Electronic Cruise Control installed! GS

Update - I have had a couple of rides on the R12GS adjusting the Rostra settings. Currently I'm at Low Gain and V6 Low Setup Timer and 8000ppm. Clutch cutout still didn't work on Manual mode so clearly something wrong there unfortunately.

It engages just above 60km/h but the take up is still too slow - eg may take 5secs to take up slack. Speed control is pretty good, drops a little up hills but no major issue.

So next step to try 6Cyl high or 4 Cyl low engine setup timers. I may also drop PPM to 6000 - this will reduce the minimum cruise actuation speed. In the past I've felt that higher PPMs provide smoother adjustments to cruise. Cheers

Mine is set at low gain. Higher gain causes hunting and jerkiness. Using V8 slow setting. It's a little slow to engage but holds speed to within 1-2 mph. It engages at about 25-30 mph. My 1150 doesn't have a VSS so I use a pickup and magnets in the brake disk mounting holes. Counts per mile is based on wheel diameter and magnet count. I used this number to program the Rostra PPM. Not sure what the pulse count per mile is on the 1200. Maybe someone knows...

Howdy
I measured/calculated it on the K1200S to be around 4900. That would mean that there are 6 pulses per tyre revolution. Rolling radius of the tyre is around 2 metres. Many run PPM at 6000, but you can run higher rates, but the minimum speed of engagement increases proportionately. Rostra does this deliberately to avoid herky jerky cruise engagement at low speeds, similar to OEM systems.

I think you could up your setup timer to at least V6 low setting to reduce the take up time. V8 low was VERY slow from what I could see when I tried it. Cheers.

Thank's for the good information. I've almost done the mechanical part.

Fastening the servo cable to bowden box I used two prowided lockwasher nuts, one on both sides. The cable sheath was cut by 45 mm. Using nuts also provide possibility to adjust the cable tightness later, if neccessary. I left a little bit slack to cable to insure, that it won't be too tight on idle. The cruise cable pulley will provide enough slack so the slack tube is not needed.

However, I ended up using GS bowden box, because found it easier to drill one hole on the GS's box than try two plug two extra holes on RT's box, the one of which was either round or square.



I almost used too much silicone when trying to get the control panel water tight. The engage light led got "half blind".



Only fastening the servo left. I will not fasten the servo under the horn bolt, but by two U-bolts under the "midle U-beam", frontside of the horn bolt. The servo will sit almost horisontal, the cable pointing front. So the dip swithes are easy accessible underneath, if neccessary.

Please share the dip switch settings that you found best. Mad Kaw also used 4, 9, 10, 11 on:
Extra low gain (1-2 off)
6000 ppm (4 on)
8 cyl high (9 on)
Square wave input (10 on)
Automatic transmission (11 on)

Due the winter it may take still a month before get a chance for a test ride.

Edit, also mounted servo today. Used an U-bolt to mount it under the "middle beam" between forks. I used also two cable ties on the back end to get the servo in a horizontal position where it doesn't touch brakelines. No problems so far. Electrical connections left for next weekend.

Nice solution for getting cable into Bowden box. It looks to me as if your Bowden box is not closed correctly though. There is a visible gap between the cover and the box. You need to squeeze it until the latch on the right catches.

As far as the settings are concerned, I used these, which seemed sensible after based on the Rostra manual:

1-on, 2-off, 3-off, 4-on, 5-off, 6-off, 7-off, 8-off, 9-off, 10-on, 11-off, 12-off

After hitting "SET", it takes about 1 second for mine to begin controlling the speed at the speed where I hit "SET". Holds dead on, easily within +/- 1 mph.

Why some set 11-on, which corresponds to the setting for a vehicle with an automatic transmission, is unclear to me. Perhaps someone can explain.

The relay for the violet wire's connection to the brake light does not seem to be necessary. Mine is connected directly to the brake light wire. Works fine. Others in this thread have done the same.

Yes I know the lid was open, had still to adjust the cable.



Do you have original or led brake light? Maybe led brake light will need a relay.



Does your clutch security switch work with these settings?

No to the LED. Mine has the original bulb type.

My clutch switch does work with those settings.

Those grips, are they OE? If not, where? Will they fit the 2001 GS OE bars?

That sounds logical for the brake switcht. With LED brakelight Rostra won't sense ground from gray/black/yellow wire when either brake is not pressed. With original bulb type brakelight it should sens ground when brake isn't pressed and 12 V when brake is pressed. That's why relay must be used with LED tail/brakelight. I'll still measure it, but don't have time before weekend.

That's goog news with clultch switch working, hopefully Kdawg get it also working.

