Cruise Control and Throttle Locks...The Difference

It has come to my attention that some new riders do not know the difference between a throttle lock and a cruise control unit.

A throttle lock is just that...it locks/holds the throttle grip (with friction) in any position you require to maintain a certain speed. Works best on flat long roads when you just want to rest your right arm or hand. When you use a throttle lock device in hilly country you will need to make adjustments often. I often disengage my throttle lock on hilly roads. Most throttle locks are not to expensive and install easily on to the scooter. Throttle locking is accomplished by use of the devices lever and your right thumb.

A cruise control unit works like the cruise control unit in your car or truck. You just set it to the speed you wish to travel at (set on the panel) and it automatically adjusts your scooters speed to whatever the road conditions are, maintaining a constant speed going up hill or down hills. They are very nice to have but are expensive to purchase and to have someone else to install but they are the best.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion.

Ride safe,

DennisB

Thanks Dennis. I know I was confused at first.

I have the " Kruse Kontrol " Throttle lock on my for 4 years now. Like you said it dosn't hold the speed constant. But i found that on most hills it will still hold the
speed to + or - 5 MPH. On steeper hills it will slow down more, but it does work
very well. It cost about $10 and gives my right hand a rest on long trips.
Paul

I have the NEC throttle lock and it does a good Job not perfect but the price to install an electronic one very prohibited. When dennis/B comes up with one I'll probably have to have it

Once I got that little palm piece that you just rest your palm on I never used my throttle lock again. I felt mine didn't keep the speed very constant and the palm piece seems to take any pressure off my wrist. And for about ten dollars was a real deal!
I just have the palm piece on the Wing.

driftwoodpoint wrote:

Once I got that little palm piece that you just rest your palm on I never used my throttle lock again. I felt mine didn't keep the speed very constant and the palm piece seems to take any pressure off my wrist. And for about ten dollars was a real deal!
I just have the palm piece on the Wing.

+1

tankyuong wrote:

driftwoodpoint wrote:

Once I got that little palm piece that you just rest your palm on I never used my throttle lock again. I felt mine didn't keep the speed very constant and the palm piece seems to take any pressure off my wrist. And for about ten dollars was a real deal!
I just have the palm piece on the Wing.

+1

+2

I found that the palm resting piece got in the way of trying to roll off the throttle and squeeze the brake lever. After a few bad experiences, I removed the device and have never used it again. My throttle lock works well and doesn't get in the way at all.

I find that the ones that place a flat piece under the palm to press against are very dangerous.

If you hit the brake hard (even the left handle brake), all your weight goes
forward against your hands. In order to release the gas you have to as Vito says, roll your hand forward, and in the process twist your wrist forward.
If in that position you actually hit something, even at less than 5 mph, you will likely break your wrist.
If you instead just let go with the right hand, your momentum will push the left handlebar forward and you will lose control.

Given the choices of breaking my wrist, or losing control and breaking a lot more, I choose none of the above.

I choose to spend more on a quality cruise control, because my safety is worth it, or not have one at all.

If you must have this type of product, I suggest you replace your grips with wider ones, so that you can at least have your entire hand properly on the throttle/brake, and then move your hand farther out toward the end of the grip when you want to use the paddle. At least this way you stand a chance of control.

JMHO.

Dan

I have a Kuryakyn throttle boss palm rest on my Goldwing as well as an electronic cruise control. The rest is a lot of help to relax your right hand on a ride when you can't use the cruise. The Silverwing has a much shorter grip and with the weights extending beyond the grip there wouldn't be enough room for me to handle the throttle without the palm rest getting in the way. My GL1500 has longer grips that extend to the extreme ends of the handlebars so this isn't problem on it. I have a throttle lock and will be installing a Rostra electronic one piece cruise control on the Silverwing this fall once the weather goes to pot. That and modulators on both ends of the scooter are my most important additions planned.

exavid wrote:

That and modulators on both ends of the scooter are my most important additions planned.

Modulators? What kind of modulators are you referring to?

I tried the Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulators
a little guy named "Marvin" sold me, but they don't fit.

Headlight and brake light modulators. I have them on my Goldwing, my headlight modulator really makes my bike stand out. With a lot of cars now using daytime running lights bikes don't stand out with their headlights on as they used to. So a headlight modulator with it's fluctuating light level really helps get you noticed. Since the most common fatal accident type for bikers is an oncoming car turning left across your path, the modulator goes a long way to protect from those "I didn't see him" type accidents. Likewise a brake light modulator helps reduce rear enders at intersections.

https://www.kisantech.com/application2.php

Got it.
Actually, I have a few of the Kisan products on my bike.

