BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Folks,

My wrist needs a bit more than my O ring cruise control.. so I'm thinking an adjustable drag device like a Kaoko or Throttlemeister. I seem to recall someone posting about adding one with the earlier GS handguards.. and having it work. Any clues would be welcome.. (I'm leaning toward a Kaoko because I've heard good things about them, and they look neat..)

ThrottleMeister - http://www.throttlemeister.com/

Kaoko - http://www.kaokousa.com/

BrakeAway - http://www.brakeawayproducts.com/productinfo.html - looks rather clever, but they don't list BMWs.. I wrote them.

I would go with the kaokousa, I touched one at a shop the other day and it feels really good,
gives you a nice grip on that ring. My bike came with a throttleMeister, and sometimes its too
slick and hard to grip, so if you get one get it with grooves in it. Must be why the Kaokausa has
those big nob`s on it (they work)

This is a link from Ka5ysy that uses new GS guards.
http://www.dualsportridersoflouisiana.c ... stcount=88
See post Farkle Attack 2009 it might have some info for you.

Don

The Kaoko is great .. and although I can't find it, I'm sure there's a post with one + GS handguards.

The larger teeth / knobs / whatever on the tightening ring simply "work" unlike the smaller ring on (say) the Wunderlich version. I had the Wunderlich on my R1150RS and found it very distracting have to take my hand off the bars to get fingers/thumb around the tightening ring. I imagine a Throttlemeister is more so.

The Kaoko can be engaged / disengaged by the heel of you hand with/without your little finger. No need to take your hand off the bars until the throttle is held steady.

Youi can still make throttle changes easily enough with it "on" (ON = being able to take your hands off the throttle for an extend period and it won't ease off)

Once engaged, one major plus over the Wunderlich is that you can leave the Kaoko on a medium pressure (but not tight) and it damps the throttle so that it holds for just a while before slowly easing off (the Wunderlich had to be "on" or "off"). This gives you nicely damped throttle changes for roads and times when you don't need the twitchiness or jerky ride from the un-damped throttle - like on a winding open road when you don't need instant throttle response but l still need to use the throttle a bit. At this etting you can also lift your hand berifly to adjsut a visor, shake out a cramp etc. I find I use this medium pressure quite often, and it definitely hepls my wrist over a long day: now I have the Kaoko "off" only in the city and on tighter roads.

A couple of downsides:

My Kaoko has developed a tendency to wind itself on towards lock - no danger, since you can still move the throttle as you need, but disconcerting and I now make sure it's "off" before I start a city or tight-road ride. Think I can fix this with the grub scew and will try it tomorrow (600km ride, yay).

Some think think the Kaoko looks ugly - because the knobs are prominent - but actually most people don't notice mine.

I prefer the Bob's Wrist Rest. I have used them for a number of years on many different bikes. If you have handguards you will need to order the version for the GS bike. I moved my current Wrist Rest from my R1150R that also had handguards with no problems, but you will need longer bolts than those supplied with the R1150GS model.

I have a solution for you: a Cruise Control Kit, designed for R1200R.



GS handguards (my 2007) ON



GS handguards OFF



Cruise Control: 60,00 euro
Handguards fitting Kit: 10,00 euro
For more infos: [email protected]

Hope to have been helpful.

My bike has the Kaoko, which I didn't realize until I read this thread. I knew it was an aftermarket accessory but I didn't know who made it. What I like about it is how the big knobs on the wheel create kind of a safety disengagement mode. When you reach over and roll off the throttle the right side of your glove tends to pull the knobs and turn the wheel to the off position.

Unless Bob's changed their design, I tried one once and hated it. To engage it you had to turn it in the direction of rolling OFF the throttle, and to disengage it you turned it in the direction of rolling on the throttle.. completly backwards and very hard to use. Of course Bob's may have changed it. I've had the Kaoko on two bikes and thought it worked the best of any, by far.

