speedometer error

[pegscraper]

It's a known thing that the speedometer in our bikes is off. It reads roughly 8 - 10% or so too high. My question is, does the odometer read that same amount off, or is it actually accurate? Some of you with a GPS should be able to answer this easily and without any guessing.

[arhayes]

The odometer is also off by 7% (average) on mine. This appears to be a motorcycle common issue, as I have buddies that have both Wings and Valks, plus all the Venturers I know, and we all experience the same error rate.....

[GunnyButch]

Before I got the Zumo I allowed 10% error on the speedo, now I use the GPS and it agrees with the radar signs along the road. The ODO is off by the same amount so it makes some difference when you figure mileage.

[spear]

But - the question I have is - - which way is it out by 7%? At 100kms/hr am I doing 107 or 93?

[Freebird]

You are doing 93. The speedometer reads faster than you are actually going.

[spear]

Thanks 'bird. I tend to ride 10% over the posted speed limit anyway, as the HWP in my state allows that sort of tolerance. So my 110 in a 100 zone would make me doing around 101. Whew. I feel better now!

I know my Subaru Outback has the same 8% difference, and I drive it at the same speeds I ride the RSV. Cheers.

[pegscraper]

So that means that when someone makes a gas mileage claim, we have to consider whether actual GPS miles or Yamaha miles are being used. If I calculate with the factory odometer that I'm averaging 40 mpg, it's going to be closer to 36. What a drag.

[GunnyButch]

The upside is the 40k on your ODO is really 36K.

[FreezyRider]

The upside is the 40k on your ODO is really 36K.

 

If you own a bike that has a warranty based on distance (miles or kilometers) that isn't an upside at all. Then your warranty expires sooner. I have a sneaking hunch that this may be what is behind the motorcycle industry doing this pretty much across the board. It's no harder to make a speedometer accurate than it is to make it consistently wrong.

[FreezyRider]

BTW, my 94 Goldwing is dead on the money on both speed and miles driven. If they could do it in 94, they could surely do it now, don't you think?

[pegscraper]

I wondered why that should be an upside too, the thing showing higher mileage than it really has. That would be a little hard on whatever the value might be for selling. I'd like to get a speedo healer myself, as I'm piling the miles up pretty quickly, but I have no way to calibrate the thing.

[Freebird]

Calibrating it is pretty easy. Just find a highway with mileage markers, set your speed at 60 MPH and time how long it takes to make it a mile. Actually, I timed it over a mile and then at about 3 miles also just to double check.

 

Now, I'm going to have to take a different opinion on the odometers. I never checked mine before adding the Speedohealer but based upon my readings now, I'm going to have to say that it is NOT off like the speedometer is. My speedo is now dead on but the odometer is off a bit. If I check it against the mile markers, I find that each time I pass a mile marker, my odometer doesn't click to the next digit yet....so it's actually showing fewer miles than I'm actually going. This leads me to the conclusion that it was probably pretty close before I corrected the speedometer.

[Guest Ken8143]

Looks like I am the odd man out, because according to my GPS, my speedometer is dead on. Maybe a 1st gen thing?

[Squeeze]

Looks like I am the odd man out, because according to my GPS, my speedometer is dead on. Maybe a 1st gen thing?

 

There should be an Error also, mybe 2.5 to 3 Percent, but not more.

 

Main Thing the huge Difference is, because the newer Nikes have the Speedo-Signal taken from either Engine Output or, like the 2Gens, on the final Drive. So, they count how often the rear Wheel turns. Regardless if the Wheel spins over the Ground or not. At least, 3 Percent Slip is normal for Bikes.

 

On the 1 Gen, the Spedo Pickup is on front and there is almost no slip. So only Thing what can make up Errors on counting is the Gears ov the Pickup and mechanical Issues, as the Tires do not have the same Diameter.

[GunnyButch]

The "upside" was intended as satire. Either way I don't see it as a conspiracy by the manufacturers to shorten warranty periods since mileage is unlimited.

[Leland]

I've stated before that while the Speed-O-Healer set at 7.5% corrected my speedometer, my odometer now reads 5% lower than actual, according to my Zumo GPS and like Freebird, watching the mile markers.

[Gem Setter]

I have found that my speedo is off about 1mph for every 10mph of speed minus 1. So at speedo 100 really going 91.

 

On a recent trip to Sturgis I set my GPS and Bike "Trip" to zero in my driveway and when I got there I had gone 532 miles on GPS and 564 on the speedo.

 

SO both the speedo and odo are off.

 

Allen

[brainfart]

here's my dilema - on a 1600 mile turn-around last weekend (phoenix to Oakland to attend pre-season raiders/cardinals game).

 

Speedo reads 5% high - cruise control won't work at 86+mph (which is really only about 80). with a 75mph speed limit on the open roads - i was getting passed by semi's. - btw - fiuel mileage dropped to about 30mpg at that speed

 

is there a speedo fix available????

[Freebird]

Several here, including me, have installed the Speedohealer. Works great and easy to install.

 

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

[Freebird]

Now, I'm going to have to take a different opinion on the odometers. I never checked mine before adding the Speedohealer but based upon my readings now, I'm going to have to say that it is NOT off like the speedometer is. My speedo is now dead on but the odometer is off a bit. If I check it against the mile markers, I find that each time I pass a mile marker, my odometer doesn't click to the next digit yet....so it's actually showing fewer miles than I'm actually going. This leads me to the conclusion that it was probably pretty close before I corrected the speedometer.

 

I stand corrected on this issue. On my trip to Vogel, I was riding with Midrsv and his GPS confirmed that my odometer is VERY CLOSE to accurate now with the Speedohealer. So, the error does affect both the speedometer and the odometer and the Speedohealer corrects both.

 

The bad news is that anybody who is figuring gas mileage from the odometer is not getting as high mileage as they thing.

[Burninator]

If you want to find out how accurate your speedometer is borrow a GPS and take it for a ride. Compare the GPS speed with your speedometer reading. My GPS shows that my 86 Venture Royale has an error of less than 1 mph at 60. My 2000 Yamaha 1100 Classic has an error of 3 mph at 60 and my friend's Yamaha 400 Majesty has an error of 7 mph at 60.

[ventureblue]

HAS ANYONE TRIED TO HAVE YAMAHA CORRECT THIS ISSUE? IT SOUNDS TO ME THAT WHEN YOU GO TO SELL A VEHICLE YOUR STSTING THAT THE MILAGE IS CORRECT. IF THIS IS A KNOWN FACT THEN YAMAHA IS NOT COMPLYING WITH DMV STANDAERDS. JUST MY 2 CENT. I DO BELIEVE THAT MOST ALL METRICS ARE PROGRAMMED THIS WAY.