2005 RSTD Speedo Issue

[haup9]

Hi All,

 

I am a pretty new rider (6 weeks or so) with a 2005 Royal Star Tour Deluxe. My problem is the speedo seems to be off. I first noticed it when I was following my wife in her truck and I thought I was at the correct speed but kept having to speed up to catch back up to her. We talked after and she said she was staying steady at the speed limit. After that we tried using a speedo app on her phone while she was my passenger on the bike.....it showed about 5mph to slow......ie speedo indicated 45 & app was indicating 40mph. In addition to this, the digital needle is jumpy.....not smooth at all. I'm guessing they are related.

 

Any help would be appreciated. I searched the forums but didn't find any posts that were the same issue as mine. Also, I am handy but have never worked on a motorcycle so pics or a tech manual would be super helpful.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Freebird]

That is normal for the RSTD and the RSV. They all read off by about 5 MPH. Your only option is to buy something like a SpeedoHealer., It allows you to calibrate it. Not sure why Yamaha does that but they are all off.

 

Something like this is what you will need.

 

http://shop.12oclocklabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=31&product_id=59

 

or

 

https://www.healtech-electronics.com/products/sh/

[haup9]

That is normal for the RSTD and the RSV. They all read off by about 5 MPH. Your only option is to buy something like a SpeedoHealer., It allows you to calibrate it. Not sure why Yamaha does that but they are all off.

 

Something like this is what you will need.

 

http://shop.12oclocklabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=31&product_id=59

 

or

 

https://www.healtech-electronics.com/products/sh/

 

Thanks Freebird! What about the jumpy needle? Do these fix that as well?

[Freebird]

Sorry, I'm not sure about that one. I no longer have a RSV but don't remember the jumpy speedo needle. It may have had it, just don't remember. Hopefully somebody else will jump in.

[eagleeye]

Don's right about it being off about 5mph and the speeohealer will take care of that. I have an 05 RSTD and installed one years ago.

As far as a jumpy needle, you realize that is a digital needle right? So probably check connections. Electrical is not my thing so,

good luck.

By the way there is another speedo correction device: Speedo DRD. Check it out. I have on another bike and they both do the same thing.

[Freebird]

The first link I posted was to the Speedo DRD. On my first '99, I used the speedohealer. The next ones I used the DRD. It worked every bit as well and it considerably cheaper.

[haup9]

Thanks all for the help!

[RDawson]

And yes the digital needles do jump, mine has since I’ve had it.

[luvmy40]

I wouldn't call it "jumpy" the movement isn't a smooth sweep like a coil deflection needle or a rotary actuated needle. That's just the nature of an LCD display with a fairly low resolution.

 

Another vote for the 12 O'Clock labs SpeedoDRD device. Use their calculator to figure your setting and make sure to get your data at 55-60 MPH. It took 10 minutes to install and program on my '06 and it's speedo is dead on now.

[WRIDR]

Hi Haup9:

 

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Our local Yammy Dealer - who is a good Friend - told us a long time ago Ma Yama intentionally sets Speedos to read high by as much as 10 kmh (Cdn, eh?). We think after an old Lawsuit by a crash Victim.

 

If you find it useful, feel free to add that factor to your calculations, Cdn or USA.

 

Rgds, WRIDR.

[haup9]

Thanks all!!! I think I will be purchasing a DRD. It drives me nuts not having it correct.

[Heimdog]

It's been my experience that the speedo is off by 10%, not necessarily a certain mph. I have to show 80mph on my speedo to be going 70-72. Conversely, I've experienced that showing 50 is pretty close to 45. It's confusing, yes.

 

Speedo on my V* 1100 was spot-on. When I drove my RSV home from the dealer on the Interstate I was showing 70mph and everyone was blowing by me. After several miles of this I kicked up the speed. Mentioned it to a friend who has an 05 RSTD and he said the same that everyone here is saying. All the speedos read slower than actual.

[RDawson]

If I remember correctly mine was off 7 or 8%. The DRD put it on the mark.

[cwtart]

So if the speedometer is 10% slow then the odometer would be 10% low and calculated MPG would also be off - is that correct?

[BratmanXj]

So if the speedometer is 10% slow then the odometer would be 10% low and calculated MPG would also be off - is that correct?

