Article [13] ST1300 - Gear Position Indicator (Do It Yourself)

[Ltimb]

Still a couple weeks out from a road test. But at this point, it's hooked up and the display turns on and the number "0" is nicely illuminated... Doing a major update and will share when done (Cruise control, Aux lights, suspension) As far as wiring out the back, worked nicely where I mounted it behind glass..

 

[Ltimb]

It'll take some time.. It's positioned where it is, for clearance, as the glass gets closer to the display as it gets closer to the bottom and it's below the turn signal so no problem of seeing turn signal light.. You have to take the whole assembly off the bike, separate the guts from the case, remove the tach and speeedo needles,,, remove the black faceplate from the white spacer behind it… Once you’re at this point, you will see that when you drill a hole for the wire in the faceplate the wire will have room to bend inside an open area of the white part… drill a hole in the white part a where the wire will pass through about an inch lower than the unit, route the wire and drill a hole to the side of where a screw mount is on the bottom of the case where the wire exits the whole assembly… As you see I also mounted a voltage meter on the bottom of the GPI and wired into power wires…. Just plan on a couple of hours and be accurate with with drilling and it’ll be easy… Oh and when assembling, when you are putting the needles back, plug in the assembly's wire and turn your bike on, this will let you put them on in right position or you will be taking it all apart to do this..

 

[Helitronix]

I got my DiGi wired into the ST last night and got to try it for the first time this morning. After putting it through the learning mode, it memorized the gears and it seemed to work. I did observe that the DiGi cannot accurately determine the gear when the RPM was below 2000. But above that, it seemed to work as it was supposed to. I think in practice, it's a non-issue. I'm interested in knowing if anyone else notices the same behavior at 2000 RPM. I may try putting mine through learn mode again just to see if that helps, but I suspect the issue has more to do with the way the DiGi software calculates the gear ratio than anything else.

I have wires draped all over the left side of the bike at this point since I plumbed in my device too. It's all temporary wiring until I figure out where things are going, and wanted to make sure my design worked before continuing too far. I'll button it up soon and take it for a test ride as soon as I can so I can see the real world clutch input in action. So far, so good.

Joel

 

[ST Gui]

Lol...spacer option it is!

That's exactly what I thought about half-way through the read! I really gotta admire these guys who swap the stuff in and out like nothing when I sweat adding a brake light! LOL. I'm not even sure about pulling the gauge cluster to send to blueguages.

 

[MaxPete]

I got my DiGi wired into the ST last night and got to try it for the first time this morning. After putting it through the learning mode, it memorized the gears and it seemed to work. I did observe that the DiGi cannot accurately determine the gear when the RPM was below 2000. But above that, it seemed to work as it was supposed to. I think in practice, it's a non-issue. I'm interested in knowing if anyone else notices the same behavior at 2000 RPM. I may try putting mine through learn mode again just to see if that helps, but I suspect the issue has more to do with the way the DiGi software calculates the gear ratio than anything else.

I have wires draped all over the left side of the bike at this point since I plumbed in my device too. It's all temporary wiring until I figure out where things are going, and wanted to make sure my design worked before continuing too far. I'll button it up soon and take it for a test ride as soon as I can so I can see the real world clutch input in action. So far, so good.

Joel

Hi All: OK - after much too-ing and fro-ing on this danged GPI thing, Joel's post has finally confirmed that the el-cheapo $25 Chinoise item does actually work and so I just went on-line and ordered one. I guess I'll be back in "21-45 days" to report on how it works.

Now.....where and how to mount it.....

 

[MaxPete]

Still a couple weeks out from a road test. But at this point, it's hooked up and the display turns on and the number "0" is nicely illuminated... Doing a major update and will share when done (Cruise control, Aux lights, suspension) As far as wiring out the back, worked nicely where I mounted it behind glass..

Looks really good - but too bad it obscures part of the speedo. Of course, if you are going that fast, you would not (....SHOULD not....) be looking at your GPI and in any event, you'd be in 5th anyway.

 

[Ltimb]

But Officer I was only going 125.....

 

[Ilbikes]

Guys, I do hope one of you will make a kit for these. Joel, you are obviously talented at this electronics thing. Give us a plug-n-play that I can apply outside of my speedo, a harness that I can Tee into and I'll buy it. I plan to keep my ST1300 a long time and Honda should have put a GPI on the bike when they designed it almost 20 years ago. Both of my 1974 Suzuki GT550's had one, my 1974 GT750 had one, my 1983 Honda Sabre had one, so I'm really shocked that the ST doesn't. Even the Gold Wings have the 5th gear light indicator to show it's operator that it's in overdrive.

