire in the main cruise unit. It connects to a brown wire with a black stripe which you can find on the left side of the bike in the huge connector between the chassis and the headlamp/dash assembly. It’s the one with the big rubbery plastic cover over it. This circuit tells the cruise if the bike is over-revving (you can set the limit with the dipswitches), if you have pulled in the clutch for example, and cancels the cruise.

Then comes the vehicle speed sensor. The grey wire from the main cruise unit connects to pink-with-white-stripe wire in the same big connector as the tach wire. This circuit tells the system how fast the bike is travelling so it knows to give it more or less throttle to maintain speed.

The grounding is straightforward. If it’s black, it goes to the negative battery post. Do not ground to the frame; bad things will happen.

The power supply wire colours are different with the Rostra than they are with the Audiovox. DO NOT follow Roy Bertalotto’s Audiovox wiring for this circuit. On the Audiovox it is the Orange wire from the cruise unit and the grey wire from the switch. However, on the Rostra, connect the BROWN wire from the cruise unit (with 10-amp inline fuse) and the WHITE wire from the switch to a switched 12V source. I used the headlight circuit, which is the yellow and white wire found in the big yellow connector behind the radiator. (Initially, I had used the black and blue wire from the headlight socket, but on my first night ride, I found that turning on the high beams killed the power. Oddly, the flash to pass switch didn't kill it, which was how I tested it when I was wiring.)

For the particular switch I am using, which has two LEDs showing power and engagement, you must connect the pink switch wire to something. The little piece of paper that comes with the switch tells you to connect it to the pink wire from the main cruise unit, BUT THERE IS NO PINK WIRE TO BE FOUND ON THE CRUISE UNIT. As best as I can tell, the wire you want is orange and is buried way back near the main box. You might have to cut open the tape to find it. However, my engagement light is not working, though the “power on” light is. A small annoyance yet to be rectified. Ideas??

The yellow wire from the switch goes to the yellow wire from the main unit (resume/accel).

The dark green wire from the switch goes to the dark green wire from the main unit (set/coast).

The brown wire from the switch goes to the red/brown wire from the main unit (brake positive).

The red wire from the switch goes to the 4 amp fused wire attached to the bike’s orange brake wire (see brake circuit wiring above).

Wires not needed:

The blue and grey wires from the switch you can ignore. They are not needed.

From the main unit, you can ignore the light green wire, which is for a neutral safety switch. Unless you have an automatic transmission, this circuit is redundant.

There is also a connector with a black and a light blue wire which is not used for the type of switch employed here.

And there is a grey and black wire paired together that are not used here. They are for vehicles that do not have a digital speed display and require an additional magnet system to generate a digital speed signal.

Dipswitches:

Now for the dipswitches, which are found under the rubber grommet on the main cruise unit. There are 12 of them and the manual explains what they are for. Here’s how I set mine:

1 Off
2 Off Gain is set to extra low (wild ride on High - try it for fun)
3 Off
4 On
5 Off
6 On Pulses/Kilometre set to 6000 - sets the RPM at which the cruise cancels
7 On
8 Off
9 Off Engine/Setup Timer - didn’t notice much difference here - set to 4-cylinder low
10 On VSS source - Square wave input
11 Off Transmission - Manual
12 Off Control Switch - Open circuit

I suspect how much slack you have built into the cruise cable will affect the gain setting, since it has to pull a bit to take up the slack. I have quite a bit of slack built into mine after some initial throttle problems. Next time I have the bike apart, I might take a little bit of slack out, or step the gain back up. Right now, it takes a couple of seconds for the cruise to engage after I let off the throttle.

Testing:

Before you fire the bike up, use the test procedure outlined in the manual. It works really well. There is an indicator LED in there; it’s just hard to see until it lights up.

Good luck. And if you screw this up, it’s not my fault.

[mattyg]

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Now I just gotta go order the thing.

[rbertalotto]

WOW! Excellent write up!

I never did get my "engaged" light to work either. I think it's unnecessary and I'd order the controller without it next time..........

Can you do us a favor, and transfer this instruction to a Word Document so we can easily send it around as needed.

And can I have permission to send it out to folks that request the other documents from me. I've sent this out to over 300 folks thus far...............

My email is rvb100@comcast.net. Please send the word doc there.

Once again..GREAT WORK!

[larolco]

WOW! Excellent write up!

I never did get my "engaged" light to work either. I think it's unnecessary and I'd order the controller without it next time..........

Can you do us a favor, and transfer this instruction to a Word Document so we can easily send it around as needed.

And can I have permission to send it out to folks that request the other documents from me. I've sent this out to over 300 folks thus far...............

My email is rvb100@comcast.net. Please send the word doc there.

