Fitting Cruise Control by Rowlf & Tigger

[anon]

YAMAHA DIVERSION CLUB
TECHNICAL LIBRARY
ARTICLE 03/04 - FITTING A MECHANICAL CRUISE CONTROL
Compiled from postings by rowlf and tigger

I have just fitted a cruise control unit (part number 500 625 'Yam Clip-on Cruise Control' from M & P) to my 900 Diversion, although it should fit the 600 just as well..
Cost was £18.90 inc delivery.
It was a long time backorder so you might have to pay a bit more, or not ?

It is a simple friction device on the throttle grip. Push a lever and a 'cam' on the lever tightens the 'cruise control' unit, squeezing the throttle twist grip and 'locks' the throttle open in the desired position.

It took a bit of work to get it to fit as it is supplied for a twin throttle cable Yamaha but the Diversion cable where it fits on to the bars is a one piece moulded unit i.e. you can't see the individual cables. Therefore the supplied clip would not work as it is supposed to clip round the bottom cable. I had to make one up but it was not too difficult. Also the plastic on the inside of the unit was a bit rough and had to be cleaned, as I found out after wasting half an hour trying to adjust the friction grip. One I cleaned it up everything worked perfectly though.

In use the unit works brilliantly. Thumb the lever and the throttle locks in any position you want. Push the lever back (I use my forefinger) and the throttle snaps shut and works as normal. As it is only a friction device the throttle can still be moved slightly to adjust speed whilst 'locked' or pushed completely shut in an emergency without having to unlock the control unit lever first.

This would be a good fitment for anyone who travels long distances or who suffers from pin-and-needles. Recommended, despite the need to faff around making a new clip and cleaning up their moulding lines.

Below is a link to a template to help you to cut your own bracket.

It is in Adobe PDF format so it will print out at the right size. If you have the Acrobat print setting set right (see text in the PDF file) !

www.yamahadiversions.com/images/ForumFiles/bracket.pdf

I made my bracket out of a bit of stainless steel I had lying around. It actually came from inside a computer (mounting plate for a hard disc) so like XJ900 Thomson I have found a use for old, knackered computers.

Doing our bit for recycling and all that ;-)

The supplied retaining clip (on the left) is no good though, I had to make one. The nylon washer (bottom right) is supplied cut, so the unit can be fitted without having to remove the handlebar grip. The unit opens up to allow fitment without having to remove the throttle grip. NOTE: the plastic was a bit rough on the inside as each half of the 'clamp' is formed in two parts, (i.e. four parts) then joined.There was a flange (swage line ?) where they joined. This initially prevented the grip working properly as it was impossible to adjust correctly. Once I cleaned up the plastic with a stanley knife and some 1500 grade wet and dry paper everything worked as intended. Gripped the throttle open when 'locked' and let the throttle snap shut when 'unlocked'.

This is the bracket I made up to hold the unit in place. (note: it is far from finished here, so looks a bit rough) It is actually stronger than the one they supply as it fits to both screws and the metal is a bit thicker. The metal must not be too thick though, as it needs to bend round the throttle grip unit casing. You can see that this bracket is already bent by a trial fitment. Showing my bracket holding the unit in place. Basically it simply stops the 'cruise control' unit from rotating when you twist the throttle. When you lock the 'cruise control' unit by pressing the lever it clamps the throttle twist grip inner sleeve and stops it rotating too. It works well in practice, although it does take a bit of adjusting to get it just right. You can see a washer between the twist grip (Oxford foam grip) and the cruise control unit. I actually used the one that came with the Oxford grips as it was already fitted.

Lever pressed down, throttle locked in the desired position.

NOTE: Even in this position it is still possible to twist the grip to adjust speed or turn the throttle completely off. Flip the lever backwards, the clamp releases the twist grip and the throttle works as normal, you would not even know the cruise control is there.

Also supplied in the kit is a neat little screwdriver to fit to your keyring should the friction setting need to be altered at any time. Whilst stopped of course !


This can also be used on the 600

600 Mod. Used Rowlf's drawing for this. Only prob is you need to drill right through the throttle body to fit the bracket.The 900 is screwed from the rear of the throttle body. Spacers needed to hold bracket in correct position. I used washers as this was all there was to hand. Do the job though. Note the bolt and nylock nut going all the way through the body.