Thanks for all the hard work and posting of your progress. True pioneers! Gordon/RTS

 

[ST Gui]

my 1983 Honda Sabre had one

As did my V65 Sabre and the 650 Nighthawk (and 750?).

Even the Gold Wings have the 5th gear light indicator to show it's operator that it's in overdrive.

I'd be happy with just that. What year did it start? I'd prefer that to a large numeric display especially if the display doesn't show a gear with the clutch in anyway.

 

[Ltimb]

OK, humor me here but under what circumstance is knowing what gear you are in when the clutch is in important?.... I haven't had a chance to use mine yet but if I'm traveling in 4th or 5th gear I don't see a situation where I wouldn't look to see what gear I'm in before pulling in the clutch. Same with lower gears, let's say I'm on the track and using 2nd and 3rd are used mostly. seems to me I'd want my mind made up (ie look) before I pull in the clutch....

 

[ST Gui]

For the most part I never need to know what gear I'm in before pulling in the clutch. I want to know if I'm already in 5th so a glance takes care of that. Occasionally when I stop I may not have shifted into 1st. Maybe I'm still in 2nd. At a stop my clutch is always in. Some people always shift to Neutral. So it's nice to take a quick look to confirm where I am. Or should be.

Then there's just the completeness of the indicator. Why shouldn't it show the gear with the clutch in. I don't remember if my V65's indicator went blank with the clutch in. It did have an N though.

 

[Geditor]

Just to be clear, when you were in learning mode, you had to be riding correct? How much time/distance did it take?
Gary

I got my DiGi wired into the ST last night and got to try it for the first time this morning. After putting it through the learning mode, it memorized the gears and it seemed to work. I did observe that the DiGi cannot accurately determine the gear when the RPM was below 2000. But above that, it seemed to work as it was supposed to. I think in practice, it's a non-issue. I'm interested in knowing if anyone else notices the same behavior at 2000 RPM. I may try putting mine through learn mode again just to see if that helps, but I suspect the issue has more to do with the way the DiGi software calculates the gear ratio than anything else.
Joel

 

[T_C]

OK, humor me here but under what circumstance is knowing what gear you are in when the clutch is in important?

The clutch is sometimes pulled in while coasting, maybe down a long hill, maybe just while coasting down from a merge or watching and waiting to see what some cager is going to do next. But in the meantime... I'll forget, or maybe I never knew.. did I skip a gear on those upshifts?

 

[Helitronix]

Just to be clear, when you were in learning mode, you had to be riding correct? How much time/distance did it take?
Gary

Gary,

I had the ST on the center stand while in learn mode so that I could run it through the gears without riding it on the street.

It takes a few seconds for the DiGi to memorize the position of each gear.

So I have been playing with the DiGi quite a bit in the last few days. I have found that sometimes, it is calculating the wrong gear. I am not really sure why it is behaving that way. For example, it might detect gears 2-5 properly, but not be able to determine that I had shifted into 1st. I have tried recalibrating, and got it so that it would understand gears 1-4 reliably, but then sometimes confused 4th and 5th. I'm scratching my head.

I've tried this with my device installed and without. It doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm going to attempt to calibrate the device again and see if I can make it behave any differently. I noticed that during calibration, I am supposed to stop in neutral before going from 1st to 2nd. I haven't done that, so I might be confusing the poor thing. Anyway, I'm going to try again and see if that makes any difference.

If I can't get it working the way I want, I'll add a display to the device I am building. Right now, it is outputting the gear data to my laptop, and it doing fine at figuring out the gear. I do want to make the Digi work properly, but it is driving me a bit mad at the same time. At least, if I don't get it working flawlessly, I know I'll be building my own GPI.

Joel

 

[Ltimb]

Somewhere I read you MUST do neutral as part of the programming steps or it will not calibrate or work right.....

 

[Geditor]

I got my DiGi wired into the ST last night and got to try it for the first time this morning. After putting it through the learning mode, it memorized the gears and it seemed to work. I did observe that the DiGi cannot accurately determine the gear when the RPM was below 2000. But above that, it seemed to work as it was supposed to. I think in practice, it's a non-issue. I'm interested in knowing if anyone else notices the same behavior at 2000 RPM. I may try putting mine through learn mode again just to see if that helps, but I suspect the issue has more to do with the way the DiGi software calculates the gear ratio than anything else.