The grips are from Nippys. They are much more comfortable than stock and are made from Neoprene. http://www.nippynormans.com/product...atihonda-kawasaki-suzuki-and-yamaha-gpb-ab-ss

Re the Automatic setting on the Rostra, refer p19 of the manual:

G.Light Green Neutral Safety (NSS)
The NSS function is a safety feature of the GlobalCruise.
If a vehicle with an automatic transmission is accidentally “knocked” into neutral while the vehicle is in motion and the GlobalCruise is active, the NSS wire, when connected, will disengage the GlobalCruise before engine over-rev. Connect this wire to a ground active wire when neutral safety switch is engaged. If the NSS wire is
not “hooked-up”, the cruise control will function; however the engine over-rev protection will be inactive; this is dangerous and not recommended. This wire terminates in the harness.

OK - but why is this switch turned on for installation on a motorcycle with manual transmission, especially when it is impossible to knock it into neutral when the cruise control is in use?

Hi Fused

I think you are missing the point. The Rostra doesn't know what gear you are in, nor does it care whether you have a regular automotive trans or motorcycle style one. It provides two cutout mechanisms. If you are in Manual Trans mode, it looks at the dark blue wire (Tach). If you select Auto trans it looks at the light green wire (NSS). Having said that the manual's wording could be a lot clearer...

The bottom line is the feature simply looks for a ground on the light green wire and if the cruise is active it will cancel it.

I'm not sure that your description of switch 11's function is correct. You are right about the manual - it could be clearer in places.

I have the dark blue grounded, the light green connected to my clutch switch, and switch 11 set to off (manual). With all wires connected, my unit passes the self diagnostic tests (section IX in manual), and works perfectly on the road. My understanding of the instructions is that this is the set up for manual transmission vehicles. On page 18, it states that one should ground the blue wire for manual transmissions. The light green wire, connected to the clutch on the GS, then serves the purpose of shutting the unit off if the clutch is disengaged. Of course, we don't use the rostra clutch disengagement switch kit. This setup works for me - pulling in the clutch disengages the Rostra as does activating either brake lever.

Ok so if you are in DIAGNOSTIC mode, and grab your clutch lever and pull it in, do you see the red LED light on the Rostra unit? Again the Rostra instructions seem to deliberately avoid describing this and tell you to connect the light green wire up after doing the other diagnostic tests. Clear as mud...lol...Cheers

That is correct. With switch 11 off (set to manual), dark blue wire grounded, and the light green switch wired into the clutch at the handle bar (as done by Mad Kaw) activating the clutch OR the brake flashes the led when in diagnostic mode.

I looked over the manual for the Rostra Clutch Disengagement switch (250-4206). This switch is placed in series with the brake light switch on a car. Both are connected to the violet (brake) wire with the other end at ground.

Basically, I tried to follow the instructions that seemed sensible for a manual transmission, but the instructions get a little murky with regard to the light green wire.

So you grounded Dark blue (tach signal) wire? Mad Kaw said "not used" for Dark blue.

And connected Light Green to Black/Green wire of clutch switch. And the clutch safety switch worked?

Hi Guys

Some humble pie to be eaten, but also some cautionary notes.
Whilst I opened up the BMSK loom, and buzzed out from clutch lever to pin 48, I couldn't get off the housing easily. The first Black/Green wire I found I assumed was the correct one, and went about soldering that up to the Light Green NSS wire. Stupid me, I should have checked that was at ground potential with the clutch in.

Little did I realise that there is also a similar Green/Black wire in the BMSK loom which actually is +12V for Cylinder 2's Coil on Plug...:eek1 - clearly providing +12V when the light green wire is looking for ground isn't going to cancel anything...

Also the clutch switch with my Pazzos wasn't engaging until I readjusted the lever span, which then led me into readjusting the clutch switch position. I couldn't get it to trigger at any less than about 60% lever throw.

To save removing the tank again, I just took the connection from the clutch switch directly and passed it back to the Rostra.

It passed the diagnostic test and I suspect it will all work just fine now for clutch cutout. Hope that helps someone from the few hours lost tonight working out what I did wrong...

I hadn't grounded the dark blue wire but since I was there I did that too for good measure. Cheers.

Some notes on tuning also

Today I rode with the following main settings:
*Low Gain
*4 Cyl Low engine timer
*6000 ppm

General performance was very good. Take up took 1-2s and was pretty smooth. Speed control was good. However I did notice at low cruise speeds circa 40mph/65kmh that there was some surging on/off that was a little annoying. I am going to to try 8000ppm again as I don't recall it doing that with the higher setting. One could argue 40mph/65kmh isn't really a suitable cruise speed but with the various speed cameras here it's certainly useful in 60km/h zones.

Certainly works well though as-is.

The Rostra seems extremely sensitive to the gain setting. I experience hunting at anything other than extra low gain. When the weather breaks, I'm going to try a different engine timer setting, and maybe jack up ppm from 6K/mile to 8K/mile. I've got engine timer on V8 low, which makes it a bit slow to engage.

Yes, as the Rostra manual says with regard to the dark blue wire. Followed Mad Kaw's instructions for the clutch wire - black/green on clutch to light green.

I use one single ground for the whole system. All grounded wires go to that ground, which is then connected to the ground strip of my Fuzeblock unit. Generally good with electronics to use one ground, rather than multiple ones, which can lead to ground loops.