Home Depot cruise control - bar end

The bar end is installed with a cap screw. First step is to remove the bar end.



You'll need (in order) a large fiber or friction washer, hose washer (for the photos I swapped in a yellow one for the normal black), plastic knob, 6mm stainless nut, some 2-part epoxy such as JB Weld to hold the nut in the knob, a 6mm washer, and a 6mm stainless screw. The knobs come with a hexagonal well to capture a nut, so drill the center of the plastic knob for the 6mm screw and epoxy the nut into the well. Let dry.



You want to make a locking feature for the screw. The knob should rotate, not the screw. About a half-dozen threads from the knob, slightly deform the threads just enough that the screw won't back out of the end of the handlebar.



The friction or fiber washer needs to have an outer diameter that is the size of the grip. The ID slides over the shaft. The rubber hose washer gives some compression, but may not be needed, depending on the type of grips.



Turn in the screw so that there is a visible thread between the knob and the hose washer. The deformed thread should keep the screw in that spot. You can easily use the heel of your hand to rotate the knob on the threads of the screw to put friction on the throttle. Note that these are Gen I heated grips, with the wire preventing a Vista Cruise-type arrangement.



I had the hardware but it should cost under $3 at Home Depot or Lowes. (Going back to the black hose washer now.)

Bob

Creative, interesting mod. The only other thing I'd suggest is changing the actual screw to something more attractive. (Along the lines of your black hose washer.)

Thanks for posting the idea/simplicity.

My, a whole new world of accessories is ours for the asking!

radman said:

My, a whole new world of accessories is ours for the asking!

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I'm praticularly keen on #s 11-14 myself.

Interesting idea, but doesnt that increase the bar vibrations since you've lost a fair amount of weight?

This sounds great, the only problem I see is having regular thread vs reverse thread. Meaning when you go to close the throttle you will actually be making it tighter and possibly get to the point where you can no longer close throttle.

I would put a reverse thread screw in it. When you roll on you lock it in, when you roll off you release it.

Well done, and on the cheap!

Why doesn't the VistaCruise fit on the Gen II heated grip with the wire?

oOOH, I just love those homemade farkles.

That's a really clever bit of home engineering. Nice job. Please give us an update in a few months about how it's working on the road.

Report after a few months? OK, it's been on since EOM and never a problem.

As for the reverse thread bit, since the screw thread is lightly deformed the screw is immobilized in the bar end. The knob rotates on the screw thread and when the friction is "off" the knob is against the head of the screw, with a thread of gap in between. Even if it did tighten from the "locked" position, it takes an effort but isn't too hard to break the friction between the fiber washer and rubber end of the grip.

As for vibes, I went back and forth with the bar weight when I first did it because I wondered the same. Maybe it's how smooth my 2004 is, maybe it's my gloves (plain leather), but there was essentially no change.

I liked the VC, but never found one to use with the wire and switch housing set-up this bike has. Maybe on the next bike.

Rad - those aren't the knobs I thought you'd come up with.

Bob

Great Job! I added a link here from the Gen II Bin-O-Facts. If this is a problem, please PM me.

That is truly redneck. Jeff Foxworthy would be proud.

I like it!

Took some thinking.

Great ingenuity! That gives me an idea for doing something similar with the bar ends like the Throttle Meister. I would like to retain the weight of the bar ends.

Thanks,

The Management

Penny tech is not always pretty, sometimes functional, but damn, man! :blink:

farming 101...I love it. Iffn' I had a spare three bucks I'd go to home depot right now. There's something wrong with home depot, though....they seem like pinko socialists in hiding or something.

odot said:

farming 101...I love it. Iffn' I had a spare three bucks I'd go to home depot right now. There's something wrong with home depot, though....they seem like pinko socialists in hiding or something.

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Ain't no dirt farmin bout it, cuz I grewed up Applaich'n. Thar's a diffrins. And the price went up cuzza spendin' gas money lookin' for that thar Type 8 frilly gold knob.

Besides, having every farkle store-bought & polished is just as gay as keeping the bike clean.

I have so far been unable to find a suitable (i.e. not really ugly) knob / tap handle to try this mod on my FJR.

Where did you get yours from, and what is it called?

It was just a fairly generic knob in one of the drawers they have in the hardware section. If I'm there this weekend I'll try to see if I can get you a name or stock number.

But the knob's just a handle for the nut that is bonded to the center. If you want something that looks nicer then turn something suitable on a lathe (drill-press for those without), polish it up, and bond the nut into that.