We all know the speedo isn't right....

[Gaprider]

So does the speedometer reading WAAAAAYYYY optimistic at anything above 30 mph affect the accuracy of the odometer? Does this mean that my bike actually has 10% less miles on it? Does it mean that my stuck on 34mpg indication is also wrong? I am curious if Suzuki factored that in when they intentionally made the speedo read fast (to slow us down no doubt). Unfortunately in my head, this just justifies my usual 10 over the speed limit to becoming (indicated) 20 over.

According to the local "here's your speed" radar trailer thing, my speedo is about 10mph fast at 50mph. There has to be a way to get it calibrated. I really don't feel like calculating the circumference of the tire.. times the gear reduction... calculate the actual RPM (cause the stock tach is off too....).

Wow, I got off on a rant there. I was really just curious about the odometer.

 

[cisco35]

if i wanted to could i replace my guages with those of a 99-00 because it reads wrong anyway why not read wrong with 220 on the speedo? or are the wiring harnesses different?

 

[Narcissus]

7-12% error is normal. When it says you are going 200, for instance, you are really doing around 180. A Yellow box will help correct the error.

http://www.blackrobotics.com

You can swap the clusters of any year. Plug-and-play.

 

[kawafaski]

Thnx Narc..plug and play..cool...99/ 00 gauges..220 speedo.
Anyway..my 01 sez 65 mph..the gps sez 60..so sixty five indicated in a fifty five is OK..hehehe
ps stock gearing is what i have now..17/40..77" diameter tire.
also 26 indicated is 25..for those mandatory slow speeds in your neigborhoods..YES WE CAN GO SLOW..save it for no witnesses..the power..of GODS OWN HAND....enjoy..and be safe..
Pss..thnx Captain for this site..

 

[kawafaski]

Just remember...any gearing change will affect the speedo..
It reads from the countershaft sprocket..rpm....yellow box can make the speedo accurate..but you need a gps to set it....just borrow one..if you can.... see me in Hooterville,NV.
[Green Acres]..LOL

 

[Lo-Busa]

hey gaprider,

kawafaski is right on the mark!!! i have smaller sprocket (99 BUSA 220 speedo) and my speedo was off by 12.74%. more than just stock with the sprocket. i just had the yellow box put on and it was set with GPS so now i am accurate give or take 1-3 mph. it really helps!! wanting to drop down to the speed limit i had no idea how much it was really off with the gearing change. got pulled over a few times and had to say "no really, i had no idea i was speeding!!" honestly!!! ask Howlin Mad about when HE got pulled over in San Fran, i thought we had slowed down enough. NOT!!!!! my bad marc!! sorrry.... at least you didn't get a ticket!!

Lo

 

[MET]

Depending on the gearing you will be off between 10-14% on the speedo.

hey Lo did you get the yellow box on yet. Still waiting for the pics when I get back in the country. Thursday.

 

[bravrifl]

Just ordered my Yellow Box.And I'm wondering what is the process of using  a GPS . Could someone clear this up ? I'd definitely appreciate it.      Thanks,  Jim

 

[kawafaski]

The gps unit..around a hundred bucks..will show your actual speed..give or take 1-2 % error...i have heard...then using the gps as a speedometer..say at 60 mph....look at the Busa speedo and see what it say's..mine says 65 at true sixty..so it shows too much..the bike...yellow box has switches on it..
the directions with the yellow box will guide you..when your done..adjusting the yellow box..both the gps and the Busa speedo should be showing the same speed...give or take a few
mph..1 to 3..maybe..
Ps ,i need to get one too..

And yes the odometer..is off..Question..does the yellow box correct the odo also?? anybody know..

 

[bravrifl]

Thanks Mr 'Faski Gps is on the way

 Jim

 

[Kento-Moto]

With GPS and other techy stuff moving forward so fast will it only be a matter of time till cameras in space take shots of us moving at 200 mph and just mail us a ticket & lincense suspension?

