Hope the collective brain trust here might be able to shed some light on a problem I am having with my cruise control. Two different things have started in the last couple weeks. First, at times when I go to "set" the cruise it simply doesn't do anything. Second when I do get it to actually "set" it will more often then not only stay engaged for a short time before it disengages by it's self. Have tried a few different scenios to see if speed or engine load had an effect but doesn't seen to matter. I only just picked this bike up so I'm not sure how long this has been a problem. Bike has about 30k miles on it and has been well maintained from what I see from records. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.
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'05 1200 RT cruise control problem
- Thread starter LA1200RT
- Start date
Artiee
R1200RT
I see this is your very first post here on BMW MOA (...welcome by the way). Can I assume this is your first BMW motorcycle?
I too have a 2005 R1200 RT, and like you I too experienced exactly what you are describing. What I found out is the rear brake pedal is very, VERY sensitve to being touched and disengaging the cruise contol. If my right foot was in any way in slight contact with any part of the rear brake pedal, the cruise control would not engage. If the cruise control was engaged and I unknowingly brushed the rear brake pedal, no matter how gentle the touch, the cruise control disengaged.
For me the solution was as simple as repositioning my right foot. That might be what you are encountering. Give it a try and see if it fixes your problem.
(added)
Another possiblity could be slightly too much brake fluid in the system. The 2005 RT has power assisted brakes. When you apply either the front or rear brake, you should hear a whine, which are the servos activating. If there is too much brake fluid, it slightly increases the pressure in the system, which would have the same effect as touching the rear brake pedal I mentioned above. I picked up my motorcycle after a servicing several years ago (don't remember which one) and as I checked things out before heading home, including a short parking lot test ride, I noticed when I applied my brakes, the servos would whine as it was supposed to. However, when I released the brakes, the servo continued to whine for several second before stopping. The technicians removed a small amount of the brake fluid and the problem was corrected.
To check for this, start up your motorcycle, ride it for a short distance until the standard flashing "brake failure" light (which remains on at start-up, until you start moving) goes out (usually within the first 15-20 feet of movement). Stop and apply your brakes one at a time. Listen for the whine of the servos, then release the brakes. Does the whine stop when you release the brake handle or pedal, or does the whine continue for a while? If the servos continue to whine for a short period of time, have a certified technician verify the brake fluid level is correct.
(WARNING - the standard "brake failure" flashing at start up is a slow flashing. If it is a fast flashing, you may actually have a brake problem. Read your owners manual for what the various flashing methods mean.)
Last edited:
greenwald
New member
Building a little on what Artiee just posted, I had this "intermittent" issue with the cruise on my '05 R1200RT after I first bought it new in 2006.
Turns out that there is a mechanical sensor for the rear brake (easily adjusted by your dealer) that, if the throw (travel distance for the mechanical parts) is too narrow, even a bump in the road surface can create enough movement of the suspension to cause the sensor to make contact (as if you were pressing on the rear brake pedal) and will disengage your cruise.
Might want to investigate that.
Good luck!
Turns out that there is a mechanical sensor for the rear brake (easily adjusted by your dealer) that, if the throw (travel distance for the mechanical parts) is too narrow, even a bump in the road surface can create enough movement of the suspension to cause the sensor to make contact (as if you were pressing on the rear brake pedal) and will disengage your cruise.
Might want to investigate that.
Good luck!
C172MyP51
New member
R1200RT CC problem
My 2006 is having the same problem. I see that PO took it to the dealer multiple times & they were "unable to re-create the problem" which means it didn't get fixed under warranty.
I had gotten about 200 miles into a BunBurner Gold trip back in April when my CC started disengaging, and not re-engaging. The only thing I finally figured out was:
1.) Fiddling with ANYTHING in that area of the handlebar would dis-engage CC. Adjusting the windshield, switching between hi&lo beams means no more CC. And the dis-engage is a real jolt if you're not expecting it, or going uphill.
2.) Once CC has disengaged, you will not be able to turn it back on until you turn the switch off, and then back on. And even that doesn't work every time. I finally figured out that you have to really push "down" on the switch as your doing this. I'm not talking about the "set - resume" paddle, I'm talking about the actual left-right, on-off switch for CC. You have to press down firmly while activating it. Then it will work again. Until you try and flash your hi beams again!
The other posters offer good, friendly, but in my case irrelevant, advice. I hope this will allow you to use your CC for now, and that you can get yours fixed. Post the results here so I can (eventually) get mine fixed too!
-Scott
My 2006 is having the same problem. I see that PO took it to the dealer multiple times & they were "unable to re-create the problem" which means it didn't get fixed under warranty.
I had gotten about 200 miles into a BunBurner Gold trip back in April when my CC started disengaging, and not re-engaging. The only thing I finally figured out was:
1.) Fiddling with ANYTHING in that area of the handlebar would dis-engage CC. Adjusting the windshield, switching between hi&lo beams means no more CC. And the dis-engage is a real jolt if you're not expecting it, or going uphill.
2.) Once CC has disengaged, you will not be able to turn it back on until you turn the switch off, and then back on. And even that doesn't work every time. I finally figured out that you have to really push "down" on the switch as your doing this. I'm not talking about the "set - resume" paddle, I'm talking about the actual left-right, on-off switch for CC. You have to press down firmly while activating it. Then it will work again. Until you try and flash your hi beams again!
The other posters offer good, friendly, but in my case irrelevant, advice. I hope this will allow you to use your CC for now, and that you can get yours fixed. Post the results here so I can (eventually) get mine fixed too!
-Scott
on my '10 RT, it turned out to be a faulty control switch. Intermittent, they kept the bike a long time, replacing the cruise control module - that didn't fix it. The switch had been replaced a few months earlier because of a faulty windshield switch. Finally they just replaced the switch assembly again, and that proved to be the culprit.
I thank you all for your excellent observations. Have found very little in the way of info in the manuals I have (both Haynes & BMW- DVD version) so I very much appreciate your experiences. Yes this is my first BMW motorcycle though I have been round the cars for years and have had numerous other bikes, I now need to reset myself to this bike's personality...lol. I will check all of these suggestions and report back as to my results. Will also look at the Bowden cable adjustment at the cruise control unit, seems like another likely candidate. Thanks again .....
Well as promised here is my post test result report. As it appears I found the problem with the first suggestion I didn't go any further in checking the other possible causes. As Artiee suggested my foot position appears to have been triggering the brake light switch which in turn kicked the CC off. I looked closely at the brake pedal and did notice how touchy that switch is. Would like to "readjust" that switch a bit but for now I'll just keep my foot off the pedal. Thanks all for the suggestions.
LA:
It's not rocket science to adjust this switch. You put the bike on the stand, get a flashlight, lay on the ground and have a look at the switch. You'll figure out what to do.
When I bought my 2005 RT, I thought Cruise was decadent and silly, but people behind me were telling me I was riding my brakes. I wasn't. I was able to fix it on the road with a couple of tools.
Now that I am completely addicted to Cruise, I'm glad I fixed the rear brake switch early on.
I will not buy another big bike without Cruise Control. Saves fuel, is so easy and on long trips, so much better than a throttle lock.
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