Once again..GREAT WORK!
No problem. File is sent. You have my blessing to use it as you like, as does everyone else. And thank you for the inspiration to tackle this in the first place.

[ddouglas56]

Does the Cruise Cable stay the stock length or is the a way to cut it shorter for a more direct path from cruise module to the throttle attachment?

[rbertalotto]

I never tried to cut it. It worked fine as it is. Either mounted on the side of the bike and facing rearward, and looped around the back of the seat and over to the throttle bodies. Or mounted in the storage area behind the seat and then it's a direct shot to the throttle bodies.

[larolco]

Does the Cruise Cable stay the stock length or is the a way to cut it shorter for a more direct path from cruise module to the throttle attachment?
I didn't shorten mine, though I thought about it, and might in the future. You would need some way of reliably crimping the end piece back on.

For now, I've just looped the cable once in about a 4 or 5 inch loop to take up the slack. Doesn't seem to cause any binding at all.

[larolco]

FYI:

I have discovered a mistake in my wiring. The first time I switched on my hi-beams, the cruise died. If you've printed off an earlier version of the instructions, note the change below (I've edited the original to reflect the change):

The power supply wire colours are different with the Rostra than they are with the Audiovox. DO NOT follow Roy Bertalotto’s Audiovox wiring for this circuit. On the Audiovox it is the Orange wire from the cruise unit and the grey wire from the switch. However, on the Rostra, connect the BROWN wire from the cruise unit (with 10-amp inline fuse) and the WHITE wire from the switch to a switched 12V source. I used the headlight circuit, which is the yellow and white wire found in the big yellow connector behind the radiator. (Initially, I had used the black and blue wire from the headlight socket, but on my first night ride, I found that turning on the high beams killed the power. Oddly, the flash to pass switch doesn't kill it, which is how I tested it when I was wiring.)

I've put over 4000 kms on the bike since installing the cruise, and I'm really happy with it. I road from the coast out to Saskatoon and back, and can't imagine going through the prairies without it.

The slow/accel feature is great, especially when you're riding with someone else. You can match their speed by tapping up or down rather than resetting your speed.

[greywolf]

You connected to the low beam feed wire. If you switch to high beam, that wire goes dead. The flash to pass switch turns on the high beams but doesn't turn off the lows so it would still work.

[larolco]

You connected to the low beam feed wire. If you switch to high beam, that wire goes dead. The flash to pass switch turns on the high beams but doesn't turn off the lows so it would still work.
Yeah, I came to the same conclusion pretty quickly at about 10 pm between Regina and Saskatoon.
I would have thought the flash to pass and high beam used the same circuit, but not so.
In any case, I have tapped into the circuit prior to the switches, so it all works fine now.

[ddouglas56]

I thought I was all hooked up and ready to go. Went for a test ride and nothing. I've gone through "Troubleshooting" in the Installation manual and the diagnostic LED light up as it should with each test. I'll call the tech department in the morning. I'm wondering if my Cruise Cable is bad. It will slide in and out with no resistance. Is that normal?

[greywolf]

Do you have LED brake lights? That will cause such a problem. A free moving cable is normal for a CC that won't engage.

[larolco]

I thought I was all hooked up and ready to go. Went for a test ride and nothing. I've gone through "Troubleshooting" in the Installation manual and the diagnostic LED light up as it should with each test. I'll call the tech department in the morning. I'm wondering if my Cruise Cable is bad. It will slide in and out with no resistance. Is that normal?
Yes, the cable should slide freely.
Check all your dipswitches again. You did EVERY test? I know I had the VSS switch wrong and nothing would work.

Do you have power to the switch? If your switch is the same as mine (with the LEDs), the orange LED shows you have power to the switch when you have pressed the ON button.

The other thing might be it takes a couple of seconds to engage. Make sure the switch is on, hit a steady speed, and then press the SET button. Roll off the throttle slightly and hold it there for a few seconds. You should feel the cruise taking the bike back up to the SET speed. That fooled me the first few tries. I thought it would engage immediately, but it does take a few seconds. I thought that was because I have a bit of slack in my cable, though.

Other than that, double check your wiring?

Or, as greywolf says, the LED brake light will defeat the cruise system.

[ddouglas56]

Do you have LED brake lights? No LED brake light.
Check all your dipswitches again. I’ll check all dipswitches, I think I have them set as you laid out in your install instructions.
You did EVERY test? Yes, every test.
Do you have power to the switch? Yes, the green LED lit up.
I will also try operating the cruise with more time and patience.

[greywolf]

Do the check in sixth gear running at least 3200rpm. If that works, then you can experiment with lower speeds.