Thanks ALL!

I suspect I'm going to try the Kaoko - it's gotten unamous reviews from everyone who has tried it - and some people have owned more than one, which is always a high recommendation. Plus the distributor is in NJ, and will let me come and fit it at his home. That kind of service is really valuable.

ziobato - I really love the looks of yours but the difficulty of getting it from Europe to the US vs riding to someone's house.. well.. the Kaoko wins just because of the local service.

Thanks again! Hopefully I'll be reporting on one shortly.

I have had my Kaoko for a while now and it works just fine with my GS handguards. You can get traction on the gears or teeth or crenulations or whatever easily even with unweildy winter gloves. Ziobato's do look very nice (as does everthing on his bike) but having Kaoko so close....... In their ads they make it look all African. But it's in New Jersey.

Mark

deilenberger & Mark, I agree with both of you: shipment from Europe can't challenge a local service...

Furthermore shipment cost is an issue that kills the product in case of a single order.
It's a pity because of quality and innovation it carries... B-Twins should find a U.S. distributor.

I'm running into a little trouble with my Kaoko. It might be operator error or misadjustment but I had quite a bit of trouble actually getting it set to where it applied an appropriate level of drag to the grip. I thought I was moving it with the edge of my glove but then I watched it more closely while rolling on the throttle and noticed the adjustment wheel tightened on its own simply from the friction of the grip. The reverse is also true - it loosens itself on throttle closing. So in actual use it's too tight or too loose pretty much all the time.

After using the Kaoka I think I actually like the Vista-Cruise type units. I don't know if Vista-Cruise actually makes one for the BMW but I've used them before on other bikes. Once you have the drag set, it's just flick on or flick off and the drag is perfect every time.

Adjust the Kaoko with the little allen head screw. Once you get it right it will be there....right.

Mark

Why not try a throttle rocker instead it is simpler and easier to install. I have been using one for a few years and find it comfortable and restful. I have had the GS hand guards fitted and together they make for more restful riding. I got my in the UK but I see that they are available in the US from http://www.throttlerocker.com/

celticus wrote:Adjust the Kaoko with the little allen head screw. Once you get it right it will be there....right.

Mark

Thanks for the tip. The bike didn't come with the instructions for the Kaoka so was unaware of the little allen screw. Alas, my 2mm allen wrench has flown to the moon. Good excuse to visit the hardware store. Us retired guys love going to the hardware store.

MIKE46 wrote:Why not try a throttle rocker instead it is simpler and easier to install. I have been using one for a few years and find it comfortable and restful. I have had the GS hand guards fitted and together they make for more restful riding. I got my in the UK but I see that they are available in the US from http://www.throttlerocker.com/

BTDT many years ago. I have carpal tunnel. Intermittently I have to take my hand off the throttle and do a few exercises to regain any feeling in it. Can't do that with the throttle rocker. Also the force required to hold the throttle open, combined with the vibration (even as minimal as it is on the R12R) in the grip will trigger CP in lots of people. Setting the throttle to neutral (which used to be doable on BMW's with the "throttle screw") relieves one of having to hold the throttle open... greatly lessening the numb hand problems CP leads to.

For someone who doesn't suffer from numb hands - the throttle-rocker is a good alternative.

Dale_K wrote:Thanks for the tip. The bike didn't come with the instructions for the Kaoka so was unaware of the little allen screw. Alas, my 2mm allen wrench has flown to the moon. Good excuse to visit the hardware store. Us retired guys love going to the hardware store.

I always thought combining a hardware store with a jiggly-bar would be a perfect business combo. "Hon, I'm going to the hardware store.. can I get you anything?"..

But I've digressed. The Kaoka guy isn't around on weekends apparently, so it's gonna end up being a phone order (and for some strange reason no one in my local club wanted to ride to Springfield NJ [think of the worst stereotype you've seen of NJ traffic..] with me. Go figure..)