Cruise control problem 1994 GL1500

I'm not sure leaving the master cruise switch on full-time is the obvious solution for everybody. In theory it might be possible to hit the set button by mistake and get into trouble so I imagine some of us want the ability to turn the cruise system off completely and forget about *that*.

My experience with the cruise on and sound mute switches was that some sort of greenish grease they put on at the factory sort of thickens over time and then interferes with normal operation. This problem is not a fatal one and you can clean this deposit and get the switches working normally again.

Most seem to suggest that you can drown the whole switch compartment with contact cleaner and wait for it to drain/dry/evaporate. To target the cleaning more precisely you can also unscrew the inside elements of the switch but you need to watch out for some very small springs which tend to fly off and get lost.

Finally, I've read that it's not a good idea to combine WD40 or other generic petroleum lubricants with plastics or rubber because it damages them.

I agree with vtxcandyred about taking the cruse control switch apart. I have taken apart every switch on both of the handle bar switch clusters. I need to get in the habit of taking pictures when I do such a job but I never do. Sorry.

Just remove the two screw that hold the handle bar switch cluster together. The cruse switches will be easy to get to since they are on the top half. Then remove the screw holding the particular switch that you want to clean out and work the switch out of the housing. Do not unsolder the switch from it's wires. Yes the switch will come out. You may have to remove the cruse set switch as well. I don't recall if it gets in the way of removing the cruse on/off toggle switch. Again don't unsolder the switch. With the switch out of the housing and dangling from it's wires clean the switch body so you can inspect it. The switch body is made out of two plastic parts that snap together. The reason you are inspecting the switch is to figure out how to pry it apart. One plastic part will have little square holes into which wedge shaped aspects of the other plastic part fit into. There will be at least to but maybe three. The plastic body parts are plenty soft so don't worry about breaking anything when you pry the little wedges out to get the switch body apart. Just make sure when you are doing this that you don't lose any of the interior switch parts. Take your time.

Now that you have the switch in two parts again inspect. Maybe take a picture. One part will simply have contacts onto which the external wires are soldered. The other part will have all the springs, little bits and moving parts. If I recall correctly the guts of this switch includes a little wire. This wire produces the click on / click off toggling action of this switch. This wire has to go back in the right way or the switch won't work on reassembly. Make sure you understand how that wire goes back in before you take it apart further.

If you make it this far now all you have to do is clean all the parts, lubricate with a little silicone spray and reassemble the switch in the reverse order. If the unit still does not click on and off you got that little wire in wrong. Once the switch is working correctly reassemble the handle bar cluster in the reverse order.

Dissembling and cleaning all the other switches in that cluster are much easier since they don't click on and off. The starter switch is the hardest but only because you have to remove the throttle cable to get to it.

I hope that helps.