[larolco]

Do you have LED brake lights? No LED brake light.
Check all your dipswitches again. I’ll check all dipswitches, I think I have them set as you laid out in your install instructions.
You did EVERY test? Yes, every test.
Do you have power to the switch? Yes, the green LED lit up.
I will also try operating the cruise with more time and patience.
Okay, herein lies the problem. The green LED should not light up. The orange light is the one that lights (on the left side of the switch, next to the ON button). If that one's not lighting, something is wrong with the wiring. The green LED on the right side of the switch doesn't light (on mine, or Roy's). I think you've run your power to the wrong wire on the switch.

Connect the BROWN wire from the cruise unit (with 10-amp inline fuse) and the WHITE wire from the switch to a switched 12V source. I used the headlight circuit, which is the yellow and white wire found in the big yellow connector behind the radiator.

[ddouglas56]

It's working! I think I need to take some slack out of the cable, it seams very slow to engage. I only have 1 LED on my touch pad, it doesn't have the engagment LED. You guys are great thanks for the help!

[larolco]

It's working! I think I need to take some slack out of the cable, it seams very slow to engage. I only have 1 LED on my touch pad, it doesn't have the engagment LED. You guys are great thanks for the help!
Congratulations!
What was the solution?
And what switch do you have?
You can play around with the dipswitches to speed up the engagement.

[Denase]

Just recieved my GlobalCruise electric cruise control. Question, can the clutch safety switch on the Strom be wired into the neutral safety switch on the cruise control to instantly disengage the cruise if the clutch is pulled while engaged?

[greywolf]

Rostra makes the Global Cruise and the Audiovox so the wiring is probably similar. See the first post in this thread for differences. The sensors should "see" the speed/rpm shift when the clutch is pulled and shut off the device. Some bikes have a lag in that situation but the Stroms seem to be okay with it. There is a clutch relay setup that will insure a cuttoff when the clutch switch is activated as well as a brake relay for those using LED brake lights.

From http://www.rvbprecision.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-electronic-cruise-control.html

Here's the code: 2 SPDT (5 pin) relays

Clutch relay:

30 to 87A of brake relay
85 to 12V I used an auxiliary circuit here but the red wire should work too.
86 to black / yellow on starter relay (right in front of battery) This is the switched ground from the clutch lever.
87A to 30 to ground ( this goes in series with the other relay to the purple cruise control brake signal wire)

Brake relay:

30 to cruise control purple wire
85 to ground
86 to the brake signal wire
87A to 30 of the clutch relay.

A single relay solution for the clutch is as follows. Forgive the size and clarity of the picture. There is a problem with the single relay solution for LED brake lights, but it works fine for the clutch switch.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2846465412_a6c2d8ddcc_o.jpg

[Denase]

Thank you!!

[Watchman]

Thanks for all this information on the installation. I have an 07 DL1000 and am thinking about installing one. I also live just down the road in Abbotsford.

Watchman

[larolco]

Thanks for all this information on the installation. I have an 07 DL1000 and am thinking about installing one. I also live just down the road in Abbotsford.

Watchman
Better hurry up. Winter's almost over.

[Denase]

I have a Rostra electronic cruise installed and working on my 07 Vee.
I followed larolco's instructions to the letter and the unit works fine. With the exception that once set the speed will drop approx. 5 miles per hour before catching and quickly returning to speed. Cable slack? I may shorten it some with the next air filter change. I now have a new favorite tool, a small butane torch for soldering and heat shrinking tubing. Works great, thanks larolco! :D

[larolco]

I have a Rostra electronic cruise installed and working on my 07 Vee.
I followed larolco's instructions to the letter and the unit works fine. With the exception that once set the speed will drop approx. 5 miles per hour before catching and quickly returning to speed. Cable slack? I may shorten it some with the next air filter change. I now have a new favorite tool, a small butane torch for soldering and heat shrinking tubing. Works great, thanks larolco! :D
Glad things went smoothly for you.

The speed drop is related to cable slack and engage time. You can take some of the slack out, but it's better to have a little too much because, if it's too tight, the cable tension will keep the throttle from idling down all the way. You can play with the dipswitches to tweak the engage time, too. But there's always going to be a lag between setting the cruise speed and the unit engaging. It has to sense the speed drop before it will pull the cable in. And if you set the engage really quick it's like wearing a really sharp pair of spurs.

When you set the cruise speed, instead of letting go of the throttle entirely, just let the speed drop by a mph or so. You will feel the cruise engage without the loss of speed.

[Watchman]

Hi:

I'm trying to get my 07 DL1000 ready for a long trip this summer, and am convinced that I will need a cruise control. And I'm leaning towards the Rostra, from what I've read. I note on their website that they don't mention the unit works with twins--an oversight, I guess.

