Throttle lock/Vista Cruise install

[Craigmri]

Still relatively new to the FZ6 forum here but I have truly enjoyed so much humor, information and good ole' camaraderie.

I have benefited from so much info here I thought I would take a stab at a little contribution to the forum.

Today I finally got around to installing a throttle lock that I will desperately need on my June trip to the Smoky Mountains(about 600 miles). My hand gets numb pretty quickly and I have found that on past bikes that I had installed a throttle lock of some kind, the ability to remove my hand from the throttle even for 5 or 10 seconds makes all the difference in the world.

Certainly riding a motorcycle in itself can be a dangerous act alone and some may make an argument that you should never remove your hand from the bars. While this is certainly a legitimate argument, I believe there is a time and place to rest your hand when conditions permit. Do so at your own risk.

While there are many throttle lock type components on the market, none are as intuitive and ergonomic as the Vista Cruise throttle lock. They go for about $25 and will require a little added simple engineering to make them work effectively on the FZ6. They make two models for the 7/8" bars and it really doesnt matter which you choose. In this application I selected the 7/8" model for the Yamaha single and dual cable however this kit is designed for old Yamahas and it will not work right out of the package. You will need to drill a couple of holes(one in the Vista cruise and one in the throttle/switch housing). You will also need to secure a screw to fasten the Vista Cruise to the housing previously mentioned.

First you will need to remove the throttle side grip. I used my compressor with air attachment and blew a force of air between the rubber grip and the grip tube. Took a little while but it eventually pulled off. Next place the Vista cruise in position and while sitting on the bike find the best location for the thumb lever so you can easily actuate the lever while your hand is still on the grip. Once you have this location, using a pencil make a mark on the 6 O-clock position of the vista Cruise(exactly under the grip tube). This position should be the center of the housing under the grip tube. If you were to remove the access cover on the underside of the housing you will find that there really isn't anything in the exact center of the housing(again under the throttle tube) that you will drill into. Now that you've marked the Vista cruise you can drill a hole in it for a screw to pass through. Find youself a small screw with fairly course threads to bite into the housing plastic. This screw should also have a countersunk type head so it can be installed flush with the Vista Cruise. Once you've drilled the hole just large enough for the screw to pass through easily, you will want to take a large drill bit that is the diameter of the screw head and drill in the small hole just enough to create a place for the screw head to fit flush. A countersunk bit is the preferred tool but any drill bit can do the same thing so long as your careful you dont drill all the way through with the larger bit. Now the hole is made re-position the Vista Cruise and using a pencil make a hole in the housing through the drilled hole. Remove Vista cruise and drill tiny hole in housing. This hole size needs to be smaller that the first smaller hole you drilled in the Vista Cruise. This is the hole you want your screw to bite into so make the hole smaller that the screw. You may find the the screw once installed in the housing may contact the rotating throttle tube inside the housing in which case I had to shorten my screw just long enough for it to bite the housing plastic and maybe an extra thread. I installed a small metal washer between the Vista Cruise and the housing as the housing is slightly contoured on the underside and this kept the Vista cruise perpendicular to the Throttle tube. The Vista Cruise also comes with a plastic tab that sticks out and it needed to be shaved off in my installation. This depends on the rotation you select for the Vista Cruise.

Please do not begin this install unless you are 100% sure you understand the procedure and that your confident in your abilities to perform this install. Finally, test, test and test again the performance of the Vista Cruise prior to riding. The Vista Cruise has an adjustment to adjust the tension(or squeeze amount) it places on the throttle tube. Ideally you want a tension strong enough where the throttle tube wont rotate back due to the vibes in the bike but not too strong when you cant manually override the resistance in any situation. Normal operation however is a simple flick of your thumb to engage or dis-engage.

Hope these pictures help. I have yet to re-install my grips since I'm going to install some gel grips when I buy some this week.





Craig
'07 Candy Red FZ6