Rostra Electronic Cruise Control Installation

[builderbob]

Thank you Bob. Very nicely done. I will put this in the How to "Index". I'm a little hesitant to do it myself, but may try as you have documented the steps and provided pictures. May be a good winter project.

Thank you. It is a little involved, but for someone who likes to tinker and would like to save some $$$ over upcoming alternatives, it's a worthy project.
 

[panooch]

Another thank you for your efforts Bob.

[peporter]

Bob, did you by any chance hang out on the V Strom forums and do a Rostra for them also?
 

[builderbob]

Bob, did you by any chance hang out on the V Strom forums and do a Rostra for them also?

No, that wasn't me.  I did it on an 07 FJR though, and on several other vehicles of the 4-wheel variety. 

[builderbob]

Here's some information about how to configure the relay that is required, because of the LED brake light, to enable the disengage function of the Rostra system when the brakes are applied.
 
There are two wires on the Rostra harness associated with this function. One is red and the other is purple. The red wire has a 4 amp in-line fuse near the end.
 
You will have to locate the wires that come from the rear brake switch. Fortunately, I have already done this for you! If you'll go back several posts to the video walk-around of the installation, you'll see that near the top of the rear shock there is a white 2-wire connector. This is where the rear brake switch connects to the bike's main harness. There is a yellow wire and a brown wire. One wire is always hot with the ignition on and the other is not (unless the brake is pressed). I don't remember exactly which is which now and the bike is back together so I can't check. Just use a multimeter to confirm which wire is always hot.  I'm pretty sure that it's the brown one though.
 
On to the relay.
 
I used a 5-pin automotive type relay. Easily available from most auto parts stores. You'll need the corresponding socket that it plugs into as well; also available at the auto parts store.
 
All 5-pin relays of this sort have the pins numbered the same. Look on the spade side of the relay and you'll see numbers molded into the plastic.
 
Here's a helpful diagram from the Rostra web site:
 

 
From the relay, the wires from pins 86 and 30 can be twisted together and connected to ground.
 
Run a new wire from pin 85 to the "cold" side of the brake switch. I used a posi-tap for this connection.
 
Pin 87A connects to the purple wire from the Rosta harness.
 
Pin 87 is not used and you can trim off the wire for it.
 
The red wire from the Rostra harness with the 4 amp in-line fuse connects to the "hot" side of the brake switch. Another posi-tap used here.
 
 
Note: Except for connections I made with posi-taps, I made solder connections and used heat shrink tubing to insulate all splices.
Also, make sure that you have enough length in your wires to be able to locate the relay in an accessible, but out of the way area.

[builderbob]

[strong]Dip Switch settings[/strong][strong]
[/strong]As base settings, I used the settings described here for installation on a 2014 FJR.  They seem to work for the FJ-09, although I may do some fiddling with them later after I've had more time to see how the unit reacts to hills.
There are 12 switches.  "Off" is down toward the end of the actuator where the harness and cable exit.
The first 2 deal with "gain".  These switches determine how quickly the unit responds to road conditions and grade.  Both switches #1 & #2 are [strong]off[/strong] for "extra-low".
Switches 3 through 6 are for setting the pulses per mile/kilometer.  Mine are all [strong]on[/strong] for 38,600/24,000
Switches 7, 8 & 9 are for engine/setup timer.  I these switches determine how quickly the unit will take up the cable once the cruise is set.  Mine are all [strong]off[/strong] for "8 cylinder low".
Switch 10 determines the type of speed signal.  Set it to [strong]on[/strong] for "square wave".
Switch 11 selects the type of transmission.  Set it [strong]off[/strong] for "manual"
Switch 12 selects the type of control pad you are using.  Most are the "open" type.  If yours is [strong]open[/strong], set the switch [strong]off[/strong].  If [strong]closed[/strong], set it [strong]on[/strong].
 
 
At this point, I think I have covered most of the details of installation.  Between this thread and the instructions that come with the Rostra unit, there should be enough information for someone who feels comfortable attempting this project.  In my view, there is little chance that you will make a catastrophic mistake in the process.
If you have questions along the way, I'll try to answer them.

[builderbob]

I went on a ride through Florida 'hill country' (LOL) today to see how the unit responded to changes in grade. On hills with a noticeable decent after the assent, the unit surged and hunted for the proper set speed once back on a reasonably level stretch of road. A couple of times I had to disengage it because it was getting ridiculous. So, when I got back I did a little more studying about the dip switch settings.
Switch settings were ok, so I turned my attention to cable slack, which there was too much of.  See below.
 
 

[builderbob]

Turned out that my problem wasn't the dip switch settings. Seems the cable stop method that I used to prevent the actuator cable sheathing from being pulled inside the PEX cable guide didn't hold so well and allowed too much slack to develop in the cable itself. There should be no slack at all. That said, you have to make sure that the throttle can close all of the way and that the actuator cable length is adjusted to permit that.
 
So, I had to find a different way to anchor the cable.
 
On the frame, there are several locations where the metal was injected into the mold during casting. The frame is pretty thick in these areas and the surface is nice and flat and circular in shape. Just right for drilling and tapping a hole for mounting a cable clamp. One of them is right where I need it.
 

 
The Rostra unit comes with hardware for lots of mounting situations (on cars). One of the cable clamps is sized to grip the cable sheathing tightly when tightened down snug with a screw. After drilling & tapping the hole, I found a screw of the proper length, added the clamp, a couple of washers and a generous amount of lock-tight. Snugged it all down and that cable isn't going anywhere.
 

 
Before tightening it down, I checked and re-checked to make sure that I had the cable slack adjusted out and that the throttle was able to close all of the way. Pretty sure that I have this thing dialed in pretty well now.

[builderbob]

Removed irrelevant info

[berryber]

Great post, thanks

[mickanic]

What is the 2 Pin White connector (MT-090) shown above the Fuse Block used for?