Anyway, I'm out in Abbotsford, and would like to hook up with you some time. (I work in Langley.) I have a number of other concerns about the bike--running rough, stalling after a hard run in the heat, some backfires that I wouldn't mind getting some advice about. I also was looking to find someone to pay to install the cruise control. I wondered if you could recommend anyone in the area.

Thanks.

[larolco]

Hi:

I'm trying to get my 07 DL1000 ready for a long trip this summer, and am convinced that I will need a cruise control. And I'm leaning towards the Rostra, from what I've read. I note on their website that they don't mention the unit works with twins--an oversight, I guess.

Anyway, I'm out in Abbotsford, and would like to hook up with you some time. (I work in Langley.) I have a number of other concerns about the bike--running rough, stalling after a hard run in the heat, some backfires that I wouldn't mind getting some advice about. I also was looking to find someone to pay to install the cruise control. I wondered if you could recommend anyone in the area.

Thanks.

I don't personally know anyone who installs these things as a job. The cruise is designed for a car, so this is kind of a special application. I suppose that's why Rostra says nothing about hooking it up to a twin. But I can assure you, it works. I think you'd have a hard time finding someone willing to take on the job, though, and if you did, they'd probably charge you more than it was worth. I can help you out a bit, but I'm way too busy at the moment to install it for you.

But you know, if you're at all handy and have the basic tools, it's not a difficult job - albeit a little time consuming. Just follow the instructions.

As for the running problems, have you taken it to Suzuki? That would be the first step. Sounds to me like the throttle-bodies are out of whack. A mechanic can balance them for you, or if you have the tools and know how, you can do it yourself. Another common problem is the rubber boot that connects the throttle-body to the engine sometimes pops off as a result of backfiring/poor installation.

There's lots of info about these issues on the forum. I think if you search through Google, you'll have more success than using the forum's search function. For example, search "stromtrooper.com throttle body synchronization" or something along those lines.

How many kms do you have on the bike? The engine tends to smooth out with age.

And what's your idle speed set at? If it's too low, that would increase the likelihood of stalling. It should be set between 1100-1300 rpm.

Another option is to mess with the mapping. There are a number of ways to do this - installing a Power Commander or equivalent, or finding someone who can "Yosh" it for you. In general, the principle is you'd want to richen up the mixture at lower rpms. Suzuki tunes them lean for emmission control.

You should come out for a ride sometime with the breakfast club. We're sort of in hibernation until the good weather arrives, but we usually gather on the second sunday of the month for breakfast and a ride. There's a thread in the Canada section. Check it out.

[Watchman]

I have about 3,000K on the bike now, and I had noticed it running better, though this might also have been the change to cooler weather last fall. I took it to White Rock today, and it stalled once coming up to a stop at the end of an exit, after a bit of a hard run up a hill. But no backfiring.

I think I'll try installing the cruise control myself.

Thanks for the breakfast club invitation. I will check it out for sure.

[larolco]

I have about 3,000K on the bike now, and I had noticed it running better, though this might also have been the change to cooler weather last fall. I took it to White Rock today, and it stalled once coming up to a stop at the end of an exit, after a bit of a hard run up a hill. But no backfiring.

I think I'll try installing the cruise control myself.

Thanks for the breakfast club invitation. I will check it out for sure.
If you get it ordered and figure out how you want to mount the switch and get that all fabricated, the rest doesn't take all that long. A day, max.
I'm going to try making April's breakfast club meeting on the 12th if the weather holds out and anyone else is going, so maybe see you there.

[Guns]

This is the cruise control #250-1223: [SIZE=2]http://www.brandondist.com/products/cruise1223.htm (http://www.brandondist.com/products/cruise1223.htm)
This is the switch I used (same as Roy) #250-3592: http://www.brandondist.com/products/Univ_switches.htm (http://www.brandondist.com/products/Univ_switches.htm)



Just ordered :angel_6:
Guns

[Basso]

I'm convinced...I can do this. But I have a few questions for you now that I have my unit and can see what it looks like. (Shipped in one day!!!! from brandon distributing. WOW!
Wiring:
The first is the brake circuit, hot and cold. The red wire off of the main cruise unit (with 4-amp inline fuse) connects to the orange wire you will find paired with a black-with-white-stripe wire in a connector just in front of the battery. The violet wire from the main cruise unit connects to the black and white wire in the same connector. This circuit tells the system if you have activated a brake, which will cancel the cruise.

I cannot tell the difference between attaching the red wire to this point or just attaching both red and brown to a switched power source. Any reason not to run both the orange and red wires from the servo unit to a hot lead coming from a switched circuit on a fuse box? I ask this because the orange wire you reference is the one I'm tapping to GET my switched power to my fuse box, and that's where I plan to attach the brown wire also.

