I just installed a McCruise on my 2014 Valk. Instructions were very detailed, helped a lot removing all the plastic, what a nightmare! The McCruise kit came with absolutely everything needed, down to the last cable tie. It came set up for the Valkyrie, only setting I checked was telling it when I was doing 70km/h in top gear.
I did have trouble removing the left vent hose from the tank, because the pipe it was pushed onto was barbed, making it impossible to just pull the hose off. The instructions didn't help there. I ended up undoing the left front tank mounting bolt far enough to use it as a fulcrum for a long flat screwdriver, engaging the screwdriver blade against the end of the hose a few inches away from the fulcrum, and pushing/pulling the hose off. That set me back a while.
Installing the cruise servo and making the connections is quite lot of work, not to be rushed first time around. Solve every problem by first going for a coffee, or resuming next morning. Removing the Honda connector pins to insert the McCruise pins was quite difficult and took me quite a long time to do without damaging the connectors
Then reinstall 10 pieces of plastic, with all the screws and fasteners, and the fuel cap release cable. To think you need to do this and remove the tank just to change the air cleaner! At least I had no fasteners left over!
While the tank was off, I used the opportunity to install Oxford heated grips and a Healpro gear indicator (blue, of course). The indicator is mounted on top of the right fork leg, easily visible.
Then I went on a 2800km ride. The McCruise performed flawlessly. It made riding at any speed so much more relaxing. Even 80km/h (50mph) is tolerable on cruise (for short distances). I'm sure it saved me from a couple of speeding tickets on the trip. Highly recommended.
I loaded a GPS speedo app on my phone, taped the phone to a fairing mount and went for a ride to calibrate the speedo. It turned out that the Valk's digital speedo reads 5% fast at all speeds. So now I set the cruise at 63km/h for 60, 84 for 80, 105 for 100, 116 for 110. Seems to match other vehicle's cruise speed very closely, so looks to be accurate at those indicated speeds.
The Honda's fuel economy on the trip was surprisingly good for what is effectively a 6 cylinder car engine. On cruise at 110 km/h true speed (70mph) it returned 21km/l (50mpg). At 100km/h it was 19-20km/l mostly. I can count on 18km/l, giving the bike a comfortable 400km (250 mile) fuel range) on the 23.4 litre tank.
Accessories on my Valkyrie so far:
MRA KBA37960 screen. The split design removes most turbulence. Smaller than the benchmark Givi Airflow, which is the best screen I've ever had, but this one works well and I'm very happy with it.
Honda pillion backrest/rack
Honda leather panniers
Honda centre stand
McCruise
GLPro gear indicator
Oxford heated grips
Honda electrical accessory socket
One thing the trip really made clear is that the suspension is rubbish. It transmits the road surface directly to the handgrips. Not really surprising given that the left fork leg has a damper rod instead of a cartridge. At the rear, it feels sort of OK on long wavelength undulations, then you get crushed vertebrae on a sharp bump you didn't even see.
I think the issue is excessive compression damping at both ends. I've fixed this on other bikes with Gold valves and softer compression shim stacks, thinner shock fluid/oil. This time it will be Traxxion Dynamics at both ends, the last big spend on the bike, I hope.
Overall, the more I ride the bike, the more I like it. It's much better than I expected it to be, with a bit of money spent. I think I'll keep it well into my retirement, as long as I'm able to handle its considerable weight when it's at rest.
IanB
I did have trouble removing the left vent hose from the tank, because the pipe it was pushed onto was barbed, making it impossible to just pull the hose off. The instructions didn't help there. I ended up undoing the left front tank mounting bolt far enough to use it as a fulcrum for a long flat screwdriver, engaging the screwdriver blade against the end of the hose a few inches away from the fulcrum, and pushing/pulling the hose off. That set me back a while.
Installing the cruise servo and making the connections is quite lot of work, not to be rushed first time around. Solve every problem by first going for a coffee, or resuming next morning. Removing the Honda connector pins to insert the McCruise pins was quite difficult and took me quite a long time to do without damaging the connectors
Then reinstall 10 pieces of plastic, with all the screws and fasteners, and the fuel cap release cable. To think you need to do this and remove the tank just to change the air cleaner! At least I had no fasteners left over!
While the tank was off, I used the opportunity to install Oxford heated grips and a Healpro gear indicator (blue, of course). The indicator is mounted on top of the right fork leg, easily visible.
Then I went on a 2800km ride. The McCruise performed flawlessly. It made riding at any speed so much more relaxing. Even 80km/h (50mph) is tolerable on cruise (for short distances). I'm sure it saved me from a couple of speeding tickets on the trip. Highly recommended.
I loaded a GPS speedo app on my phone, taped the phone to a fairing mount and went for a ride to calibrate the speedo. It turned out that the Valk's digital speedo reads 5% fast at all speeds. So now I set the cruise at 63km/h for 60, 84 for 80, 105 for 100, 116 for 110. Seems to match other vehicle's cruise speed very closely, so looks to be accurate at those indicated speeds.
The Honda's fuel economy on the trip was surprisingly good for what is effectively a 6 cylinder car engine. On cruise at 110 km/h true speed (70mph) it returned 21km/l (50mpg). At 100km/h it was 19-20km/l mostly. I can count on 18km/l, giving the bike a comfortable 400km (250 mile) fuel range) on the 23.4 litre tank.
Accessories on my Valkyrie so far:
MRA KBA37960 screen. The split design removes most turbulence. Smaller than the benchmark Givi Airflow, which is the best screen I've ever had, but this one works well and I'm very happy with it.
Honda pillion backrest/rack
Honda leather panniers
Honda centre stand
McCruise
GLPro gear indicator
Oxford heated grips
Honda electrical accessory socket
One thing the trip really made clear is that the suspension is rubbish. It transmits the road surface directly to the handgrips. Not really surprising given that the left fork leg has a damper rod instead of a cartridge. At the rear, it feels sort of OK on long wavelength undulations, then you get crushed vertebrae on a sharp bump you didn't even see.
I think the issue is excessive compression damping at both ends. I've fixed this on other bikes with Gold valves and softer compression shim stacks, thinner shock fluid/oil. This time it will be Traxxion Dynamics at both ends, the last big spend on the bike, I hope.
Overall, the more I ride the bike, the more I like it. It's much better than I expected it to be, with a bit of money spent. I think I'll keep it well into my retirement, as long as I'm able to handle its considerable weight when it's at rest.
IanB
