Cool Gear: Is Cruise Control Kit too Good for its Own Good?
Revolutionary MCCruise kit brings added comfort to long road trips. But can the company convince skeptical Harley enthusiasts of its potential?
We all like to think that we’re pretty hardcore, but we’re gonna admit right now that we’re just not what we used to be physically. Sure, we still don’t do too bad on the office softball team, but nowadays, we feel the burn a lot more — in all the wrong places. And we’re starting to feel similar after long journeys on the open highway on our bikes.
Things like harsh rides, long road trips and vibrations might be cool when you’re in your 20s, but you really start to feel them later on in life.
Another uncomfortable aspect of riding on long journeys is keeping your hand on the throttle for hours on end during trip. After all, growing pains — including literal ones — are a part of life. But, of course, that doesn’t mean that we have to give up the things we love, like riding Harleys.
When you take a summer road trip in your car, you simply flip on the cruise control. So why shouldn’t we be able to do the same thing on our bikes? For a lot of bikes, that’s never been an option, of course, until now.
A company by the name of Motor Cycle Cruise (MCCruise) has made the dream of a Harley cruise control kit a reality. For optimal safety and control when out on the road, the company’s switch has large backlit buttons designed for gloved hands and night riding, and a bicolor LED that indicates power on/off, cruise engaged, a host of parameter settings and even stop codes that alert riders why the cruise won’t engage or why it last disengaged.
‘It took eight years before we were confident we had a product that performed well enough and was reliable enough to serve [Harley-Davidson’s] market.’
However, not surprising, when you’re dealing with a world-respected machine like a Harley, especially with mods and/or upgrades, the reaction from enthusiasts is generally pretty strong. And having been in the motorcycle biz for 20 years, MCCruise is no stranger to feedback from Harley enthusiasts — even right here on the H-D Forums.
“We have had some [positive and negative] feedback from the forum on H-D Forums,” a rep from MCCruise tells us. “Slowly some members are asking for the instructions, and we have little doubt that as they try the product, their reviews will start to pique more interest.
“After all,” continues MCCruise, “cruise control isn’t about looks, it is about feel: reducing the aches and pains that most of us eventually get riding bikes. It just takes less time in the saddle for us older folks. …It is about not getting fatigued having to watch the speedo all the time; being able to ride longer in more comfort and safety; and being absolutely confident you are still in control at all times.”
Launched two decades ago, MCCruise initially focused on brands of bikes other than Harley up until a few years back, when they started work on a new electric servo that would be “acceptable to some in the Harley fraternity.” But no such piece existed, so they built their own. And after years of testing, they now offer a number of kits for a wide variety of Harley models.
‘These kits deliver incredible performance, are rock-solid reliable, offer immense ergonomic benefits, and deliver extended range and fuel savings.’
“We searched the world for a servo off the shelf and came up empty,” says MCCruise, “so we designed and built it ourselves. It took three years in development, two years in testing and now three years in production before we were confident we had a product that performed well enough and was reliable enough to serve [Harley-Davidson’s] market.”
In addition to those off-the-shelf bits, MCCruise has custom kits for Dyna and Softail models built post-2007. But they are able to make a kit for other Harley models, too.
“MCCruise can actually produce kits for any Harley if we work with the owner, and the installer is mechanically capable,” says MCCruise. “We can do Sportsters and even a V-Rod…” Older Harleys don’t present a problem for the company either. In fact, MCCruise says that with a little measuring, they’ll make anything work — but it may cost a little more due to after-sales service and due to the undeniable quality and craftsmanship of the kit.
“Some [forum] members have complained about the price,” admits MCCruise. “Fair enough, they aren’t cheap – but you get what you pay for. These kits deliver incredible performance, are rock-solid reliable, offer immense ergonomic benefits, and deliver extended range and fuel savings.”
MCCruise is currently offering H-D Forums members a 10% discount. Check out their site, and mention H-D Forums when ordering.