For the particular switch I am using, which has two LEDs showing power and engagement, you must connect the pink switch wire to something. The little piece of paper that comes with the switch tells you to connect it to the pink wire from the main cruise unit, BUT THERE IS NO PINK WIRE TO BE FOUND ON THE CRUISE UNIT. As best as I can tell, the wire you want is orange and is buried way back near the main box. You might have to cut open the tape to find it. However, my engagement light is not working, though the “power on” light is. A small annoyance yet to be rectified. Ideas??

Instructions look like the orange wire goes hot when the unit is NOT engaged, and cold when it is engaged. Also, the backlighting wires (blue/grey) need to get juice from somewhere since they were the ones going to a rheostat to control the degree of brightness on the panel. I figured a relay might work for this, and did some digging. I found the relay wiring on a concourse site:

Using switch #250-3593, there is also an engaged light on that has to be connected to the actuator. A relay or transistor must be used to 'flip' the operation of the actuator's output. My suggestion is to purchase an additional relay identical to the one used on the brake light signal and wire it as follows:

Orange wire from actuator to coil of relay (#85 on relay)

Additional wire #1 to common conn. on relay (#30 on relay)

Additional wire #2 to coil of relay (#86 on relay)

Pink wire from switch to relay (#87 on relay)
link (http://members.cox.net/bdfelice/Motorcycle/Rostra.shtml). I plan to give this a try. I'm not sure if he is grounding this relay though...I'm guessing no, but since I'm relay inept, can anyone shed some light on this particular solution?

BTW, orange wire description: "The ENO Wire will drive low when the system is engaged and to a high impedance state otherwise" (ie when its NOT engaged).


Wires not needed:

The blue and grey wires from the switch you can ignore. They are not needed.
See relay instructions above. I think you do need these wires if you want your "engaged" light to work.

From the main unit, you can ignore the light green wire, which is for a neutral safety switch. Unless you have an automatic transmission, this circuit is redundant.
There is a guy on a goldwing site that used this as a cutoff rather than the tac wire. I'm not sure the strom wiring would work for his application, but he installed it as a clutch activation switch rather than a neutral activation, and then didn't install the tach wire. I don't plan to try this, but I figured I'd share what I've learned. Unfortunatly I can't remember the link, but I think the concourse link I gave above links to that site. In reading further, it looks like using Greywolf's relay will solve this problem anyway, but I think he's showing two relays, one for clutch, one for brake. My question: If I'm not using LED brakes, is there any reason not to use the NSS wire on the clutch relay and avoid the brake relay and still get the clutch-pull shutoff? I need to find a refresher course on how relays work I think.


6 On Pulses/Kilometre set to 6000 - sets the RPM at which the cruise cancels
Is this a direct tie to RPM? I'm thinking on the freeway I've exceeded 6k rpm. If it is, I'd want to try 7500. There is a 7500 rpm cutoff with 1010. Can you confirm that RPM that turns off your cruise with the the 0101 setting is 6000?

[larolco]

Man, you've been doing a bit of research. I'm no expert at this stuff, and I just cobbled together enough intelligence to tackle the job. But I'll answer what I can.

I cannot tell the difference between attaching the red wire to this point or just attaching both red and brown to a switched power source. Any reason not to run both the orange and red wires from the servo unit to a hot lead coming from a switched circuit on a fuse box? I ask this because the orange wire you reference is the one I'm tapping to GET my switched power to my fuse box, and that's where I plan to attach the brown wire also.

Makes sense to me.

Instructions look like the orange wire goes hot when the unit is NOT engaged, and cold when it is engaged. Also, the backlighting wires (blue/grey) need to get juice from somewhere since they were the ones going to a rheostat to control the degree of brightness on the panel. I figured a relay might work for this, and did some digging. I found the relay wiring on a concourse site:

link (http://members.cox.net/bdfelice/Motorcycle/Rostra.shtml). I plan to give this a try. I'm not sure if he is grounding this relay though...I'm guessing no, but since I'm relay inept, can anyone shed some light on this particular solution?

Tres cool. I was puzzled by the engage light situation. I'm curious to see how it goes for you. Don't know much about relays myself, so I'm just as much in the dark.

Is this a direct tie to RPM? I'm thinking on the freeway I've exceeded 6k rpm. If it is, I'd want to try 7500. There is a 7500 rpm cutoff with 1010. Can you confirm that RPM that turns off your cruise with the the 0101 setting is 6000?

Yes, it works on RPM. It cuts out at 6000. I set mine there because I don't "cruise" at 6000 rpm, more like 4000. If I pull the clutch, the engine revs up to 6000 RPM and the cruise cuts out. I didn't want it to have to rev up to 7500, not that it would be a big deal. In practice, it's never been an issue.

It's great you're pushing ahead with the experiment. Now I'll have to go messing around with mine some more and see if I can get that engage light to function.

