Article [13] ST1300 - Rostra Cruise Control Installation

Joined
Sep 18, 2014
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8
Location
Gig Harbor, Wa
I love the solution center here on the st forum, always find what stumps me. Like now. I've just begun pulling things apart to install a pile of new farkles & need some clarification on an item. I'm installing a rostra cc & have an led brake light not as a replacement, but in addition to the stock incandescent bulbs. It is not on a relay & that is the question. Will it interfere with the brake /cancelling or with the increased resistance, or is it not a concern? It is a Whelen justice single unit. Thanks in advance!
 

Throttlejockey

Padden is my hero
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Aug 18, 2009
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58
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San Diego
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06 ST1300
STOC #
8080
I love the solution center here on the st forum, always find what stumps me. Like now. I've just begun pulling things apart to install a pile of new farkles & need some clarification on an item. I'm installing a rostra cc & have an led brake light not as a replacement, but in addition to the stock incandescent bulbs. It is not on a relay & that is the question. Will it interfere with the brake /cancelling or with the increased resistance, or is it not a concern? It is a Whelen justice single unit. Thanks in advance!
Nope. No problems with the Whelen. I have one on my bike and the cruise works fine.
 
Joined
Sep 18, 2014
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8
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Gig Harbor, Wa
Whooohoo! I just this afternoon finished my rostra CC install & with the help of Karl (Quick draw) near Topeka & altst's great post it works. A little jerrky but I'll dial it in from where it is tomorrow. It's the 2nd bike cc I've installed, but this one was more difficult because I chose a switch intended for another unit & the instructions were less clear, or, more likely, I'm older! While apart I also modified the airbox bottom to allow much simpler access, installed a big air horn, a Cycle Sounds 200w amp & speakers, powered up some LED driving lites I installed 2.weeks ago & put on a volt meter. As it goes back together I'm going to add UHMV plastic backing where the push pins are so I can.use screws instead. Push pins are quite lame IMHO. Thanks to Altsts (sp) & my new friend Karl for the help, what a great group & site.
 

T_C

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Mar 8, 2012
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St. Louis, MO
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2005 St1300
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8568
just this afternoon finished my rostra CC install & with the help of Karl (Quick draw) near Topeka & altst's great post it works. While apart I also modified the airbox bottom to allow much simpler access... I'm going to add UHMV plastic backing where the push pins are so I can.use screws instead. Push pins are quite lame IMHO. Thanks to Altsts (sp) & my new friend Karl for the help, what a great group & site.
Good job on the farkles. Karl is a good guy... just don't let him anywhere near a carrot cake... he'll snag it before you know it and then deny any knowledge of where it went. :chrfl1:

Now about the other 2 mods, airbox and UHMV... care to share some details? I think I have an idea on the UMHV, but it would be UMHW in my theory, or just a block of ABS. But haven't a clue how you could modify the airbox...
 
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Joined
Oct 14, 2008
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95
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colorado eastern slope
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06 ST1300
Could we have the setting you used for the Rostra CC 250-1223 posted. There has been a lot of changes sense 2006.
 
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Joined
Feb 16, 2015
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4
Location
us
I installed a Rostra Cruise just a week or two ago.

1 ON, 2 OFF -- Gain LOW
3 & 4 OFF, 5 & 6 ON -- 16090 PPM ( I have VSS /4 )
7 OFF, 8 & 9 ON -- 6 cyl high
10 ON, 11 & 12 OFF -- square wave VSS input, Manual Trans, Open Circuit controls

Results: I am quite pleased, no surging at all and response up and down hills is +-3mph before it corrects.
I originally had 1 OFF (extra low gain), no surging, but it was +-5 mph on hills before correction.

Thank you Altexst1300 for a great write up. I did a few things different:
1) Instead of Futaba arm, made my own throttle bracket out of 3/4" aluminum angle. In addition, I bent a tab in the arm which engages the throttle drum slot. This way the arm pushes on the throttle drum directly instead of trying to rotate through the shaft. I could see where the arm might slip on the shaft unless the nut was quite tight.

