Harley's Cruise Control Kit
Hot Rod's Bike Works

Tiny Robots Give the Gas
writer: John Gilbert
photographer: John Gilbert


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Quoting from Harley-Davidson's (http://hotrodsbikeworks.com/tech/0507hrb_harley_cruise_control_kit/index.html#) 2005 edition of its parts and accessories catalog regarding its cruise control kits available for all touring models, "For long distance runs, there's nothing better than letting your bike do all the work. Introduced for '02-and-later models, this cruise control kit puts you just minutes away from true touring bliss. Simply install the new hand controls and module, and you're ready to roll. No splicing into the wiring harness or taking off the tank to install. Kit includes updated switch housings, module, and all necessary hardware." What they don't tell you is how funny it is to install one on a built 103-inch Road King and then play follow the leader with a pack of unsuspecting friends. Our friend "Clean" Dean has a 103-inch Road King with cruise control on it, and he loves to set it at 80 mph through semi-winding mountainous sections of the interstate and then watch the poor bastards behind as they try to stay with him.

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Another good feature about cruise control (http://hotrodsbikeworks.com/tech/0507hrb_harley_cruise_control_kit/index.html#) surfaces when you have a pesky cop on your ass that's trying to catch you speeding. It totally eliminates the paranoia associated with trying to maintain an even keel while attempting to pay attention to the road. We enlisted the help of Ron Bartel's at Bartel's' Harley-Davidson in Marina Del Rey, California, to have his crew install our kit and reveal to our readers a few installation tips that aren't in the shop manual. Oh yeah, one more thing. Every new Road King that rolls off the line in York comes pre-wired with an electrical connector and all of the necessary holes already in place so that all you have to do is hang the cruise control unit in place and go...or should we say cruise?

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3. The next step was to disconnect the negative battery cable and then the positive cable. With this done, he then extracted the battery with the aid of a hook awl.


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4. In the battery box on the left side there are three pre drilled holes for mounting the cruise control unit.


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5. With the mounting holes identified, Chris attached the cruise cable to the unit and installed the three grommets on the studs with small diameters outward.


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6. n order to correctly route the cruise control cable,Chris held the module in a place near where it would be mounted and fed the cable through the hole in the frame cross member plate...


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7. ...and routed it under the rear spark plug wire, continuing on the inward side of the fuel line and surrounding parts.



CONTINUED

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8. Before carefully curving the cable and routing it up under the fuel tank and over the top of the motor stabilizer bracket, Chris unbolted the rear of the gas tank and propped it up as far from the frame as possible.


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9. This made it possible to gain easier access and ensured the cable could be positioned past the aforementioned parts and between the cylinder heads.


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10. Chris then obtained a harness retainer,identified as part number (4), from the kit's included hardware and attached it to the crossmember plate. Then he routed the cable through the harness retainer.


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11. In order to prepare for the next step, he clipped the wire ties holding the main wiring harness to the frame tube above the module's mounting spot. Next, he removed the fuse block cover and located the connector plug to connect the module into.


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12. Chris used the three flanged locknut's (two pictured) included in the kit to mount the module by tightening them onto the three studs on the battery box...


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13. ...and then applied dielectric grease to the connector and plugged it into the module..


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14. With the module bolted in place and the cruise cable routed between the heads, Chris attached the cable to the induction module.

CONTINUED

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15. Before removing the old handlebar control, A 1/4-inch lock washer (5/32-inch) was inserted between the brake lever and lever bracket to prevent any damage to the front brake light switch.


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16. Using a T27 TORX driver, Chris removed the two screws that clamped the brake master to the handlebar. He used a cable tie to suspend the brake master out of the way. Using a T25 TORX driver, he removed the switch housing screws, then removed the friction shoe from the tension adjuster screw.


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17. The brass ferrules were then removed from the notches on the inboard side of the throttle grip. We saved the ferrules for reuse.


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18. To remove the gold idle cable insert and the silver throttle cable from the lower switch housing, Chris applied penetrating oil and then used a rocking motion to pull them off.


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19. He was now able to remove both cables from the switch housing, then separate the switch halves.


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20. At this point Chris removed the nacelle by removing the riser cover, center strip molding, and then the left and right sides.

CONTINUED

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21. He then traced the right side (black) electrical connector and the left (grey) electrical connector and disconnected both of them.


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22. With all of the old parts removed, Chris then held the new right handlebar and harness assembly in their place and plugged the new six-pin connector into where the four-pin was unplugged.


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23. Reversing the order in which the old parts were removed, Chris installed the new parts.


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24. For the left side, Chris repeated the same steps as the right side but used the gray plug.


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25. With all of the connections plugged in and routed properly, Chris then reinstalled the nacelle and windshield.


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26. The only thing left to do was perform the cruise cable adjustment (referred to as cable lash adjustment in the service manual) and then go find a cop to follow him around on his test ride.


Here's the factory installation sheets from older model bikes.

http://www.box.net/shared/iv2bnues2d (http://www.box.net/shared/iv2bnues2d)