[Vee4Me]

I took it to White Rock today, and it stalled once coming up to a stop at the end of an exit, after a bit of a hard run up a hill. But no backfiring.

Hey Watchman, I had this issue to initially. Cranked the idle up to about 1200 rpm's and have had no issues since. I would be willing to bet that your idle is set down around 800 rpm's.

[Basso]

BTW, for everyone's benefit, the link in greywolf's post has changed. You can find the article here (http://www.rvbprecision.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-electronic-cruise-control.html).

I was thinking about the description on the orange wire. I don't think I'm interpreting the description correctly. Impedence is how much resistance there is, so perhaps the high impedence state (high resistance) will essentially shut-off the signal. Ug. I really wish I knew some place that could explain this stuff to me. If I just take what someone else suggests but don't understand it, it makes me nervous.

[Basso]

Okay, so I think I've figured out how this needs to work, but let me talk it through and see if I'm on the right track:

I think I understand the brake/clutch relay. Please correct if wrong:
Normal state is positive switched power coming into the coil, being grounded through the clutch ground. This makes the coil active, so 30 and 87a are connected. Since the brake return is dead when the brakes aren't applied, no positive signal goes to the CC and so it stays engaged

If the clutch is pulled, the ground through the clutch goes positive so the coil shuts off, changing the switch to 87 to 30. Since 87 is switched power, the CC sees a positive signal, so it shuts off

If the brake is pulled, the coil stays active, so 87a connects to 30, but 87a goes hot, so the CC sees a positive signal and shuts off.

If both the brake and the clutch are pulled, the clutch scenario above trumps. If you cut the brake wire though, your brakes won't light up if the clutch is pulled, so only do this if you are tapping the wire.



Now, the engage light relay. This one is more of a guess.
I think the orange wire is hot when the system is NOT engaged.

Anyway, here goes:
Orange is + when system off, so connect 86 to a ground, leaving the coil active if the CC is off. This connects the Black wire from the switch to 87a which is wired to ground. If the system is engaged, the orange wire goes dead, the coil shuts off, sending a positive signal to the pink wire turning on the light. I assume this light is grounded through the black switch wire.

The grey switch wire is the positive lead for the backlighting, and the blue is the ground for the backlighting, so I'm connecting these to the red and black harness wires. This means that connecting to the red CC wire (+switched) are the white switch wire, the grey switch wire, and two wires to the B/C relay. Connecting to the black CC wire (Ground) are the black switch wire, the blue switch wire and two grounds from the engagement light relay.

Does this make sense to anyone else? I think I've got it planned correctly, but I'd appreciate another set of eyes on it.

[greywolf]

People I've seen do the Rostra have not connected the engage light. It isn't really needed. You know if the unit is engaged or not. I don't even look at the on light. I just turn the thing on when I start up the bike and, after that, I just need to find the buttons. I know of no V-Strom that has needed a clutch relay either. The unit shuts off nicely without it when the clutch is pulled. I installed a clutch relay when I put my Audiovox in but it wasn't necessary. I rewired it for a brake relay when I switched to LED brake lights.

[larolco]

People I've seen do the Rostra have not connected the engage light. It isn't really needed. You know if the unit is engaged or not. I don't even look at the on light. I just turn the thing on when I start up the bike and, after that, I just need to find the buttons. I know of no V-Strom that has needed a clutch relay either. The unit shuts off nicely without it when the clutch is pulled. I installed a clutch relay when I put my Audiovox in but it wasn't necessary. I rewired it for a brake relay when I switched to LED brake lights.
I'm of the same mind. I don't even look at the switch, myself, so the lights are redundant. I had it in my head when I bought the switch that I'd want the switch with the engage light, but you kinda sorta know already when you've got the cruise engaged. Maybe in a car, you might forget. I don't know. In any case, the throttle still gets you moving when the cruise is engaged, and then resumes itself when you let go of the throttle. And the brake disengages the cruise. Either way, the safety issue is covered whether the engage light works or not.

[larolco]

The theory sounds plausible to me. Being a reckless sort, I'm inclined to say wire it up and see what happens. Worst case scenario (as far as I know) you'll blow a fuse. Okay, so I think I've figured out how this needs to work, but let me talk it through and see if I'm on the right track:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3425096986_a9d08c4f56_o.jpg

I think I understand the brake/clutch relay. Please correct if wrong:
Normal state is positive switched power coming into the coil, being grounded through the clutch ground. This makes the coil active, so 30 and 87a are connected. Since the brake return is dead when the brakes aren't applied, no positive signal goes to the CC and so it stays engaged

If the clutch is pulled, the ground through the clutch goes positive so the coil shuts off, changing the switch to 87 to 30. Since 87 is switched power, the CC sees a positive signal, so it shuts off

If the brake is pulled, the coil stays active, so 87a connects to 30, but 87a goes hot, so the CC sees a positive signal and shuts off.