2) Page 5 of AltexST's guide shows an image of the cable bracket. If you slot open the Rostra cable hole all the way to the upper edge, similar to how the regular throtte cable slot goes out to the edge, then the installation is MUCH easier. You can install the bracket onto the OEM throttle, tighten the throttle cable nut, then install the cruise cable on the bracket and tighten its nut.

3) Modified my GPI (gear position indicator - Thanks PDFRuth! ) firmware to perform VSS/4 output. Modified the GPI hardware to drive a VSS/4 signal, and diode-or'ed the Clutch Cancel and Neutral Position detection in the GPI to kill the cruise control when either clutch or neutral engaged.
 
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Joined
Aug 11, 2014
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838
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Lake Zurich, Illinois
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04 ST1300
Re: ST1300 Rostra Cruise Control Installation

Man,,, I would buy Moonburgers and beverages of your choice if I could get this set up on my ST...

I get sweaty palms just thinking about that!!!

I know I am not in any way,,, shape or form able to tackle this set up...
Do you still have your st and were you rable to install the Rostra. I have an 04 and would love to have the Rostra cc installed.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
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170
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Linden, MI or Sebring, FL
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'16 or '08 Goldwing
Check this thread...

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1880206

I followed their DIP switch settings and the instructions with the Rostra (quite intimidating at first) and it worked well. Be sure to get the pulse divider too. I've seen eBay listings with the universal Rostra, switch and 4x pulse divider all in one listing. When connecting the wires, I just started with the easy ones first (power and ground) and took them one at a time - the speed sensor was a pink (and yellow?) 2-color wire that I found in the bundle going into the instrument panel.
 
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
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523
Location
Kenly NC
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07 ST1300A(P)
STOC #
7649
Been reading. I purchased my 13 from a member here, but due to circumstances I had to resell it shortly after purchase. That said, I fell in love with the CC that was installed on it. I'm currently searching for a replacement, and want to install a rostra on it, but, like my previous ride, control it using the police switch pod. I will alos been adding additional lights, and using this pods gives me those extra switches also. Does anyone know where I can find the wiring diagram to do this? Looking at an 03 in texas right now, I will not find a deal like I did on my last one again, I really miss that bike.
 
Joined
Jan 29, 2016
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Location
Surprise , AZ
Gentlemen I would like to add a little insight here I have been running the Rostra lit on my Blackbird for about 4 years now. It senses from 25mph all the way up to well lets just say felony speeds. It hold within 2mph GPS tracked of set speed up down hills. 1st thing as you all have found out is that is requires a divider to operate. Honda uses 80,000 pulses per mile. It is a ridiculously high value but they do that for accuracy. I am also set a V8 high because of the power to weight ratio. 2nd and most important to note and what I was told by the gentleman that I purchased the kit from (authorized Rostra supplier and at that time the only one commercially installing the kits in bikes) the cable slack PLAYS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THE CRUISE CONTROLS SMOOTHNESS AND REACTION !!! I have experienced this first hand with my install and the others i have supplied to fellow BB riders. Even a 1/16 inch change will effect surge when it engages and how steady it holds speed.
 
Joined
Feb 5, 2015
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71
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Australia
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2003 Honda ST1300
I thought I should contribute my experiences with the Rostra CC after making such use of the info here.
I installed mine with switches set for extra low gain, 8 high and used a 4:1 divider from Rostra. Ithink I set PPM to 19300 but I have a bit of confusion here so will confirm later.
so: 3,5,6,9,10 on and all the rest off. Straight connection to the throttle.
Result was horribly jerky takeup and surging all over the place unless I was above 100km/hr. At 110 it seemed ok once it was on speed, but surged a bit in getting there.
I then took the advice of Tremarg and installed a 2:1 divider on the throttle linkage. This of course limits the full throttle opening and on my setup the maximum is about 1/3rd opening. I didnt touch the switches on the unit.
It now performs perfectly. From 60 to 110km/hr it locks on quickly with no surging and on a perfectly flat road the speedo needle doesnt move from its set position. On a run over the weekend at 100km/hr over hilly roads the only error I noticed was when changing attitude from downhill to immediate uphill saw a slight lag that would result in a temporary speed error of approx 5km/hr. Over the crest of a hill the unit responded quickly enough to prevent any overspeed errors.
Needless to say I am very impressed and was quite surprised at how little throttle was needed to maintain speed on some reasonably steep hills.
I have an outstanding requirement to connect the clutch disconnect wire so will edit/add this post then with the actual switch settings and any other experiences.


