I recently took my longest motorcycle ride in 5 years. After many long straight shots of roads, I wondered if motorcycles have cruise control and if it could put it on older motorcycles.
Older motorcycles do not have cruise control. You may add similar features to cruise control to motorcycles such as a throttle lock. Some newer motorcycles have cruise control similar to your car.
There are a few reasons older motorcycles do not have cruise control when similar year cars do. Yet as technology has advanced, many other features we see on cars have transferred over to motorcycling. Cruise control is one of the more recent features.
To get the ball rolling here are a few of the more popular motorcycles with cruise control.
| Motorcycles with Cruise Control |
| KTM 1290’s Super Adventure |
| BMW K 1600 GTL |
| BMW R1200 GS |
| BMW S1000XR |
| Yamaha FJR1300ES |
| Triumph Tiger Explorer |
| Ducati 959 Panigale |
| Suzuki Bandit 1250S |
5 Reasons People Like Cruise Control On Motorcycles
Since you likely googled this question, you’re wondering or thinking it may be a good feature to have on your bike. Here are a few reasons people like it.
- To avoid hand cramps
- To reduce fatigue.
- To improve fuel mileage.
- Ideal for bumpy roads.
Motorcycle Cruise Control to Avoid Hand Cramps
Inevitably it will happen on any long trip, your hands will get a cramp. A few motorcycle riders that I have spoken to enjoy their cruise control because they feel it reduces hand cramps they experience on longer trips.
Well, I cannot speak from extensive experience from riding motorcycles with cruise control, but I can tell you these riders don’t feel the constant need to move their wrist and it’s twisting fashion to adjust their speed. This is what they feel is the biggest contributing factor to hand cramps after a long time in the seat.
I must note these riders are a little older. We know that as we get older, our bodies change and get tired more quickly. As a middle-aged rider, I don’t know that having cruise control is the greatest way to prevent hand cramps. Okay, maybe if you are a new rider.
The best way I’ve found to avoid hand cramps without cruise control, is knowing how to grip your throttle properly. Specifically, when you know that you’re on a long stretch roll I reach me hand forward gripping the throttle appropriately in a position where my wrist will be neutral. Look at the above picture.
If you are, the throttle needs to be pulled back a quarter of a turn. Reach your hand forward and twist the throttle back so that your hand is flat and then in a comfortable position. This will help you avoid cramps when you’re spending long time periods in this idle and do not have cruise control.
Reducing Fatigue With Motorcycle Cruise Control
Another benefit with cruise control is reducing fatigue. Similarly to reducing hand cramps, fatigue can be a big factor with people wanting to have cruise control. Again, that’s typically come from spending long amounts of time riding, taking no breaks.
By having cruise control on the motorcycle it allows you to not group the throttle as much or rather not have a death grip on it. Your muscles will not spend as much energy by keeping up a light and flexible grip. This does not mean being crazy but keeping enough of a grip to maintain proper control of your bike.
I have found if you properly position your wrist and you’ve practiced the technique mentioned above, you can still have a loose, flexible grip keeping your arm in a comfortable position. This allows you to not put a lot of strain on yourself and in effect that’s reducing fatigue.
Improving Fuel Mileage with Cruise Control On Your Motorcycle
This is the best reason to have cruise control on your motorcycle. We know that using your cruise control proves your fuel mileage. In fact, I found that my Jeep cruise control gets me another three to five miles per gallon on long highway drives. On the motorcycle, I cannot speak to the actual mileage increase, but considering a computer is taking over, it will be more efficient than your manual inputs.
When do you know that having or using cruise control in close-quarter riding is not a good idea? It pains me to even have to say this, but I’ve had conversations with individuals who try to put on the cruise control as much as they can. This includes riding in urban and suburban areas.
Two problems happen when you use cruise control in crowded areas.
First, your reaction time increases. You’re thinking first about shutting the cruise control off before applying the brakes. Even if you apply the brakes and do not have a proper cruise control, the bike will still be under power, making the brakes less effective.
The second problem is constantly adjusting or turning the cruise control on and off.
Cruise Control Is Ideal for Bumpy Roads
I cannot imagine in any circumstance how cruise control is beneficial for bumpy roads. Your speed should adjust appropriately depending on the road conditions. At some point you may need to speed up, and at some point your speed may need to be significantly lower.
Why Older Motorcycles Do Not Have Cruise Control
Older motorcycles will not have cruise control for the same reason many older cars do not have cruise control. It was not a common item on older automobiles like it is on most vehicles today. Older vehicles with cruise control or vacuum based systems ran off the engine, making them prone to mechanical failure. Today’s modern vehicles use computers.
And looking at motorcycles they do not quite have the same displacement nor do they have the vacuum that older traditional vehicles did. As I mentioned we considered cruise control a luxury item. Motorcycles had few luxury items that enhanced the operation of the machine.
To put cruise control on motorcycles it would have been rather expensive. This increased cost and lack of demand from the motorcycle rider kept it from being an added feature.
All of this being said, there are options for current motorcycle riders with older bikes.
Can I Put Cruise Control On My Motorcycle?
While not actually a cruise control, many riders add a throttle lock to shoot for the same effect.
These Devices are more like a cruise assist.
Here is a great video showing how one model works. Notice that it works primarily from friction. To me this specific model looks kind of cheap and I wouldn’t trust it after many rounds of use.
The video’s director recommended experimenting with this in a parking lot so you get familiar with it. In addition to that recommendation, I would also suggest getting the throttle wet to simulate rain and see how it performs then. I would have my reservations about using this during wet riding conditions.
Atlas Throttle Lock
Atlas manufactures another common throttle lock. Check out this video to see how it works, and how they instal it. This model would allow the rider to maintain better control and not take up any throttle space for your hand.
Obviously, I did not look at all the different models out there in this post. As an informed rider you need to spend time inadequately reviewing each model, taking into consideration the benefits and drawbacks for each one. My suggestion is to put safety at the top of the list in considering a throttle lock.
Besides, considering safety, also review the materials it’s made from. I’m looking at plastic models and how they will wear out faster than metal versions.
Also look at how easily they are installed on the motorcycle.
Now stop reading and go for a ride or work on that bike.