If both the brake and the clutch are pulled, the clutch scenario above trumps. If you cut the brake wire though, your brakes won't light up if the clutch is pulled, so only do this if you are tapping the wire.



Now, the engage light relay. This one is more of a guess.
I think the orange wire is hot when the system is NOT engaged.

Anyway, here goes:
Orange is + when system off, so connect 86 to a ground, leaving the coil active if the CC is off. This connects the Black wire from the switch to 87a which is wired to ground. If the system is engaged, the orange wire goes dead, the coil shuts off, sending a positive signal to the pink wire turning on the light. I assume this light is grounded through the black switch wire.

The grey switch wire is the positive lead for the backlighting, and the blue is the ground for the backlighting, so I'm connecting these to the red and black harness wires. This means that connecting to the red CC wire (+switched) are the white switch wire, the grey switch wire, and two wires to the B/C relay. Connecting to the black CC wire (Ground) are the black switch wire, the blue switch wire and two grounds from the engagement light relay.

Does this make sense to anyone else? I think I've got it planned correctly, but I'd appreciate another set of eyes on it.

[Guns]

Then you will have to decide where to locate the main cruise unit. I was able to fit the main box into the right-side rear panel, just behind the rear brake reservoir. Roy Bertalotto says it won’t fit there, but it does. It is a tight squeeze, though, and I did file down the box a very little bit where it rests against a weld on the frame rail. I also filed down the weld on the little bracket that is attached to the frame rail (one of those catches for the seat, except this one seems to exist for no purpose…). I zap strapped the box to the frame. This way, you don’t have to give up any under-the-seat storage.

Anyone have any other places besides the back area of the seat the way Rbertalotto did it or where larolco put his. Mine is a DL1000k9 and I have a charcoal canister, like my CA DRZ had, under the right rear panel, sure wanted to put it there since it's so big. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Guns

[larolco]

Anyone have any other places besides the back area of the seat the way Rbertalotto did it or where larolco put his. Mine is a DL1000k9 and I have a charcoal canister, like my CA DRZ had, under the right rear panel, sure wanted to put it there since it's so big. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Guns
Check out what Ruggybuggy did with his 650.
He put his up front:

http://www.stromtrooper.com/showthread.php?t=37822

[Guns]

Check out what Ruggybuggy did with his 650.
He put his up front:

http://www.stromtrooper.com/showthread.php?t=37822

Thanks. I might try that. I'll report how it goes (or should I say where it goes)!

[Basso]

The engage light works with this diagram. This will NOT work with LED lights.


Removed incorrect diagram: See thread on My wiring diagram.

EDIT: Changed Engage relay to put positive lead on 30 and 86 pin.

Dipswitch Settings I am using. Note, this "works" but it is an "interesting" ride when first setting or using tap down. If you set and forget, probably fine. More experimentation will occur this week to see if I can fine tune this.

Removed incorrect settings. See thread on my dipswitch settings.

[larolco]

I don't know if the relay will work for the engage light. If it doesn't, I'll just tape off the pink and orange wires and forget about it. If you see a mistake please point it out.
Wire that sucker up.
I don't see any problems with the schematic. I hope that engage light works, but like you said, if not, just tape them off.

Be sure to post pics of your installation when you're done. The pics I took of mine are crap.

You'll soon be set for your next Iron Butt.

[Guns]

This post was great, did everything as it says and the cruise works great. I've had it out on three long trips since and will never go without cruise again.

Had a bunch of pictures of my throttle rigging but camera messed up, it was close to what was poster in this tread. Mounted my box up front like ruggybuggy did. I don't have great tools to bend the strap, so I had to move my unit closer to the front then grind the excess off. It's a tight fit, but finally got it to fit without any interference.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f3/mr_guns/Bikes/04-15_0623.gif

This is a little blurry but you can see the finished placement.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f3/mr_guns/Bikes/04-15_0629.gif

Made my switch bracket out of a plastic junction box, sanded and painted it.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f3/mr_guns/Bikes/04-15_0626.gif

Used the mirror like others have used for the switch and works like a champ.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f3/mr_guns/Bikes/04-15_0624.gif

Used goop to make the switch waterproof. Again thanks for this thread and all that have helped.

Guns

[larolco]

Guns,

Can you get at the dipswitches without pulling the fairing apart? That's the one thing that bugs me about having it mounted under the rear side panel.

[Guns]

Guns,

Can you get at the dipswitches without pulling the fairing apart? That's the one thing that bugs me about having it mounted under the rear side panel.

No you would have to take the front panel off.

