So how did the Cruise-Mate come about? Necessity is the mother of invention and after years riding with an injury to his right hand, Tom Lane found he couldn’t hold the throttle open on his Harley for long periods of time without his right hand going numb. Having no luck finding a suitable solution in the aftermarket, Tom, a self-proclaimed lifelong gear head, decided to create a solution, and Cruise­ Mate was born.

It is only prudent that we mention that this product is not a traditional cruise control, but a throttle assist. This means that it has to be engaged and disengaged manually and will not shut off when the brakes are applied or the clutch is engaged. In essence, this product is an easy-to-use, lever-operated throttle assist, designed to replace the original Harley-Davidson idle adjustment thumbscrew. When properly installed and adjusted, a simple flip of your thumb (a quarter turn or less) sets the throttle where you ant it while still leaving you the ability to turn the throttle manually. Once installed, Cruise-Mate is extremely reliable and easy to operate. The genius behind this product is the fact that it takes the stock Harley-Davidson star wheel design and upgrades it in a way that is more than just putting on a handle. The original equipment star wheel utilizes a very fine pitch thread, which takes several turns of the star to engage or disengage the throttle lock feature. Cruise-Mate uses a solid, stainless steel cartridge assembly with much coarser internal threads, which nearly doubles the vertical action of the friction device with the same amount of rotary motion. This allows the Cruise-Mate to engage and disengage nearly twice as fast as the original star wheel device.

Though our installation was done on a 2004 Road King, the Cruise-Mate will fit any Harley from 1982 to present, including throttle-by-wire Touring bikes. The only exceptions are 2008 to present FLHR Road Kings. According to Cruise-Mate, this product, when properly installed, is guaranteed forever and is available in black or chrome for $49.95. A hand-polished, solid, stainless steel version is also available for $69.95. And now a note from our lawyers: Cruise-Mate is intended for motorcycle warm-up and servicing only.  Under no circumstances do we or the manufacturer recommend removing your hands from the handlebars or locking your throttle while the motorcycle is moving. Though that’s why Tom designed it for his personal use, it’s not the correct or approved way to use a Cruise-Mate.

TOOLS NEEDED

• Goggles
• Blue Loctite
• WD-40
• T-25 Torx
• Flat-bladed screwdriver (small)
• 3/8” wrench (2)
• 7/16” wrench (2)
• Electric drill
• 21/64” driII bit
• 3/8”-24 tap

1. Start by pulling both throttle cable boots down and slipping a 5/32”shim (or 5/32” Allen) between the brake lever and its perch (arrow). The shim keeps the lever from damaging the brake light switch while the switch housing is apart.

2. Use two 3/8” wrenches to loosen the throttle cable lock nuts. Then adjusts the cables so they have as much slack as possible. The front cable is the accelerator (go) cable, while the back one is the return cable.

3. Use a T-25 Torx to remove the top and bottom switch housing bolts.

4. Once the housing is open, slide the grip out. Then remove the back throttle cable from the throttle housing, followed by the front. Both brass ferules and the grip are then put aside for reinstallation later on.

5. Removes the plastic friction shoe that’s in the bottom half of the switch housing using a small flat-bladed screwdriver.

6. After removing a snap ring from the throttle adjustment screw that’s also in the bottom half of the housing using a small flat-bladed screwdriver, remove the throttle adjustment screw the snap ring was on.

7. Once you have sprayed some WD-40 on the front throttle cable, wiggle the cable as you pull it down to remove it from the housing.

8. Secure the supplied drill jig assembly onto the throttle housing through the front cable hole and tightens it in place using two 7/16” wrenches. The back hole on the jig is the alignment pin, which goes through the throttle adjustment screw hole.

9. After you remove the jig’s alignment pin and put in the drill guide, drill a hole in the bottom housing using a 21/64” drill bit.

10. Then remove the drill bit and drill guide. Using a 3/8”-24 tap and the supplied jig, make new threads in the hole you just drilled. Then remove the entire jig apparatus and clean all the shavings from the housing. Wear goggles!

11. After putting the stock throttle cable back into its hole and reinstalled the stock brass ferules on the cable ends, insert the cable ends/ferules in their holes in the throttle grip.

12. After positioning the grip in the bottom half of the housing, take the slack out of the back (return) cable so it’s snug, but not pulling on the grip.

13. You can now dose up the stock switch housings using a T-25 Torx on both of the stock bolts. Just tighten the bolts until they’re snug.

14. Tighten the adjuster of the front cable until there’s only1/16” of play in the movement of the grip. Then lock both adjusters down using two 3/8” wrenches and slide the rubber boots back over them.

15. Here is the order of assembly of the Cruise-Mate using the included hardware. The cartridge on the right comes pre-assembled. Put some blue Loctite on its threads to prep it for installation.

16. Screw the cartridge into the hole he just drilled and tapped. Then open the throttle, tighten the cartridge using a 7/16” wrench; then loosen the cartridge until the throttle snaps back. This is the correct setting.

17. After putting blue Loctite on the shoulder screw, slip the handle spring onto the shoulder screw. Then insert the shoulder screw assembly in the handle and attach the handle assembly to the cartridge using a small flat-bladed screwdriver.

TIPS AND TRICKS

If you’re having a tough time moving the throttle cable boots, spray a little WD-40 inside them and then twist them down and off the cable adjusters.

The supplied drill jig assembly, from the bottom up, goes onto the bottom switch housing like this: ¼” bolt, washer, jig block, spacer, switch housing, washer, and ¼” nut through the front throttle cable hole. The back hole on the jig is the alignment pin, which goes through the throttle adjuster screw hole. When removing the throttle cables, turn the throttle wide open to move the front (accelerator) cable. Then grab the  cable as you  return the throttle to idle  in order to get  the  slack  you  need  to remove the cable  from the  throttle grip.

After you  re-adjust the  cables and  close  up the  housing, check your adjustments by rolling the  throttle open and  then letting it snap closed a few  times to make  sure its operation is smooth and there are no tight spots.

This season, bike runs are going to kick off from all over the country. Numerous riders will be partying for a week of celebration all expressing their passion for bikes. There will be many tales and building tips to recommend with new friends as you ride the days the time in while in the bike runs. Make sure you travel safe and slip on the necessary safety equipment such as carbon fiber helmets. Have a great time and have a wonderful run.