Dan

One nice things about the small palm piece is that if you do a lot of in town riding you can just twist it out of the way. I found in my Polar Hand muffs I just got to keep my hands warm that it seem to be in the way. It does take some getting used to. Your mind just has to get used to it being there and you adjust.
I have a front light modulator and I really like it. I feel like people see me better, especially out in the countryside when I am riding alone.

Driftwood. Hotgrips makes heated grips that you can use on the Swing.
Really comfy and they widen the grip by an inch which is helpful.

Dan

Question: Can a Kuryakyn throttle assist be adapted to the Silverwing? It does require a hollow handlebar and the Silverwing does not have that. Could the end be drilled our to accommodate the Kuryakyn Throttle Assist? The instructions say it requires a 5/8 inch hole minimum.

I have a Kaoko throttle lock on my SWing, it has been on two other bikes, I filed off the flats and I bolted it on in place of the bar end weight using a star-lock washer. It works as intended but it's no substitute for a real cruise control. I had the McCruise control on my Pan, it was very good but they are now very expensive, in the UK anyway.

That Go Cruise throttle lock has been inside the red map compartment of my Givi E55 for about 2 years now unused. If I lived somewhere like Arizona where empty straight roads stretch to the horizon, then on to the next horizon I might use it, but I've never needed it on long motorways or autobahn journeys at home or abroad.

It's not quite in the Grip Puppies league for being a waste of money as it does work, but I'm questioning now why I ever thought I'd need one.

You're right Meldrew, went for a ride yesterday with Glenn from Wickenburg, after riding for awhile my throttle hand starts to tire, my Go Cruise throttle lock let's me ride all day.

have the brake away throttle lock
got me to Alaska and San Francisco
wouldn't think of long distance rides without my throttle lock and my air hawk pillow

I used mine when I went to Oklahoma a month ago, throttle lock.  I had tried it a few months back and did not think it was something I would use.  Ride the interstate for a couple days and you will fall in love...

Magoo Triker

I put a Vista Cruise throttle lock on my first Silverwing. It fit well and worked good. The only thing I had to do was to pull my right grip back about 1/16" inch to get a gap between it and rubber flange and the brake perch. Amazon lists them for $21.

Meldrew wrote:

That Go Cruise throttle lock has been inside the red map compartment of my Givi E55 for about 2 years now unused. If I lived somewhere like Arizona where empty straight roads stretch to the horizon, then on to the next horizon I might use it, but I've never needed it on long motorways or autobahn journeys at home or abroad.

It's not quite in the Grip Puppies league for being a waste of money as it does work, but I'm questioning now why I ever thought I'd need one.

If it wasn't for either riding for me would be no fun. Years of using class II high voltage gloves have worn out my fingers and thumbs. The larger diameter and the cushion that the Grip Puppies provide is a god send to me. They do start to deteriorate after a while and get replaced with a new pair every year or so.

And like you said, "The Road Goes On Forever" out this way ....... (good song! thanks Robert Earl Keen)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3zSp_uhjcI

I'm curious to know at what sort of speeds riders use their throttle-locks.
I bought one and scared the **** out of myself using it at motorway-speeds (70MPH), the times when the road is long enough to use it.

I can see what Meldrew's getting at: the long horizon-to-horizon roads in the States.

(I like Grip Puppies for the same reason as Ron)

NEP makes a nice throttle stop----around $20 from Aerostich---to work perfect, I drilled hole in retaining tab and some safety wire for it to hold true alignment and no free play----used on several bikes----use it all the time to when I need to wipe nose, etc-----fun to play with on long boring roads, friction can be adjusted so power can always turned down.

Remember many bikes came with friction set screws----until the Safety idiots came along.....and more idiots started riding bikes....somebody had to watch us---Triumph had maybe the best with chrome set knob.

FWIW and speaking of throttles, i noticed the throttle has to be turned about 1/8 to a 1/4 of a turn before the "slack" is taken up in the cable. Is this normal? On my "new to me" GSF650 the throttle is instant! Now when i ride the swing i really notice this.
I also have the throttle lock "cruise" and like the way i can quickly switch it between bikes if required for the longer trips.

If there is throttle cable slack---take it out---refer to shop manual, if lack of bike experience is the reason for riding around with lots of throttle slack. Take too much slack out and engine can speed up as you turn bars from right to left.

I use my throttle lock at all speeds when I need to give my hand a rest. I also use a wrist rest when on hilly stretches, or when behind drivers that haven't yet heard of cruise control.