[uzidzit]

settings Basso has a perfect wiring setup but the switch settings are pretty much a bucking bronco if you tap down the speed, and on engagement it is a bit jerky, I am going to try a little different combo tomorrow, I will let you know.

[Basso]

settings Basso has a perfect wiring setup but the switch settings are pretty much a bucking bronco if you tap down the speed, and on engagement it is a bit jerky, I am going to try a little different combo tomorrow, I will let you know.

Very true. I'm just keen on being done with it for a while. Let me know if you find some settings that calm it down a bit. I think dropping the gain setting a bit would help.

[dcxplant]

I have a DL1K6 with Signal Dynamic's brake flashers. I read somewhere that this cruise control will not work with the brake flashers.

Is this true?
If so, is there a workaround?
If not, does anyone know which cruise control system will work with brake flashers?

I'm not willing to disconnect my brake flashers. I've been rear ended (while stopped at a traffic light no less) before and I won't sacrifice my brake flashers for a cruise control.

[greywolf]

You would need to add a relay. See http://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php/topic,4611.0.html The Rostra and the Audiovox have similar wiring.

[jamesrgarner]

Some of you have had the rostra cc on your bikes for a while; if you had it to do over again would you choose the rostra? Have there been any changes in the installation steps outined herein? I have an '08 DL1000 and know that I'd like a cruise control much better than a throttle lock and it appears to me that the rostra is the way to go.

Greywolf - I see that you used cc part#250-1223 and switch #250-3592; just wanting to make sure before ordering the parts. Many thanks to greywolf for the step by step instructions. You are the MAN!

[greywolf]

Greywolf - I see that you used cc part#250-1223 and switch #250-3592; just wanting to make sure before ordering the parts. Many thanks to greywolf for the step by step instructions. You are the MAN!Not me. I used the Audiovox vacuum model, not the Rostra Electric model. I wanted to save as much power as possible for heated gear. The vacuum unit comes with a control switch.

[Guns]

That was the best thing I did to my bike. It is a little touchie but got use to it. I use it almost every time I ride, keeps me from getting a ticket....

[rbertalotto]

+1........

I've installed a bunch of vacuum models and two of the electronic units. The electronic units are much smoother, easier to install, and don't lose vacuum on long mountain climbs.

My second V Strom (DL650) has ABS and there was no easy room for the vacuum canister.

Electronic all the way from now on...............

[greywolf]

I put the vacuum canister in front of the tail lights. The right side cover has a charcoal canister and the left has the Audiovox servo. It's great that two solutions exist to fit our needs, one for high electrical power users with heated gear and/or extra lights and another for the mountain climbers. I must say my vacuum unit is very smooth and installation of the vacuum lines and reservoir was the easiest part. It does have a high end limit of about 75mph, especially if climbing.

[larolco]

Yup, I'd do it all over again. It's really handy on a long day, not a terribly big deal to install.

[roger123]

One of the best things out there. i've had the same unit on both my Connie and Wee. I'll be adding one to the FJR this fall when it cools off some.

Not sure I'll go vacuum or electric?? I'll probably cheap out and go vacuum.

[ddye]

Hmmm - on the DL1000 my regulator takes up the spot where the canister goes on the right side under the fairing by the seat. How have others solved for this?

[Guns]

I put mine on the left front fairing.

[ddye]

I put mine on the left front fairing.

So you put it in the let front fairing. How did you route the cable to the linkage as it will not go all the way around the back of the seat? Did you just run it behind the gas tank and around to the back of the throttle bodies?

[Guns]

So you put it in the let front fairing. How did you route the cable to the linkage as it will not go all the way around the back of the seat? Did you just run it behind the gas tank and around to the back of the throttle bodies?

Ran the cable to the right side within the front fairing then back. Had plenty of cable to then loop it towards the front where I hooked it to the linkage.

[Larry Johnson]

Installed the all electric Rostra under my DL1000 seat. Used isolation relays for the brake and clutch switches as well as another relay to reverse the sense of the "engaged" light between the main unit and the universal control switch.

Everything, including engage light, worked fine from the get-go. Sometimes the "on" light on comes on when I start my bike, but there has never been an unwanted engagement of of the cruise control itself. Speed control is very solid even on moderate hills. I keep the revs below 5000 to avoid speeding and slowing surges around the set speed (Dip switches are set to minimum sensitivity.), especially at speeds less than 65 mph.

Did a 12 day 3740 mi. ride around Nevada this summer (Phoenix-Teatons/Yellowstone-Florence, Ore.-redwoods-coast highway-San Jose-Yosemite-Barstow-Phoenix) and the cruise control was a godsend on the long 500+ mi. days.

The Rostra is highly recopmmended in my book.

-Larry Johnson