edit:
Added the clutch disconnect by running the green wire from the CC to the Green/Red wire on the 6way connector behind the Left Hand pocket.
 

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May 9, 2014
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Minneapolis, mn
Thanks for all the help as my cruise control is going in.. Thought I'd share my brackets to give others ideas..
DSCN0208-2.jpg DSCN0212-2.jpg

Also I used a goldwing switch from a 1988-2000 GL1500... Plugs directly into bike for the 9 pin on/off start function. Then just had to figure out cruise buttons. Easy peasy, well after a bit of research.
 
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May 9, 2014
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Minneapolis, mn
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Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
27
Location
chicago
Bike
2008 ST1300 ABS
My contribution. I installed mine on my 2008 ST1300A last winter using the Rostra cruise and Centrodyne signal divider.

I tried using a new Goldwing right side control switch assembly but discovered it hangs down further and will hit the gas tank unless the bike has a bar riser fitted. (I have a new Goldwing switch for sale, pm me if interested)

But I like an integrated look, so I decided to mount two cruise control switches in the blank stock switch area of the right handlebar.
IMG_4716.jpgIMG_4718.jpgIMG_4761.jpg

Switch on left is: cruise power On/Off. Switch on right is momentary down for Set and Coast, up for Accelerate and Resume. Digi-Key is a great source for the switches that fit here.

Next to tackle was the best way to configure the throttle connection. Throughout the forums, nearly every rider complained of having difficulty getting smooth operation, without surge, lurching or hunting etc. because of the high HP/weight ratio of their bike as compared to that of a car for which this control was built.

I went for the low connection point of the black cable to minimize obstruction with the air intake and to configure the longest arm on the throttle shaft to minimize the sensitivity at which the cruise would operate the throttle. I fabricated a steel arm instead of aluminum so I could keep the arm thin and maximize the # of threads the throttle shaft nut would have to secure the arm. After lots of trial and error, I arrived at the same max length of the throttle arm as others had.

I drew power and ground from the quartet 9-pin connector. I also liked the idea of having an indicator light to show when the cruise was ?Engaged?. It?s very simple to splice directly into the neutral light circuit at the same 24 pin connector as the VSS wire, no diodes needed. Mine was pin #2, light green/red wire. This has turned out to be very useful so you always know when the cruise control is engaged; we have enough surprises while riding already.

Time for the road test. Based on what I read, and now from my own testing, the goal is to find the dip switch and divider settings that will yield: smooth operation, accurate speed control, while minimizing surge, overshoot and hunting. My conclusion is that it will never be as smooth and controlled as a car in all conditions, but you can get pretty close. Since the bike has a very sensitive throttle, rule #1 is use the cruise in 4[SUP]th[/SUP] and 5[SUP]th[/SUP] gears only; any gear lower will exhibit lurching and control problems.

Pulse divider set at: divide by 4
Rostra settings: Extra low, 38600, 8cyl Low, square wave, manual, open circuit

These settings will yield a cruise that will have a minimum ?set? speed of about 40/45 mph and a pretty responsive/accurate Set when activated. Resume works, but best if you have the bike at a speed very close to the set speed when you hit the resume button.
(I found that 6cyl low and 4cyl low also work pretty well with the rest of the settings the same. The ratio between your final pulse-rate from the divider to the VSS setting will determine the min set speed and play a role in control stability. A lower VSS setting will yield a lower min set point, but more erratic control. )

Divide by Two Linkage,
I never got the ?smooth like a car? operation that I was hoping for; still too much throttle sensitivity under certain circumstances. I re-read a previous discussion about a divide-by-two linkage for his throttle control and how the writer was much happier with the results but he never posted any photos. Another writer discovered his cruise never pulled the throttle open more that half way under any riding circumstances.

