Tenman
Well-Known Member
Every Japanese bike I’ve had since 1970 had an optimistic speedo.
SPEEDOMETER?
- Thread starter lynnsox
- Start date
To the point, I figured it was on purpose. Can't get a ticket if the speedo is showing high. Or at least can't blame the speedo.
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
I believe it is deliberate. Both of my Honda STs (1100 & 1300) were almost exactly +7%. The 1100 had a cable while the 1300 had a speed sensor in the transmission. The reasons are two-fold:
First no manufacturer wants to appear in accident court and have to admit that the speedo showed the bike actually going faster than indicated. Secondly, with an optimistic speedo marketing likes that the customer might thing the bike is sportier than it really is.
In the age of GPS however, the gig is up. My 2015 is only about 1.5MPH (sometimes 1 other times 2 MPH) different to the GPS. My wife’s Toyota RAV4 is dead on accurate to the GPS.
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I would assume that if a vehicle has navigation, it uses GPS. If the GPS is available, why not link the speedo to it?
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Seems like a good idea but I’ve had GPSs lose signal in tunnels, deep canyons and even in big cities with lots of high rise buildings. Our Rav does not have navigation, and is running OEM size tires, so there’s no reason manufacturers can’t make a speedometer accurate without GPS, if they want to.
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RCinNC
Well-Known Member
If there's a cop waiting to give you a ticket, then not knowing your exact speed is irrelevant, as long as you know that when your speedometer reads whatever the posted limit is, your actual speed is going to be slightly under that posted limit. It's a built-in buffer to speeding. Whereas, if your bike came from the factory with a precisely accurate speedometer calibrated to a set of Battlax A41 tires. and you've decided to swap those tires for a set of Motoz Tractionators for which your speedometer was never calibrated, and these Tractionators aren't the same exact diameter as the A41's, then your accurate speedometer is now more likely than your deliberately over-reporting speedometer to be responsible for you getting a ticket.
If you're leading a group of riders, and you go from a 70 kph zone to a 50 kph zone, how would a precisely accurate speedometer make any difference to your conduct? If the speed limit drops to 50, and every person in your group looks at their own standard speedometer that is over-reporting their speed by whatever percentage, and they reduce their speeds to 50 kph (or they just follow your lead and slow down to match your speed), how would a speedometer that reported exact speed make any difference to the conduct of the group? I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it sucks not knowing exactly where you are" in relation to leading a group of riders and there's a cop waiting to give you a ticket. How would a precisely accurate speedometer make any difference in that scenario?
I'm guessing you posted the article about Wiklof to demonstrate the draconian penalties for speeding in some countries. I lived in Germany for a while, and I definitely recall the trouble you could get into for speeding. In Wiklof's case, regardless of his opinion that the speed zone "suddenly" changed, the fact was that he was going 82 kph in a 50 kph zone, which means that most likely he was going 82 in the previous 70 kph zone. If his speedometer was over-reporting, then he would have been seeing an even higher speed showing up on his dashboard while he traveled through both speed zones. If he was paying attention, he would have known he was speeding, regardless of the speedometer's accuracy. How would a precisely accurate speedometer made any difference in that scenario?
I'm guessing that every bike participating in a TSD rally is dealing with the same issue; a non-precise speedometer. If precise speed and distance measurements are required by the rider, and the rally forbids electronic devices, then what are their guidelines to deal with an issue that affects just about every bike that is going to participate in the rally?
If you're leading a group of riders, and you go from a 70 kph zone to a 50 kph zone, how would a precisely accurate speedometer make any difference to your conduct? If the speed limit drops to 50, and every person in your group looks at their own standard speedometer that is over-reporting their speed by whatever percentage, and they reduce their speeds to 50 kph (or they just follow your lead and slow down to match your speed), how would a speedometer that reported exact speed make any difference to the conduct of the group? I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it sucks not knowing exactly where you are" in relation to leading a group of riders and there's a cop waiting to give you a ticket. How would a precisely accurate speedometer make any difference in that scenario?
I'm guessing you posted the article about Wiklof to demonstrate the draconian penalties for speeding in some countries. I lived in Germany for a while, and I definitely recall the trouble you could get into for speeding. In Wiklof's case, regardless of his opinion that the speed zone "suddenly" changed, the fact was that he was going 82 kph in a 50 kph zone, which means that most likely he was going 82 in the previous 70 kph zone. If his speedometer was over-reporting, then he would have been seeing an even higher speed showing up on his dashboard while he traveled through both speed zones. If he was paying attention, he would have known he was speeding, regardless of the speedometer's accuracy. How would a precisely accurate speedometer made any difference in that scenario?
I'm guessing that every bike participating in a TSD rally is dealing with the same issue; a non-precise speedometer. If precise speed and distance measurements are required by the rider, and the rally forbids electronic devices, then what are their guidelines to deal with an issue that affects just about every bike that is going to participate in the rally?
I thought everything had NAV nowadays. I do know going 2" over factory tire diameter showed my speed to be 6mph lower than actual. (radar confirmed
)
Tenman
Well-Known Member
which wheel has the speed sensor?
Isn't that the thing on back wheel that has to be in just the right place?
WJBertrand
Ventura Highway
Where does the speedohealer correction device connect? I know on my ST1300, it connected to a speed sensor in the transmission, so it would be tied to the rear wheel. With the Super Ténéré, are they pulling a signal from the rear wheel ABS sensor or is there a speed sensor in the transmission?
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The ECU and the Dashboard, is shared in several models (FJ, MT, S10)….so the sensor reading is real for all….the odometer reading, probably also….but the speedometer correction, should be made by the ecu….the only thing that should change in the calculation is the diameter of the wheel (17”, 18”, 19”)….it is like the indication of the engaged gear…(speed/trm)..= gear engaged, if you press the clutch, the ratio becomes uncertain and shows nothing
Little Joe
Member
The odometer is correct. The speedo is off by 8% @ 100kph on CAN bikes
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