Voge DS900X cruise control: operation and shift reminder thresholds

Cruise control on the DS900X is described in a single dense paragraph of the owner manual. Two conditions govern whether it engages at all, and both are easy to miss.

Conditions for engagement

• Road speed above 35 km/h
• A gear between second and sixth

Below 35 km/h, and in first or neutral, the system does not respond. Where a press of the button produces no result, this is almost invariably the reason.

The controls

Two controls are provided: a switch that enables and disables the function, and a rocker that sets the speed.

• The cruise control switch arms the system. It does not set a speed.
• A short press of SET/- fixes the current road speed and begins cruising.
• A short press of RES/+ raises the set speed by 2 km/h.
• A further short press of SET/- lowers it by 2 km/h.
• Holding either varies the set speed continuously.

The display shows the set speed alone in that area. The value read there is the target, which on a gradient is not necessarily the speed being maintained.

What cancels it

Four actions deactivate cruise control:

1. The front or rear brake
2. The clutch lever
3. Switching off the ignition
4. Road speed falling below 35 km/h, which ends it automatically

Cancellation is immediate, and the manual states that any of these returns control to the rider. Opening the throttle also overrides the set speed for as long as it is held.

Disabling the function when not in use

The manual asks specifically for the function to be switched off when it is not needed. The reason is that an armed system combined with an unintended button press produces a motorcycle that begins to accelerate on its own. It is the function that should be switched off, not merely the set speed.

The manual also excludes the use of cruise control on congested roads, tight or winding roads, wet surfaces, ice, snow and steep descents. On a steep descent in particular the system cannot brake, and speed is allowed to build.

The shift reminder is a separate function

The arrows on the instrument display that prompt a change of gear operate on fixed engine speed thresholds, which vary with the gear engaged:

Gear	Downshift reminder	Upshift reminder
2	below 3,000 rpm	above 6,000 rpm
3	below 3,000 rpm	above 6,000 rpm
4	below 3,000 rpm	above 7,000 rpm
5	below 3,000 rpm	above 8,000 rpm
6	below 3,000 rpm	-

Sixth gear carries no upshift prompt.

Two points follow. The downshift prompt is identical in every gear: below 3,000 rpm a lower gear is indicated. The upshift point rises through the gearbox, from 6,000 rpm in second and third to 8,000 rpm in fifth, so the reminder is not a fixed shift light and following it does not hold a constant engine speed.

These thresholds govern the reminder alone. They are neither a rev limit nor the point of peak power, which the manual places at 8,250 rpm.

Related pages

The quickshifter is a separate system with its own operating condition and is covered in DS900X quickshifter. Riding mode selection is described in Voge riding modes. Model specifications are on the DS900X model page; the source document is the DS900X owner manual.