Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => Accessories and modifications - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: Blazerkane52 on January 23, 2014, 12:16:18 PM
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I have a 09 Connie. My wife and I travel quite abit and I am noticing that as I get older that my throttle hand and arm tingle and go numb after about 100 miles or so. Was wondering what has been tried and works as far as a cruise control? Have tried the hand heel rest on the grip and it helped but would like another option.
Thanks
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Throttlemeister - http://throttlemeister.com/ (http://throttlemeister.com/) (I use to have this one installed but really only works well for me on very flat interstates)
Rostra - http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=369 (http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=369) (haven't had the pleasure)
MCcruise - http://www.mccruise.com/collections/kawasaki/products/27 (http://www.mccruise.com/collections/kawasaki/products/27) :yikes:
There may be one other one but try as I might, I can't think of the name..well that certainly hurt my brane.
I think that's it but there may be more...
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Those and the new Murph's 'Audiovox' style, vacuum operated version that used to be the CSS 100 model when Audiovox sold it. A couple of folks have jammed them onto C-14's apparently successfully. But those are the basic three, Murph's, Rostra and McCruise.
Brian
Throttlemeister - http://throttlemeister.com/ (http://throttlemeister.com/) (I use to have this one installed but really only works well for me on very flat interstates)
Rostra - http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=369 (http://www.murphskits.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=369) (haven't had the pleasure)
MCcruise - http://www.mccruise.com/collections/kawasaki/products/27 (http://www.mccruise.com/collections/kawasaki/products/27) :yikes:
There may be one other one but try as I might, I can't think of the name..well that certainly hurt my brane.
I think that's it but there may be more...
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Get the right size of O-ring. Cheap and easy.
(http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k434/davidmeyers/geo2oring.jpg) (http://media.photobucket.com/user/davidmeyers/media/geo2oring.jpg.html)
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I just emailed McCruise to see it they would do a group buy?
This is the only option left that I care to get.
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This is the only option left that I care to get.
I would want a non-vacuum system; one that is servo controlled. Much smaller, no leaking, less complexity, etc. Can't remember which one that is at the moment...
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Rostra is servo controlled. On my list of things to do to the bike once I get back to the mainland. Doesn't make much sense here.
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Rostra is servo controlled.
Yeah, that is the one. THAT one sounds far more interesting, to me anyway.
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To no one in particular: there is a little confusion here regarding 'servo'. No cruise control is servo controlled. A servo is something that goes to a specific place in a specific motion profile (velocity, acceleration) based on feedback of a 'watching' mechanism separate from the actuator but attached to it.
I think what some of you might mean by 'servo' is all- electric, non- vacuum driven. The Rostra is actuated by an electric motor although it is not a servo. Murph's and McCruise are actuated by vacuum motors (specifically diagram motors) but electronic regarding control.
Of course the Rostra, being all- electric in operation as well as the actual actuator (the thing that actually moves the throttle) does not require any vacuum connections or storage tanks.
Hope this clarifys the terminology a bit.
Brian
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Soooo is the Rostra system better than the McCruise ?
or ...
I got a reply from McCruise they would only do a 5% reduction .
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Soooo is the Rostra system better than the McCruise ?
or ...
"Better" is a relative term. That is like asking if red is better than blue. As I most already said, a motor (was servo) activated system *TECHNOLOGY* will better than a vacuum activated system because it will be smaller, more reliable, easier to install, etc. But that doesn't mean the Rostra is "better" than the McCruise. This completely ignores price, ease of KIT to install, instructions, support, warranty, design and reliability of all other components.
I got a reply from McCruise they would only do a 5% reduction .
Meh.
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I installed a Rostra kit on my 2008 C-14, and then later transferred the whole works over to my 2010 C-14. In the bang for buck category, this thing can't be beat...it just works. I think it was $240 bucks from Murphs...can't remember if that included the little aluminum mounting plate for the keypad or not, but whatever...it was $20 bucks.
I've done a lot of hwy running, so I've put a lot of miles on this cruise system, and it has performed very well.
