Gear indicator

Al Gully said:
For me, I like it for a rolling stop to know I’m in second and not third.
And after your in heavy traffic and then you open it up and you not sure if you’re in forth or fifth
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I suspect other GPI that plug into the diagnostic port will behave the same, but it needs both engine speed and road speed to resolve what gear it's in and display appropriately.

If I pull in the clutch and roll off the throttle in any gear the readout changes to "-". So downshifting while braking with the clutch pulled in doesn't show squat. You have to at least release the clutch in the target gear to get a readout.
 
STRider said:
If I pull in the clutch and roll off the throttle in any gear the readout changes to "-". So downshifting while braking with the clutch pulled in doesn't show squat. You have to at least release the clutch in the target gear to get a readout.
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Which brings us back to feeling and hearing the engine and seeing the tach (that's why it's there) to decide whether a gear change would be appropriate. I also avoid coasting with the clutch pulled in.
 
ST-Traveler said:
I don't know about that, I just looked at my 2007 and it has that same red coupling taped to the main harness along the right side of the frame under the passenger seat. All I would need to do is remove the electrical tape to have access??
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Yes it does, but it has a different ECM from the 2008 and later. The 2007 and prior is not plug and play insofar as a GPI is concerned,
.
 
My V65S and a friend's 650 Nighthawk had factory GPIs and I loved 'em. Backlit LCD. I've been tempted to get on for the ST as I'm always trying to shift into 6th. Exact info at a mere glance. I love that in a farkle.
 
Useless failure point if you ask me.
One more electronic piece of crap that is not needed.
Do you constantly look at the dash of your car to make sure it’s in D?
Or keep looking at the knob on your stick shift to verify your in the gear you think your in?
The ST’s already have one, it’s called a tach.
 
Igofar said:
Do you constantly look at the dash of your car to make sure it’s in D?
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Actually, my truck has not only a drive indicator but a gear indicator - 10 speed Ranger - and it's very interesting to see what gear I'm in to maximize gas mileage and to possibly diagnose possible transmission issues. So, not useless at all and love them on my bikes. I'm glad I have them and added one to my STs.
 
Igofar said:
Useless failure point if you ask me.
One more electronic piece of crap that is not needed.
Do you constantly look at the dash of your car to make sure it’s in D?
Or keep looking at the knob on your stick shift to verify your in the gear you think your in?
The ST’s already have one, it’s called a tach.
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Hahaha. When I drive a stick, often I reach down to feel where it is.
 
Igofar said:
Useless failure point if you ask me.
One more electronic piece of crap that is not needed.
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Hmmm, Now should I move my GPI over from my high mileage ST over to my lower mileage ST:think1:
My speedo failed with it on my old bike, Speedo works great on my new ST:hurt1:
My farkles on my old ST is a page long.
No farkles on my new ST yet.
Options Options :doh1:
 
Igofar said:
Useless failure point if you ask me.
One more electronic piece of crap that is not needed.
Do you constantly look at the dash of your car to make sure it’s in D?
Or keep looking at the knob on your stick shift to verify your in the gear you think your in?
The ST’s already have one, it’s called a tach.
Click to expand...

You still need to look down to see if you're in top gear - but look down for a longer time to note the engine revs and then look across at the speed.

So why not fit a Gear Indicator - you only need to glance down once and for a split second, we need to keep our eyes on the road for as long as possible.


A thought for the day ~ It's never blind people that get run over!
 
Mr.E said:
You still need to look down to see if you're in top gear - but look down for a longer time to note the engine revs and then look across at the speed.
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As I see it, there are basically three conditions on the road: urban when the limit is 20mph or 30mph, extra-urban when the limit is 40mph or 50mph, and fast, when the limit is 60mph or 70mph. An experienced driver or rider should certainly be able to know what 20mph and 30mph feel like, simply by the passing of street lights and road markings and general street furniture. What gear I'm in is somewhat academic at lower speeds because the engine has so much flexibility, but I used to get all worked up about it when I was new to the ST because I couldn't tell the difference between 2nd and 3rd gear.

I know what 60mph or 70mph feels like anyway by wind noise and because I'll usually be riding at a fairly constant speed, and thus will already have a working knowledge of what my speed is. So my rule of thumb for whether I'm in 4th gear or 5th gear is: ~4000rpm and 60mph means 4th; 70mph means 5th. And even more rule of thumby: if the speedometer needle's position is way up relative to the rev counter needle, I'm satisfied I'm in 5th. It's bizarre but I actually prefer to use the rev counter as my speedometer because if I know what gear I'm in I know what my speed must be - and the graduations on the rev counter scale are larger and easier to see. But then, I always had an uncanny ability to make complicated things simple, and simple things complicated.

There are times when I don't believe it all and I try to change into 6th. I mean, heck, even my 1987 VFR had a 6th gear.
 
On my NH750, the shifter will not move up when in fifth (nor down when in first), while the ST shifter will still move freely, which will fool most gear indicators into indicating sixth.
 
Larry Fine said:
On my NH750, the shifter will not move up when in fifth (nor down when in first), while the ST shifter will still move freely, which will fool most gear indicators into indicating sixth.
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Negative Larry.

Most gear indicators either compare the ratio of pulses from the speedometer to those produced by a sensor connected to the crankshaft or an ignition pulse...

or a sensor that detects the position of the shift drum.

Neither of these are affected by the movement of the shifter arm.

Most simple, aftermarket indicators use the former method, like the Healtech GIPro and its clones. And why only bikes with electronic speedo sensors are supported and bikes with an old school cable driven off the front wheel like our ST1100s are not.

A simple gear indicator doesn't justify adding a wheel sensor ala the aftermarket cruise controls like MC Cruise, Rosta or Audiovix where the installation is already complex enough and knowing the road speed is critical to its function.
 
STRider said:
Most gear indicators either compare the ratio of pulses from the speedometer to those produced by a sensor connected to the crankshaft or an ignition pulse...

or a sensor that detects the position of the shift drum.

Neither of these are affected by the movement of the shifter arm.
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The only after-market gear indicators I have looked into, that will work on the NH750 and ST1100, are the kind with a magnet for the shifter and a pair of reed switches to detect the shifter movement.
 
STRider said:
I installed this one and it was as simple as inserting the terminals into the correct position within the supplied connector and calibrating it.
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I just installed one of these on my 2012 Thunder STruck. Works great. Install was simple. Programing was easy. Function is straight forward. Just have to re-train my brain to stop looking at the speedo and tach needles now,,,, lol,,,, CAt'
 
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