It was still cold here in Chicago, so I had the time to work on this some more and came up with my own divide-by linkage to help further desensitize the throttle response. Knowing the above, I created this throttle linkage layout.
IMG_4928.jpgIMG_4930.jpg

A one-inch pull on the cruise cable results in a much smaller pull on the throttle shaft and the cruise can only open the throttle about half way. (although the rider can always manually operate the throttle to WOT whenever desired) One other benefit of this configuration is less opportunity for interference between the air intake/breather hose and 1/ the throttle arm and 2/ the cruise actuator cable. (pictures show I left my throttle arm full length, just in case the linkage plan didn?t work. Some day I may cut off the unused length)

I also wanted to operate the cruise at lower speeds, so the final best-for-me settings are:

Extra low, 8cyl low, 24000, divide by 4.

This lower sensitivity linkage and associated settings give a bit smoother operation and a min set speed of about 33mph. ?Resume?, ?Coast? and ?Accelerate? operate somewhat predictably but only when activated close to the current ?set? speed.

In hindsight, I would have omitted the unnecessary on/of switch leaving the cruise power always ?on?. And I would have installed only a pushbutton switch for Set and Coast, and forgone the Resume/Accelerate functions.

Caveats, disclaimers and warnings: This linkage is much more complicated than the standard configuration and if not properly implemented could end up in non-failsafe or potentially unsafe operation. I?m sure some of the mechanically inclined can come up with a better implementation of the divide by linkage idea and if they do, I?d love to see their work.

Other notes:
The Centrodyne divider I received requires the gain setting to be jumpered to ?on?. For some reason if no gain is set(no jumper), above 50mph the output signal drops to zero volts, zero HZ. My gain is jumpered to the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] lowest position.

Kudos to all in the Forum who have contributed their knowledge and experience. This would have been hugely difficult without them.
 
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
838
Location
Lake Zurich, Illinois
Bike
04 ST1300
Re: ST1300 Rostra Cruise Control Installation

Man,,, I would buy Moonburgers and beverages of your choice if I could get this set up on my ST...

I get sweaty palms just thinking about that!!!

I know I am not in any way,,, shape or form able to tackle this set up...
I live in Illinois as well in lake county. Where you at. Maybe we can do this together at one of the work shops. There is one in spring green, WI in may or JUne.
 
Joined
Sep 30, 2015
Messages
37
Location
USA
But I like an integrated look, so I decided to mount two cruise control switches in the blank stock switch area of the right handlebar.
IMG_4716.jpgIMG_4718.jpgIMG_4761.jpg

Switch on left is: cruise power On/Off. Switch on right is momentary down for Set and Coast, up for Accelerate and Resume. Digi-Key is a great source for the switches that fit here.
Could you please share the actual part numbers for these two Digi-Key switches?
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
27
Location
chicago
Bike
2008 ST1300 ABS
Could you please share the actual part numbers for these two Digi-Key switches?
I used DigiKey p/n 450-1531-ND and 450-1523-ND for the two switches. I also bought the expensive little black boots to keep things dry inside the switches, p/n 450-1637-ND.
 
Joined
Apr 1, 2014
Messages
4
Location
North Dakota
Bike
2010 ST 1300
Great article! Awesome thread! I don't think it would have been as easy without the others that have gone before me, so thank you to all for that. Last night was the first actual longer ride with the cruise and all I can say is awesomesauce! Worked great. I used the RVS switch to power up some neon pods. Since I didn't see anything on this forum when searching for pod placement ideas (likely my search strings just didn't match) I wanted to post a picture of that here also:

12593531_10208977953468406_8571869842872966726_o.jpg
 
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