I've had a few panic stops with the throttle lock and the wrist rest. Flipping the lever up on the throttle lock is second nature now, and I've positioned the wrist rest to the outer edge of the grip so that there is minimal interference when operating the controls.

I made extended (3") bar end weights that allow for more variety in hand position when riding for more than an hour or so.

I can't bring myself to riding commando, so perhaps my focus is not where it should be, but I'll get there.

My question still remains. . . un=answered. ; Let me ask another. Can I drill out the end of the handlebar with a 5/8 in bit to install this Kuryakyn throttle lock?

Darkeswinger wrote:

I can't bring myself to riding commando, so perhaps my focus is not where it should be, but I'll get there.

I know things often mean something different in American English and the proper English we British speak, but "riding commando" translates here to riding in no underwear!  

I'm with you Ron ... my sweetie and I love the Grip Puppies and we consider them one of the best things we ever bought riding-wise. ~ Bugjr ~

Meldrew, it means the same thing on this side of the pond. I think he is referring to John Gs style of riding.

I looked at a "fish plate schematic" of the Honda handle bar on the Swing today. It shows the handle bar has a threaded end but it is a separate part # from the handlebar. Tried to remove mine but it would not come out of end of handle bar. Any suggestions? "If" I could get that out I could use this throttle assist.

So now I have to wear underwear??

Magoo Triker

Magoo Triker wrote:

So now I have to wear underwear??

Magoo Triker

Not if you don't want to sit on seams.

john grinsel wrote:

Remember many bikes came with friction set screws----until the Safety idiots came along.....and more idiots started riding bikes....somebody had to watch  us---Triumph had maybe the best with chrome set knob.

The friction screws fitted to old British bikes were there so that (in the UK) the rider could control the rate of throttle shutdown when making a hand signal,either "I am about to turn right" or "I am slowing down",since the compulsory fitting of a brake light & the near universal adoption of direction indicators the use of the friction screw has been obviated & is thus no longer fitted.

Having had British/German/East German/ Japanese bikes/American bikes long after the directional lights became part of the package(1961?)-----I believe the friction on the throttle was there to keep throttle on, on long rides.`BMW fitted the shoe for many years and for many years all you had to do was add screw.

I have had one bike with factory cruise control=dangerous. If you were not paying attention it could give shot of gas just when you didn't need it.

john grinsel wrote:

 I have had one bike with factory cruise control=dangerous.   If you were not paying attention it could give shot of gas just when you didn't need it.

I won't buy a bike without cruise control in this area. Slowing down on a grade when the speed limit is 75 will get you it trouble real quick. People on cell phones, distracted drivers of 20 ton trucks don't see that small target in front of them. Don't live in the past, accept change, embrace the future and learn the new technology. It just may save your keister.

I will ask the question one more time. Has anyone ever drilled out the end of the handle bar so a Kuryakyn Throttle assist could be added to the Silverwing? If indeed the end can be drilled out with no problem, this assist will work very well. This assist can be installed on the Bergman 650 and it works well.

DaveR wrote:

I will ask the question one more time.  Has anyone ever drilled out the end of the handle bar so a Kuryakyn Throttle assist could be added to the Silverwing?   If indeed the end can be drilled out with no problem, this assist will work very well.  This assist can be installed on the Bergman 650 and it works well.

Since you're asking the same question for the third time and no one has answered, it's probably safe to say no one has.  

DaveR wrote:

I will ask the question one more time.  Has anyone ever drilled out the end of the handle bar so a Kuryakyn Throttle assist could be added to the Silverwing?   If indeed the end can be drilled out with no problem, this assist will work very well.  This assist can be installed on the Bergman 650 and it works well.

Yes, it is possible to drill out the bar end mounts. Dunno anyone who's done it though. And It's not likely to be anything that you'll be able to retrofit at a later time either.

Sorry if this is not the answer you are looking for. But it is what it is

DaveR wrote:

I looked at a "fish plate schematic" of the Honda handle bar on the Swing today.  It shows the handle bar has a threaded end but it is a separate part # from the handlebar.  Tried to remove mine but it would not come out of end of handle bar.  Any suggestions?  "If" I could get that out I could use this throttle assist.

Having a separate part number I would guess that it is a bonded in threaded insert,as pretty much any bonding agent can be broken down by heat,try removing the throttle tube,screw a bolt in,then heat the handlebar end gently with a blowlamp while pulling on the bolt with a pair of pliers,other than that you could try shocking it out with a slide hammer.

Thank you Cosmic Jumper. You are right. Once it is drilled out you cannot go back probably but I don't think you would want to. The Throttle Assist would be a permanent add.