The only 'issue' I had with it was last year, after riding in the rain for several days straight, I believe some water must have gotten inside the keypad and the cruise did kick on unexpectedly one time. It scared the poop out of me, but it was also a lesson learned...I had had the keypad activated in the 'on' position, so it was ready to go, and it shouldn't have been. Once I turned it off, it was fine after that. I spent the next day riding in blistering heat, and the keypad dried out on it's own and has been fine ever since.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd give the Rostra kit a 9/10. Without BDF's install instructions, I'd give it a 5/10.
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I installed a Rostra kit on my 2008 C-14, and then later transferred the whole works over to my 2010 C-14. In the bang for buck category, this thing can't be beat...it just works. I think it was $240 bucks from Murphs...can't remember if that included the little aluminum mounting plate for the keypad or not, but whatever...it was $20 bucks.
I've done a lot of hwy running, so I've put a lot of miles on this cruise system, and it has performed very well.
The only 'issue' I had with it was last year, after riding in the rain for several days straight, I believe some water must have gotten inside the keypad and the cruise did kick on unexpectedly one time. It scared the poop out of me, but it was also a lesson learned...I had had the keypad activated in the 'on' position, so it was ready to go, and it shouldn't have been. Once I turned it off, it was fine after that. I spent the next day riding in blistering heat, and the keypad dried out on it's own and has been fine ever since.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd give the Rostra kit a 9/10. Without BDF's install instructions, I'd give it a 5/10.
+1 I've had it on the bike for 2 years or more and it has worked flawless.
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Better.... I do not think so. In fact I believe the McCruise is probably more steady and even than the Rostra installed on a C-14.
But they really are quite different units with very different installations and cost. I have not looked in a while but a McCruise was around $1,000 or a tad more in the US. The Rostra is around $200 plus control switch for a total of well under $250 total.
The installs are quite different also. While both are pretty involved and will take some time as well as removing a lot of fairings, the McCruise is made to fit the C-14 and very little guessing on customization is needed (maybe a couple of cut and spliced wires but no more). The Rostra is a general CC kit, made to fit about everything in the world and needs to be adapted to the C-14 by the installer; this requires a lot of custom wiring as well as some light fabrication and a fair amount of attention to detail. In short, the installation is very much in the installer's hands with the Rostra and it is by no means a 'kit for the C-14'.
The Rostra is also imperfect in regulating speed at low vehicle speeds and can be a bit jerky, again at low speeds. That said, it does work quite well on the highway where most people want to use it and actually use it.
One final thing: you will get a fair amount of support and help from places like this forum, and I will help if I can regarding the Rostra installation but unless one is pretty able mechanically as well as electrically, it can be a challenge and frustrating to install because it is not for the C-14 but generic and the installer has to figure out a lot of the nuances that go with installing one. The McCruise on the other hand, is made for the C-14 and sold to be used on motorcycles and that means you will get good customer support from McCruise directly. Rostra will not support any non- auto installations anymore.
My suggestion would be to read about various installations of both units and make a careful, informed decision.
Brian
Soooo is the Rostra system better than the McCruise ?
or ...
I got a reply from McCruise they would only do a 5% reduction .
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Better.... I do not think so. In fact I believe the McCruise is probably more steady and even than the Rostra installed on a C-14.
For what it's worth, my friend Larry and I did an 8500 mile trip, coast to coast Canada and USA in two weeks, on matching 08 Concours-14's, one with Rostra (mine) and one with McCruise (his).
Anybody familiar with the entire middle sections of both countries...lol, knows there is a whole lotta flatness. We did tank after tank after tank with our cruise controls on. On flat ground, once we got them synchronized, the stayed together bang on, for hundreds of miles...neither one gaining on the other.
What I did notice however, was on long uphill grades, that the Rostra would slowly gain on the McCruise. I'm not talking much here...lets say, on a long uphill grade...maybe a mile or two, that the Rostra would gain two bike lengths on the McCruise. On flat, level ground, they would stay neck and neck, all day long.
Just an observation...nothing more. Like I said, for the most part, they would stay neck and neck even, all day long. Pretty neat, considering they're both completely different kits. One would assume that they'd each require periodic adjustments to keep the same speed, but I can say with 100% certainty, that they would stay together all day long, for the most part.
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The MCCruise requires no wire modification and their customer service can't be beat. Their unit comes as a plug and play cruise control. The directions are very clear and the complete system is very wellthought out. It uses existing mounting holes and bolts and supplies any that are needed if different. For the quality involved I think they are the best one out there even for the money.