 

From what I've seen the stock Odometer is pretty spot-on even with the speed being off by 10%.

 

Since it is only the speed that is off, when you do run one of the adjusters the Odometer then comes up short on mileage.

[cwtart]

From what I've seen the stock Odometer is pretty spot-on even with the speed being off by 10%.

 

Since it is only the speed that is off, when you do run one of the adjusters the Odometer then comes up short on mileage.

 

So if I understand you, if you correct the speedometer with an adjuster then the odometer will be off - so we can't have both an accurate speedometer and an accurate odometer at the same time?

[BratmanXj]

So if I understand you, if you correct the speedometer with an adjuster then the odometer will be off - so we can't have both an accurate speedometer and an accurate odometer at the same time?

 

I've had a Spedo DRD sitting in the drawer for 2 years and never installed it. When I purchased and researched on here about the installation I was told that the Odo/Speedo were directly related in the computer system so adjusting the Speedo resulted in a corresponding error in the Odo. Someone who has installed the corrector may have better information.

[cwtart]

I've had a Spedo DRD sitting in the drawer for 2 years and never installed it. When I purchased and researched on here about the installation I was told that the Odo/Speedo were directly related in the computer system so adjusting the Speedo resulted in a corresponding error in the Odo. Someone who has installed the corrector may have better information.

 

So then this is confusing - you said your odometer was accurate but the speedometer was off. If the speedo and odo are directly related I would think that if the speedo is off by 5-10% then the odometer would have to be off by the same 5-10%. I am not being snarky here, just want to be sure.

[BratmanXj]

So then this is confusing - you said your odometer was accurate but the speedometer was off. If the speedo and odo are directly related I would think that if the speedo is off by 5-10% then the odometer would have to be off by the same 5-10%. I am not being snarky here, just want to be sure.

 

 

In stock configuration:

My Speedo shows 80mph vs 72mph on the gps. The Odometer is pretty close on the 90 miles from my home to cottage between the bike and the gps, under 1 mile difference in travel. I have not checked it on longer rides.

 

So in modified configuration:

The speedo vs gps would be equal at 80mph because of the Spedo DRD adjusting the signal. So now the Odometer is running "fast" and would show 98 miles on the bike vs 90 miles on the GPS.

 

I hope this makes sense....

[vzuden]

The added "compensator" adjusts the single electric signal that is sent to the speedo/odometer unit. The interpretation of that electric signal is taken by both speedo and odometer and adjusted but not independently. My current Venture (2012 model) and previous (2006 model) were both similarly off.

[luvmy40]

Glad I stopped by this thread again!

 

I was feeling a little down as the last time I checked the fuel economy of the '06, I was only seeing 36MPG rather than the 41MPG that I got the first few tanks. I had completely forgotten the Speedo DRD would effect the odometer.

 

Next trip I'll run a GPS odometer and check to see what the differential is.

[cwtart]

The added "compensator" adjusts the single electric signal that is sent to the speedo/odometer unit. The interpretation of that electric signal is taken by both speedo and odometer and adjusted but not independently. My current Venture (2012 model) and previous (2006 model) were both similarly off.

 

So is the consensus here that both the speedometer and odometer are off until a compensator is installed? Or is only the speedometer off and the odometer is okay without a compensator?

 

I would not want to fix the speedometer at the expense of the odometer then being inaccurate - I would rather have the speedometer read low and the odometer read correctly.

[RDawson]

When the speedo is corrected the odo will be slowed. You’ll show fewer miles than really traveled. I’d rather have the speedo than odometer being correct.

[Freebird]

It has been my experience on three separate RSVs that the Speedometer and Odometer are both off but not by the same percentage. On all three of the ones that I've owned, the Speedo was off about 10% while the Odometer was off about 4% if I remember correctly.

[Papa Fred]

I agree with that last post, Freebird. My speedo is off..shows "fast"... close to 10% regardless of speed range. 3 at 30, 4 at 40 etc. The odo is nearly accurate, 2-4 % faster. Both numbers are compared to my Garmin Drive GPS. For me, it's not worth worrying about. I use the Garmin for Speed, and bike odo for mileage.