I have wires draped all over the left side of the bike at this point since I plumbed in my device too. It's all temporary wiring until I figure out where things are going, and wanted to make sure my design worked before continuing too far. I'll button it up soon and take it for a test ride as soon as I can so I can see the real world clutch input in action. So far, so good.

Joel

Joel, I am not a huge electrical wiring genius.... I am having difficulty deciphering the instructions. Can you give me a translation?
The wiring list is:
Ground = Black (ok got that)
Switched Power = Red (ok got that)
Tachometer Pulse = Yellow ??
Speedometer Pulse = Green ??
Neutral Light = Orange (got that one)
Learn/Set-up = White - this goes to ground right?
My guess is the speedometer pulse is coming from the Pink wire on the front right side of the bike.
Is the Tachometer pulse also known as Ignition Pulse?
Gary

 

[Helitronix]

Joel, I am not a huge electrical wiring genius.... I am having difficulty deciphering the instructions. Can you give me a translation?
The wiring list is:
Ground = Black (ok got that)
Switched Power = Red (ok got that)
Tachometer Pulse = Yellow ??
Speedometer Pulse = Green ??
Neutral Light = Orange (got that one)
Learn/Set-up = White - this goes to ground right?
My guess is the speedometer pulse is coming from the Pink wire on the front right side of the bike.
Is the Tachometer pulse also known as Ignition Pulse?
Gary

Gary,

The Tach / IPG is the Yellow
The Speedometer pulse / VSS is Green

Learn/setup is momentarily held to ground to initiate learn mode. Once it enters learn mode (it displays a "P") you will tap it to ground 4 times to select 5 gears. The display will advance from 1-5 as you do this. If you make a mistake, just restart the programming mode.

Once you have selected "5" gears, you leave that Learn/Setup wire disconnected and proceed with the rest of the setup.

It was my experience too, that you must shift from 1st gear, into neutral, pause, then shift into second, or else the programming would fail. I kept shifting through neutral, not pausing. Once I paused in neutral for a few seconds, then continued, my programming experience was smoother. It was a PAIN. I must have attempted this 20 times already, but finally I have it calibrated for all 5 gears. Usually, I got to 4th gear, and it would never synchronize on 5th. It is working properly now. And, it doesn't get the gear wrong below 2000 RPM either. It's working much better than it was.

Joel

 

[Helitronix]

Gary,

I forgot to add..

Yes, the VSS (vehicle speed sensor/ speedometer) is the pink wire from the VSS sensor on the right hand side of the bike. It is ALSO available on the left hand side of the bike on the connector that feeds the instrument cluster. If you examine that connector, you will find a "pink with green stripe" that is the same VSS signal.

On that same connector on the left hand side, feeding the instrument cluster, is a light green with red stripe wire, which is the NEUTRAL switch line.

If you tap into the wires that feed the instrument cluster, it will save you from taking off the plastics on the right hand side of the bike, too.

Joel

 

[MaxPete]

Gary,

I forgot to add..

Yes, the VSS (vehicle speed sensor/ speedometer) is the pink wire from the VSS sensor on the right hand side of the bike. It is ALSO available on the left hand side of the bike on the connector that feeds the instrument cluster. If you examine that connector, you will find a "pink with green stripe" that is the same VSS signal.

On that same connector on the left hand side, feeding the instrument cluster, is a light green with red stripe wire, which is the NEUTRAL switch line.

If you tap into the wires that feed the instrument cluster, it will save you from taking off the plastics on the right hand side of the bike, too.

Joel

This is excellent info Joel - its amazing how following a knowledgeable person can make a task like this so much easier. I'm really looking forward to getting my little unit.

Now I just have to find someone who can distinguish light green from pink.....

Pete

 

[Geditor]

Thanks, I already got all the plastic off both sides. for the future, I would recommend going for it on the left side of the bike. I have XXL size hands and I could not get at the wires on the right side until I removed to charcoal canister and the tip over bar. Then I could get at it behind the flexible rubber cover.
I used a 6' CAT5 network cable as my wire and it is working perfect, just have to fix a bad solder joint where the speedometer wire came loose from the connector.
If you pop the metal spade out of the plastic boot to solder your wire on, make sure you get the spade back in the right way or there will be a lot of cursing later.