[jestoever]

Greetings,
I had a very harrowing experience a few days ago and am posting to ask if anyone else has ever encountered the same thing and, if so, what to do to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I was riding along on an interstate highway and set the cruise control on my 2007 Ultra Classic to maintain my 70 MPH speed. Occasionally I had to tap the breaks when traffic warranted a slower speed and then hit the 'resume' button when it cleared. At one point as I was approaching a section with an on ramp to my right that had 3 vehicles on it entering the roadway ahead of me. I knew they weren't going to be going at the same rate of speed that I was when they entered the roadway so I looked to my left in the hopes of moving into the left lane. It was filled with traffic so that option was out. I applied the front and rear brakes to slow down and disengage the cruise control but to my alarm the bike just kept going at 70 and wouldn't slow down. I released the brakes and applied them again with the same result. Knowing that pulling in the clutch lever should also disengage it I did so but as soon as I did the engine just raced and the cruise control indicator light stayed green. At this point I hit the engine kill switch holding the clutch in and hit the brakes as hard as I could without locking the wheels up. Fortunately for me the 3 vehicles now dangerously right in front of me saw that I wasn't slowing and moved to the shoulder so I didn't hit them. I eventually moved to the shoulder as well and stopped. I turned off the cruise control rocker switch on the "dashboard", turned the kill switch back on and restarted the bike. I made it home safely but am very concerned now about using the cruise control again.

Anybody out there ever have a similar issue? I love using cruise control but not enough to let it kill me.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[ematicic]

Damn, glad you were able to slow. Thanks for sharing. My CC is a bit too far inward for me to comfortably use so I rarely use it, might be even less infrequent now!

 

[Alan S]

Did you have to clean out your drawers?

Glad it worked out relatively harmlessly, but I can't help you.

Sent from here to there.

 

[kd5cqt]

Never had an issue with the CC, and I need it for long trips as my hands tend to cramp after a while. Good save and quick thinking. Got to keep that one in mind just in case.

 

[JLR]

I usually tap the brakes and shut mine off early. I am going to have to change that to always.

 

[harvey13118]

Easy to just roll OFF throttle to disengage.

 

[CarlosGGodfrog]

Easy to just roll OFF throttle to disengage.

Will that work with throttle by wire ?

 

[Thunder~Struck]

Never liked the CC on any bike. Even going back to the tension screw.

Yes, it can be a hand, wrist saver.
But potentially not a life saver.

All I have ever used, will continue to use is a throttle boss.
But that`s just me..... :dunno

Glad you are well Jestoever.

 

[Wrgiacona]

Will that work with throttle by wire ?

Yep

 

[elPrez]

Easy to just roll OFF throttle to disengage.

Will that work with throttle by wire ?

Yep

Then again, all of the other things that were supposed to work didn't so...

Good job keeping your cool and getting it stopped!

 

[candyman1340]

Any codes?

 

[BigDoo]

Easy to just roll OFF throttle to disengage.

This is what I do first.
By doing so you are shutting off the cruise and starting to decelerate.
Not trying to be an ahole here...I just don't understand why this would not be the first thing to do or at least at the same time as applying the brakes.

 

[SCHMIDTY]

2007 Ultra is still cable from throttle and cruise module.
I would be inspecting the cruise module cable connection on the right side of the throttle body. Inspect the cable connection where the throttle and idle cables are located. Need to remove the air cleaner and back plate for inspection.
I think this might be a mechanical rather than electrical issue, hence no codes.

 

[rocky53204]

2006 Road King Classic... when bought used I was told/cautioned of a similar (terrifying) situation which happened to the seller.
Consequently, I don't use the cruise control. (Parts left off don't break... or kill you.)

 

[English Triker]

Think you should contact Harley Motor company to report of your issue just in case it turns out to be a Major problem that they are not aware of as yet .
On my tri glide I use the cruise control when ever I can on our busy roads

 

[Kainam]

Think you should contact Harley Motor company to report of your issue just in case it turns out to be a Major problem that they are not aware of as yet .
On my tri glide I use the cruise control when ever I can on our busy roads

Yup, something like that would be a NHTSA recall due to the danger of the situation.


You can report the details here:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls

 

[Wiredog]

A sad fact of the world, devices fail. If you remember what Murphy and his friends told us.......

Murphy's law: If it can go wrong, it will go wrong

Jenning's corollary to Murphy's law: If it can go wrong, it will go wrong and at the worst possible moment

O'Toole's commentary on Murphy's law: Murphy was an optimist

People, especially bikers it seems to me, put a lot of trust in our equipment. So if you have no faith in the CC, its probably a good idea to not use it. Even if you get it repaired, Murphy can come and bite you in the hind quarters again.

 

[Sportyman]

my 2014 Road King is the first bike I have owned that has a CC. I love it! It gives my arthritic fingers/hand a nice break. I do trust the CC to do what it is supposed to. I usually just roll off the throttle to disengage and have had no problems.

 

[Alan S]

Every Harley I've owned (5) has had cruise control one way or another starting with my 1980 FXE. The friction screw under the throttle worked wonders on long rides.

Sent from here to there.

 

[Pred8er]

Had something similar happen on my '07 Road King, except it was back brake only. The pressure sensor switch that activates the lights went bad and the brake lights were not coming on and the cruise would not disengage when applying the rear brake. I too had a semi close call on an interstate...which is how I found out about it. I changed the pressure switch and haven't had a problem since.

another thing to look at is your brake fluid level; it might be affecting the disengagement.

Something else you could have done is just shut of the cruise with the switch on the bars.

BTW, where you live, doesn't merging traffic have to yield to traffic already in a lane? Those cars should have adjusted their speed to merge safely. I know you don't want to die for your right of way, but it seems people now think you are required to let them over.