 

[Henryace1]

Get the yellow box. It will work

Yellow box

 

[MET]

Or you can change your gearing to 19/41 it will be dead on. DO NOT CHANGE AUNLESS YOU HAVE TURBO OR IT WILL NOT PULL.

 

[pure_ego]

What is the REAL reason the speedo's suck? I assume partly because they are analog and are set to be "correct" at a certain speed and you will have some error one way or the other above, and below that speed.

Are the digital speedo's any more accurate on other bikes? (even though the digital speedo looks gay)

The discrepencies you guys are talking about are unacceptable in my opinion.

My thinking is that anything over 5 miles an hour off is grounds for replacement under the warranty. I'll be checking mine shortly and doing some whinning/bitching to my dealer if it's like that at "normal" cruising speeds 45-70mph IMHO.

 

[STUNNAH]

Pure Ego,

I like that idea...And I'm cool with that...

 

[busahigg]

while we're on the subject...does anyone know where to get 99 gauges. And how hard is it to change out?

 

[pure_ego]

somebody said just plug and play.. I can't imagine it wouldn't be all screwy as far as speed.. but the way most people are talking our speedo's are basically useless to begin with... which for a MSRP of almost 11k.. would really... reaaaally pee me off.

 

[Kerberos]

I have the yellow box. works well. High speed passes calibrated to gps last weekend. 193 on the speedo and 191 on the gps highest speed indicated. Close enough for me. Good investment for 100 bucks. Highly recommend.

 

[Curt]

i must be the only guy in the world who's bike reads the opposite way, its really driving me nuts. it used to be wayyy off, reading much much lower than actual speed.
then i changed my front sprocket to 16, you would thing that would make my bike read higher speeds.., well it does, but still not high enuf. ryt now its about 20% low.
i've gotten flashed by cops doing 50 in a 50.
will the yellow box fix mine?

 

[amsctalx]

What is the REAL reason the speedo's suck?    I assume partly because they are analog and are set to be "correct" at a certain speed and you will have some error one way or the other above, and below that speed.

Are the digital speedo's any more accurate on other bikes?  (even though the digital speedo looks gay)

The discrepencies you guys are talking about are unacceptable in my opinion.  

My thinking is that anything over 5 miles an hour off is grounds for replacement under the warranty. I'll be checking mine shortly and doing some whinning/bitching to my dealer if it's like that at "normal" cruising speeds 45-70mph IMHO.

We discussed this not long before "the meltdown".

There is no technical reason why an analog speedometer has to be inaccurate. Modern analog indicators are actually under the control of digital circuitry, many by a microcontroller. Non-linearities can be corrected by breaking the travel of a D'Arsonval (classic analog) meter into smaller "zones", and then applying a correction factor against each zone as needed.

Better still, many auto and bike companies are beginning to use servomotor-based movements. An embedded microcontroller can place the indicator in a very precise position using this style of movement.

So why is the speedometer (and NOT the odometer) high by about 9.0% on my Busa? Why was the digital speedometer on my 2001 CBR1100XX off about 8.25%?

Answer: They are designed to read higher than actual road speed.

I spoke to an engineer I know at a Tier 2 indicator supplier that makes many of the stepper gauges used in autos, and some bikes. We actually discussed this briefly, and he related to me that an engineer at a bike manufacturer had brought him in to help calibrate an instrument cluster. After a test session, the supplier engineer noted a substantial inaccuracy in the speedometer, but not the odometer. When he mentioned this, the response was a smiling "yes, we know".

The motorcycle OEMs think that they are doing a "good deed" by doing this, the same way that one of the "Big Three" does when they program their clusters to <1.0% accuracy when under 80mph, and then crank in a rising 3 to 5% increase over that speed. Or when another of the "Big Three" has a logarithmic error in their tachometers, hoping that people observe the displayed rpm limit and not "abuse" their engines.

Or, in other words, "That's the way it is"...and good luck trying to get that repaired under warranty. There isn't a "factory" fix, as you will soon find out.

Mike