Speedometer incorrect

[Tigger]

I was driving down to Deal's Gap and was surprised to see my speedometer indicating 120 Kph yet my GPS was saying 111kph. That is quite a large difference. Is anyone else experiencing a similar difference ? HAs anyone approached theie dealer about it and if yes what what the response ?

 

Thanks

[gibvel]

Yes, all the speedometers are inaccurate. Most motorcycles are. The 2nd gens is off, roughly, 7%. I think it has something to do with keeping us hotrodders from driving so fast.

 

Here's a device that corrects that problem:

 

http://www.speedohealer.com/eng/intro.htm

[BOO]

Yep, they are all off like that. 6 to 7 percent at 70 MPH.

Dealers won't do anything, most brands of bikes are also off. Don't know what the problem is.

There is a way to correct it but it cost money. Some have it but I don't pay any attention to it, it reads fast anyway.

Don the Freebird has the thing to correct the speed on his bike.

I think it's called the heeler or something like that.

Jerry

[Tigger]

Thanks for the quick replies. Has anyone noticed if this inaccuracy is only applicable to the speedo or if the mileage is also affected. This is something I did not look at while driving. To busy turning right then left then right again on the blue ridge parkway. After 400 miles of left rights I was ready for some straight roads.

[Guest skunk328]

I notice the same with my GPS. The GPS usually says about 10 km/h slower than my speedo. However, when asking other riders what our road speed was, it matched my speedo. Who knows! Maybe the discrepancies are at different road speeds as suggested.

 

Skunk328

[SaltyDawg]

Thanks for the quick replies. Has anyone noticed if this inaccuracy is only applicable to the speedo or if the mileage is also affected. This is something I did not look at while driving. To busy turning right then left then right again on the blue ridge parkway. After 400 miles of left rights I was ready for some straight roads.

 

 

Yes the mileage is also effected . If you look at the miles traveled on your GPS and the miles indicated on your ODO you will find roughly a 10 mile / 16 Kilometer difference between the two after running a full tank.

[Black Ice]

Yes the speed discrepancy is a percentage and not a fixed amount.

My experience with the odometer reading are a bit different. My odometer is pretty accurate but not quite. No where near as inaccurate as the speedometer.

My friends Harley's speedometer is off by almost the same as my Venture.

[Condor]

I'm starting to understand now. While riding with a pack of 2ndGens on the way to Fort Collins I was going nutz running at 70mph when the speed limit was 75.... I guess they actually thought they were doing 75??? I knew I was in trouble when that little old lady pushing a baby carriage, along with just about every one else, passed us out in the Nevada Badlands............

[Cerviperus]

I'm starting to understand now. While riding with a pack of 2ndGens on the way to Fort Collins I was going nutz running at 70mph when the speed limit was 75.... I guess they actually thought they were doing 75??? I knew I was in trouble when that little old lady pushing a baby carriage, along with just about every one else, passed us out in the Nevada Badlands............

Sounds about right. My '03 shows right at 75 when running 70. I thought about buying the Speedohealer, but decided it wasn't that important to me. I know the speedometer is off, and approximately to what degree, so I just take that into consideration when setting my cruise. Hasn't been a problem yet.

[Mikealiasmike]

Tigger, I bought 5 Speedohealers from link Gibvil sent you and passed them onto members here except one for myself. The folks at http://www.sporttour.com/motorcycle_accessory/speedohealer.htm are excellent to deal with. If enough folks were interested I could contact them again and see what kind of deal I could work out for folks on here. Ride safe and God Bless. Mike

[Gray Ghost]

For those of you riding with GPS, that indicated speed will be more accurate than your speedometer.

 

Cliff Fargason

[Rich99]

I'm starting to understand now. While riding with a pack of 2ndGens on the way to Fort Collins I was going nutz running at 70mph when the speed limit was 75.... I guess they actually thought they were doing 75??? I knew I was in trouble when that little old lady pushing a baby carriage, along with just about every one else, passed us out in the Nevada Badlands............

So scientific, what's wrong with 5 mph fast. There's enough of those radar thing'ies along side the road all over the states that tells you how fast you are going, that I don't need a GPS to tell me how far off my speedometer is. If your going 45 mph when you past one of those things, and it says 40, then you know your speedometer is 5 mph fast. From there on, when you know the speed limit is 65 mph, you can do 70, and know that your only doing 65...............4th grade math. Like you were saying on the way to Ft. Collins Jack, we agreed to do 70 mph (or some of us did), and I set the pace when leading everybody at 75, this put us at 70 mph. Kind of a drag, wish we had done the speed limit of 75, just my :2cents:worth.

[Condor]

Like you were saying on the way to Ft. Collins Jack, we agreed to do 70 mph (or some of us did), and I set the pace when leading everybody at 75, this put us at 70 mph. Kind of a drag, wish we had done the speed limit of 75, just my :2cents:worth.

 

 

Hmmmm.... i think i missed that part of the conversation... Still drove me nutzo............

