Jumpy Cruise

[JoeKanuck]

For as long as I can remember, my cruise has acted a bit oddly. I do have draggy throttle cables so the cruise isn't as precise as it could be but often yet irregularly, it would jump up 5-10 kph then fade away under the set point, then cut out. I could resume but in a few minutes it would happen again.

 

It was getting to be a pain but I had taken out the vacuum pump and checked the connectors and all seemed ok....I was stumped. I even took the speedo apart to see if anything in there was off...didn't look like it. The cruise box behind the light was a bit worse for wear wth the board basically hanging out...but that wasn't the issue either.

 

Last week I was on a road trip and while going through one town, I noticed my speedo wasn't working. I pulled over and the cable was undone....and the core missing. I went back and forth over the couple of mile stretch where it happened 4 times but found nothing....so I went on my way without a speedo or cruise.

 

The next day, i found a place called Mr. Speedometer that, among other things, fabricated speedo cables. It cost me 25 bucks but the new one works like a charm.

 

One side benefit is that my cruise is no longer jumping. It seems my cruise problem was a loose speedo cable. The speedo itself was always steady but since the cruise uses pulses, it only takes the slightest slip to make it think the bike is slowing down and try to speed things up...which is where the jumping came in.

 

So if you're having odd cruise issues, I suggest first checking your speedo cable.

[saddlebum]

This is a common cause another is when a strand of the cable breaks free from the rest of the cable causing the cable to bind and jump. Glad you have it working now. You may want to post were you had the cable made, as sources for making up cables are getting scarce due to electronic sensors. I still have tools to make up these cables (somewhere ) I used to make up alot of them for transport trucks back in the 70's, but finding a source for cable is not so easy anymore.

[JoeKanuck]

Here's the place I used; Mr Speedometer Inc - 505 53 Ave SE, Calgary, AB 403-258-2909. They primarily do auto speedos and there is a slight difference in the size of the square bit that plugs into the speedo, but he did some extra hammering and it works like a charm.

 

That equipment sounds interesting. It might be something to drag out of the closet. Basic speedo cable stock is available...all a person needs is the length.