How is the ST with speedometer accuracy

[OldSuperSport]

How accurate is the Speedo on the new ST? How do you fix it if its way off? I can get my brothers GPS, but I dont think he's going to forget where it is!! :roll:

[tccox]

Second that based on checking with my Garmon GPSMap 60c. Indicated 80 is actual 72-73.

[Putt]

The speedometer on my 04 is almost dead on 10% high..
The Odometer is about 3 or 4 % high..
I Installed a bicycle speedometer, calibrated it, and
iit is about 1% off on both speed and mileage...
Bike speedometer cost me around 18 bucks.....


Putt...

[SporTnTR]

Speedo and odometer, for their level of accuracy or not, is directly related to tire wear. Best time to compare to your GPS is on a new OEM rear tire. Then, be aware that your speedo and odometer will read faster as tire wears. The difference between a new tire and one that only has a 1000 mi left in it, is likely a lot more than you'd think. I realized this years ago as i kept such close records of my fuel mileage.

[NewsMag]

Like all modern motorcycles the ST13's speedo is hopelessly optimistic. As was the ST1100. On the ST11 the only solutions were bike computers (Sigma Sport) or GPS. But on the ST13 the speedo is digital. So you can install an inline chip to adjust the readout. There are two or three described on Mark Lawrence's site (http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Instruments.html#Instruments). I personally installed the SpeedoHealer (http://www.calsportbike.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?pid=800). I set it up for an 8.8% reduction, and the speedo is pretty much dead-nuts on.

Drawbacks? Your total mileage will be understated by maybe 5% (ODO error is less than Speedo error), and your gas mileage will also be affected, showing worse than it actually is by the same percentage.

[81654Barry]

My brother has a newer mercedes and we were side by side at 100 mph, On flat smooth 4 lane interstate. ST said 100 Mercedes said 98. That is good enough for me. Is it possible the gps gizmo is off, not the honda?

Barry

[georgeorge]

No that's not possible. But, if the cars tires are a little worn it will have the same effect, being thrown off a little.

Brian

[NormanPCN]

I have measured about 7% off for the speedo, and the odo is accurate.

[ssls6]

I have measured about 7% off for the speedo, and the odo is accurate.

That closely matches mine. 6-7% on speed, 0-1% on mileage.

[Putt]

Cheap and easy fix.... bike speedometer.... Sigma Sport 18 bucks....
Yellow Box, (digital adjustment, then when you speedometer is on,
your odometer is off) Sigma Sport bike speedometer.. 1% (or less)
on both speed and distance.... Digital fix = 100 bucks+ Sigma Sport
18 bucks... your choice.. :)

Putt..

[Hitcher]

New rear wheel goes on next week. I'll do a GPS calibration immediately afterwards!

[OldSuperSport]

Thanks for all the info. I saw the speedohealer on someones picture page, and this is what prompted the question.

Apparently the odo is not derived from the speedo directly so there is an independent error between the two. I see why the calculated miles/gallon would drop if the miles part goes down, but if I correct the speedo with a gadget, the mpg will be "more" correct right? not worse.

I like to know how far down the road I can go before I pass that last chance gas sign! Knowing the mpg is one of my habits. I keep detailed records on my Palm/phone and actively try to improve my best. On my 900F (which I guess I'm about to retire...guilt :| ) last year I put down 5k miles commuting and managed 45-50mpg most of the time. We'll see how the ST does.

[NewsMag]

Leo, not only will your mileage double, but you'll be moving twice as fast!

SuperSport
As for how the errors work, the speedo reads high and the odo reads near to reality - tire sizes and wear make the biggest differences. If you make the speedo read correctly by reducing the input by a percentage, you are "telling" the bike that it is covering fewer miles in the same time, or from the odo standpoint, the miles are "bigger." Extending the logic, you will cover fewer "bigger" miles per tank of gas than before, so your calculated gas mileage (by ST computer or manually) will be fewer miles per gallon. And since the miles registered are bigger than real miles, your mileage will be slightly understated.

Hope this helps!

[beastie]

I don't have all the fancy gear but I do have an old Seiko tachymeter. Swambo and I went on a long ride over some flat Xways last summer on our '04 beaST. 20-30 times we check against mile markers and eventually came up with an 8% high error. I will leave it alone for two reasons. First I don't want to mess up the Odometer. Second since I have trouble keeping the beaST reined in, it's safer (ticket-wise) for me to think I am going faster than I am. She just loves to go FAST! :D

[OldSuperSport]

I'm clear on the odo/speedo now. Thanks.

How or where do most owners mount there bike speedometer? I assume on the front wheel inside the fender or maybe near the disk rotor. you would need some slop in the cable for the telescoping fork!

I can see I'm gonna have to make one of those shelves for mounting some of the accessories.

Thanks

[Putt]

I'm clear on the odo/speedo now. Thanks.

How or where do most owners mount there bike speedometer? I assume on the front wheel inside the fender or maybe near the disk rotor. you would need some slop in the cable for the telescoping fork!

I can see I'm gonna have to make one of those shelves for mounting some of the accessories.

Thanks

Tim,

The Sigma uses a magnetic pick-up that I have mounted to
my left fork.. Sigma supplies a magnet, but I used a small stack
of Rare Earth magnets from Radio Shack (3 of them) The
magnets are a little over 1/4 inch in diameter. If you look at
the disk brake rotor mounting bolt heads, they are a Allen
type head. I siliconed the magnet stack into one of the bolt
head holes. I mounted the pickup on the front fork, and there
is about a 1/4 inch clearence between the magnets and pick-up
head. The speedometer head uses double sided tape on the
back side, I stuck mine kind of between the tach and speedometer
towards the bottom of the clear plastic cover (the readout is about
3/4 of an inch square or so. Mount it so you can see it from your
riding position.. It takes about 10 minutes to get the sigma attached
and up and running... The Sigma Sport keeps track of your ride time,
top speed, miles traveled, and current speed.. all re-settable...
My camera is down, so I cant post any pix at the present time...

Putt...

[Putt]

No problem Charlie, just use a small screwdriver and pry the
magnets out... Have done that already, no problem...
silicone stays soft... dont use epoxy...

Putt...