GSA Throttle lock vs. elec. cruise control

[zman1968]

Hi guys,

Can anyone vouch for throttle locks "that work" for the R1200GSA? I used a Throttlemeister for my Yamaha FJR, but it eventually slips and requires my intermittent adjustment/attention every 5 minutes. No bueno....

Also, might anyone have an electronic cruise control set up for the GSA??? Any experience on the difficulty/cost in setting those up vs. cheaper cost/install of throttle locks?

All input gratefully appreciated. Cheers, mates.

[marc]

There is a very expensive ($1000+ ?) after market cruise control. Don't remember the name, but some googling of "r1200gs cruise control" will probably find it. The cheapest thing I've read of is this:

http://www.2wheelride.com/throttle_pro.html

I use the Kaoko throttle lock on my bike. It is good enough for my needs. If I didn't already have it I'd probably throw $20 at the above just to see how well it works.

[zman1968]

Thanks Marc,

Yeah, I was thinking about a grand on the cruise, and it's just really pricy for me at the moment.

Does your Kaoko throttle lock slip at all, like my Throttlemeister does?

Thanks for the link. What a simple design that thing is. Just wondering if it will clear my handguard before it rests on the lever.

Cheers

[marc]

Kaoko slippage depends upon how tight it is. I can tighten it enough to not slip, but it then takes a lot of work to move the throttle. Also, there's alway an issue with heated grips. A light amount of drag will turn into a lot of drag if I turn the grip heaters on and the grips expand in the heat.

I saw a picture of the cheap thing on a GS with hand guards. Don't know if it was the new style or old style hand guards, though.

[zman1968]

I noticed on their website that they have small and large ones, so I thought 'what the hell' and bought a small one. Cheap investment, IMO. I've done much worse.

Thanks.

[TomDac]

+1 for Kaoko.

[mikec]

MC Cruise, http://www.mccruise.com/BMW-Motorcyc...e-Control.html, makes a very nice unit and I purchased one for my then brand new '09 GSA for around $1100. I knew I didn't want to install it so I took it to my dealer. A BMW master tech looked over the directions, said he could do it, but it would take 10+ hours. The directions indicate that, by the way. At $90 an hour . . . well, you see where this was going. I decided to send the unit back as I had not unpacked anything. The exchange rate changed and, with the charges getting it back to Australia, it cost me a tad over $400 to find all this stuff out. I bought a Kaoko throttle lock, rode the GSA from NC to CA and back, and couldn't be happier.

Mike

[zman1968]

Damn, Mike... that's some major bucks!! What a shame it cost ya so much to unwind it. Thanks, that's quite a story! I will seriously check out the "Karaoke" model.

Cheers~

[mikec]

Originally Posted by zman1968

Damn, Mike... that's some major bucks!! What a shame it cost ya so much to unwind it. Thanks, that's quite a story! I will seriously check out the "Karaoke" model.

Cheers~

Yeah, live and learn, huh?

Mike

[zman1968]

Yeah, you said a mouthful. A couple bucks lost is an infinitely better lesson learned than high siding over a guard rail, etc.

I have a loosely similar story and it will make you feel better. In 2005, I bought a brand new Honda Shadow/Sabre 1100 cruiser, put Vance & Hines Longshots on it, bags, windshield, etc. Long story short, it just wasn't doing it for me and I sold it 4 months after I bought it with only 1850 miles on it... and (drum-roll please)...I lost roughly $5K on it...

That stung, but my 2005 FJR-1300A helped heal my wounds.