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The MCCruise requires no wire modification and their customer service can't be beat. Their unit comes as a plug and play cruise control. The directions are very clear and the complete system is very wellthought out. It uses existing mounting holes and bolts and supplies any that are needed if different. For the quality involved I think they are the best one out there even for the money.
Yes, sure, for plug-n-play, McCruise is the only way to go. It's not that the McCruise performs any better than the Rostra, but it may very well be easier to install. If you don't mind tackling a little bit of wiring and initial set-up, the Rostra kit is $750-$800 dollars less than the McCruise, so that is worth taking into consideration when comparing the two. Plug-N-play is nice, but for the guys that don't mind a little bit of extra work, the Rostra kit offers huge value for the money.
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Do we know any gadet guy around here that would market a plug and play harness for the rostra?
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Do we know any gadet guy around here that would market a plug and play harness for the rostra?
Talk to BDF, but I expect that if he has not done it by now, that he has no plans to.
The wiring for the Rostra kit is actually pretty simple...other than tapping into the VSS, the clutch signal, and brake light signal, you're using the bike's accessory plugs.
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Yes, sure, for plug-n-play, McCruise is the only way to go. It's not that the McCruise performs any better than the Rostra, but it may very well be easier to install. If you don't mind tackling a little bit of wiring and initial set-up, the Rostra kit is $750 dollars or more less money, so that is worth taking into consideration when comparing the two. Plug-N-play is nice, but for the guys that don't mind a little bit of extra work, the Rostra kit offers huge value for the money.
I paid $240 from murphskits.com
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Bingo! It is like forum ventriloquism: I can drink a glass of water while Cory posts what I would have answered! :rotflmao:
I think the 'kit' to use a Rostra on any specific bike would be too expensive to sell very well. And unless it was a complete kit (mechanical, electrical, everything and nicely done), it would leave a lot of people with 1/2 or 1/3 of a solution. And I know the complete kit would be too expensive.
This kind of stuff is 'semi- custom' at best and outright custom at worst and both make a horrible marketing situation, especially for a one or two person company.
Brian
Talk to BDF, but I expect that if he has not done it by now, that he has no plans to.
The wiring for the Rostra kit is actually pretty simple...other than tapping into the VSS, the clutch signal, and brake light signal, you're using the bike's accessory plugs.
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I miss- read that too at first but he said- "the Rostra kit is $750 dollars or more less money", meaning the difference in cost between the Rostra and the McCruise is $750 or more.
Murph's CC (same as the Audiovox CCS100): $180 (not sure if that is complete)
Rostra CC w/ switch: around $200, depending on where you buy it and which switch you buy: $240 from Murph w/ switch
McCruise: Just under $1,000 US at the current exchange rate (Australian unit).
Being able to actually get some sleep while riding on the highway: Priceless!
Brian
I paid $240 from murphskits.com
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I miss- read that too at first but he said- "the Rostra kit is $750 dollars or more less money", meaning the difference in cost between the Rostra and the McCruise is $750 or more.
I still have trouble putting my thoughts into words. I knew what I meant...lol.
It made perfect sense when I read it, but now...it does not. ;)
Edit: I fixed it. 8)
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ill stick to my O-ring...did a run fuel run from knoxville to florence, ky and i be i only had to adjust the throttle 4 or 5 times
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ill stick to my O-ring...did a run fuel run from knoxville to florence, ky and i be i only had to adjust the throttle 4 or 5 times
Must be INCREDIBLY flat there, then...
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Must be INCREDIBLY flat there, then...
fairly flat but we were keeping about a 85 pace so the revs were up too
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The Rostra is the best way to go IMHO. While not perfect, and requiring a little work I will say I am please with the performance. Its far and above any throttle locking mechanism.
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U (http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U)
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The price of the McCruise has come down because of the exchange rate, they told me they would give us a extra 5% off and we could save on shipping if we pair up on shipping , send two units to one location, the new price is under $900. I plan on keeping this bike FOREVER :D
I don't want second best , or something that does not like getting wet, If you know what the weather is like in south Florida in the summertime you might understand ;)
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I bought my Mccruise from a u.s. dealer in OK: http://www.knmotorcycles.com/index.htm (http://www.knmotorcycles.com/index.htm)
Two years ago it was cheaper than buying direct from factory