[Rich99]

Hmmmm.... i think i missed that part of the conversation... Still drove me nutzo............

When we were all talking, one of the driver's said he didn't like to drive fast, so we just slowed it down 5 mph. At least it isn't 55 mph like when I'm driving truck, that drives me nutzo, lol.:bang head:

[flb_78]

I'm starting to understand now. While riding with a pack of 2ndGens on the way to Fort Collins I was going nutz running at 70mph when the speed limit was 75.... I guess they actually thought they were doing 75??? I knew I was in trouble when that little old lady pushing a baby carriage, along with just about every one else, passed us out in the Nevada Badlands............

 

that's funny right there!!!

 

good luck passing this 2nd gen, I dont like to follow the speed suggestions out on the open highway put out there by the gubberment.

[Bubbajbi]

Ok, so here is the deal (for those of you that care). It all started with Harley's.

 

Ever since Harley has put speedo's on their bikes they have only manufactured ONE speedometer for all the different bikes. The only thing that changed was the faceplate and the mounting location. The cables and inner workings were all the same. What that meant is that some bikes (with bigger wheels and/or tires) were accurate on their speed and others were reading faster than the actual speed. Since Most bike manufacturers have followed many of the ways of Harley, this has carried over to almost all motorcycles on the road today.

 

I just look at it this way: I can cruise at 80mph on a 75mph hwy and not have to worry about getting a ticket. It's all in your head, man.

[OB-1]

Problem lies with the cruise control - if you want it set between 73-79 you can't do it. Once the speedo reads 80 the cruise shuts off, so in reality the fastest you can set your cruise is whatever the 'true' speed is when the speedo reads 79. OK, so maybe you can get 73 or 74 out of it, depending on how 'off' the reading is. Still sucks.

 

My cruise control works up to an "indicated" 85-86 mph.

[abhix]

My speedometer is also off --doing 100 km's per hour by the gps when it registers 107/8. But my odometer, after riding 483.6 km's on the gps, read 481. Don't figure that the odometer is an issue. I simply set my cruise by the gps and totally ignore the speedo. A gps is no more expensive than the healer fix for the speedo, and a heck of a lot more versatile and useful.

[BEER30]

For those of you riding with GPS, that indicated speed will be more accurate than your speedometer.

 

Cliff Fargason

 

I rarely use my speedo on the scoot since I have my GPS now . So if I screw up and supposably get a ticket for a speed I did not do , I have evidence for court as the GPS is more correct .

 

Gene

[RSTDinPA]

I was driving down to Deal's Gap and was surprised to see my speedometer indicating 120 Kph yet my GPS was saying 111kph. That is quite a large difference. Is anyone else experiencing a similar difference ? HAs anyone approached theie dealer about it and if yes what what the response ?

I do not know if this is true so if someone knows for sure please chime in. I have been told that GPS does not take into consideration hills and other elevation changes so they always tend to report slower speeds that actual. Traveling down a hill you cover more distance down the angle than the linear range covered as seen from above.

[Rich99]

Ok, so here is the deal (for those of you that care). It all started with Harley's.

 

Ever since Harley has put speedo's on their bikes they have only manufactured ONE speedometer for all the different bikes. The only thing that changed was the faceplate and the mounting location. The cables and inner workings were all the same. What that meant is that some bikes (with bigger wheels and/or tires) were accurate on their speed and others were reading faster than the actual speed. Since Most bike manufacturers have followed many of the ways of Harley, this has carried over to almost all motorcycles on the road today.

 

I just look at it this way: I can cruise at 80mph on a 75mph hwy and not have to worry about getting a ticket. It's all in your head, man.

You hit the nail right on the head Brent, same way I think!

[Rich99]

My cruise control works up to an "indicated" 85-86 mph.

Same here OB-1.

[Leland]

I do not know if this is true so if someone knows for sure please chime in. I have been told that GPS does not take into consideration hills and other elevation changes so they always tend to report slower speeds that actual. Traveling down a hill you cover more distance down the angle than the linear range covered as seen from above.

I have the Garmin Zumo that I use daily in my '01 Dodge service truck with 195,000 miles. The Zumo reads EXACTLY the same on both speed and odometer. I had bought the Speedohealer for my '06 RSTD before I bought the GPS. I had set the Speedohealer for -8.5% using mile markers and a stopwatch. After the installation of the GPS on the bike, I found the speedometer to be right on the mark, however my odometer reads 5% less than that shown on the GPS.

Bottom line is that I trust what the GPS shows.

[r12guy]

For what it is worth, the error in a speedo is because if it is slow and you get popped for speeding it can fall back on the manufacture. these things Ive been told are tested and if its found that a speedo reads slower then the actual speed the Manufacture can be fined.

[gibvel]

For what it is worth, the error in a speedo is because if it is slow and you get popped for speeding it can fall back on the manufacture. these things Ive been told are tested and if its found that a speedo reads slower then the actual speed the Manufacture can be fined.

Did you mean that the Manufacturer CAN or CAN'T be fined?