aftermarket analog speedo kit

[chinrest]

Anybody know about an aftermarket analog speedo kit to fit an XS1100G that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

[crazy steve]

Anybody know about an aftermarket analog speedo kit to fit an XS1100G that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

I guess the first thing is define 'an arm and a leg'....

Finding a XS11-specific aftermarket 'kit' may be impossible, but the 650 speedos supposedly 'interchange' so something for that bike may work. There's used OEM 11 'standard' units on Ebay all the time.

So you don't want a OEM replacement? Looking to do something 'custom'? There's a ton of aftermarket stuff out there, the trick is knowing which units can be made to work. The main thing you need to know is what your factory speedo drive unit's ratio is for matching calibration; once you know that, you'll be able to figure out what may work. The most common ratio for the aftermarket speedo units is 2:1, with 2240:60 running second.

'78E original owner

[DiverRay]

Almost all the Jap bikes use the same speedo gearing. IIRC, it's about 1780 revs per mile. Most aftermarket speedometers WILL work on the XS1100. The hard part is finding a replacement Tach!

[crazy steve]

I did a little bit of looking, and the 'opinion' over with the 650 boys seems to be that the 'common' ratio is 2:1. But I forgot I have a XS11 drive unit apart and the tooth count is 10/29, so the 11 actual ratio is 2.9:1. That's a pretty big mismatch; that would put the speedo off by about 1/3 slow, i.e. 70 mph actual = 50 indicated. Rather too easy to get in trouble.

Seeing how all aftermarket cable-driven speedos I've seen are calibrated for either a 1:1, 2:1, or 2240:60 ratios, I don't see anything out there that will easily fit these. Figure out a way to swap in a 2:1 speedo drive, then you've got choices.

Of course, there's always those fit-all electronic LED or LCD units, but they're a bit pricey.

'78E original owner

[crazy steve]

That's a pretty big mismatch; that would put the speedo off by about 1/3 slow, i.e. 70 mph actual = 50 indicated. Rather too easy to get in trouble.

Whoops! I've got that backwards; a speedo calibrated for a 2:1 drive would read fast by about a 1/3. Great for impressing (or scaring!) your passenger, but still not very useful.

'78E original owner

[Ivan]

Used to be available at parts stores, could choose different percentage adjustments.

So, a 2.9 to a 2.0 would be .689 down, if my math is correct. Looks wouldn't be too bad if you mounted ut directly on the back of the speedo head.

[Guy_b_g]

http://www.electrosport.com/products...oducts_id=2255

This is the Acewell electronic...will completely replace your tach, speedo, and idiot lights...fully adjustable inputs for speedometer, digital-analog tach pickup, fuel sending unit, etc. $139

They have it in chrome or black, and other models too.

http://www.electrosport.com/street/speedometers.php

I haven't used one, but it's currently on my wish list

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Steve,

I put on a 650 speedo many years ago, and have checked it with other cars digital speedos, as well as compared it's mileage stats to other Xs11's during rallies, and it's pretty much spot on!

SO...I don't know about the front wheel ratio, but it must match the 650's 60:2240 ratio and not be 1/3 off as you have supposed!

For many years, folks here have been recommending and suggesting the use of ANY of the XS series speedos, the 650, 750, 850, as well as 1100's, and have all been interchangeable and accurate!

A few folks who have done fancy bobber mods and put on the small gauges from Mikes XS and such have also had no problems with accuracy!

So....I'm just suggesting that there may be more to the compatibility of speedos than just the front drive ratio. Many of the XS series also used the same sized front tire...19".

T.C.

[fredintoon]

Anybody know about an aftermarket analog speedo kit to fit an XS1100G that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Hi Chinrest,
as has been posted, any XS series speedo will work right. For example, the 120mph speedo from a US XS650 that's on my Canadian (metric) XS11SG. But they are round ones.
The hard part is finding a rectangular speedo that matches your stock unit.
If you don't care about the replacement matching the original there's Mikes mini-gauges or replace the speedo & tach with an aftermarket electronic combo instrument.

[crazy steve]

So....I'm just suggesting that there may be more to the compatibility of speedos than just the front drive ratio. Many of the XS series also used the same sized front tire...19".

T.C.

I think you misunderstood me. But before you go swapping speedos around, you really need to make sure all the parts will work together right, or you'll end up with a badly inaccurate gauge. The drive ratio directly affects the speedo calibration, so they have to be at least reasonably close. Tire size won't have nearly the same effect. Let's do a little math, and feel free to check it....

The XS11 uses either a 100/90-19 or 90/90-19 front tire. These have an 'average' circumference of about 80"; depending on the size/brand/model, this can vary between about 78" to almost 83". But I'm going to use 80". So, this tire is going to turn about 782 times to travel one mile, or 5280' x 12/80". The speedo drive ratio will tell you how many revolutions the cable will turn in one mile. With each turn of the wheel, the cable turns 2.9 times, so 782 x 2.9 = 2268. This means that the speedo will show one mile for each 2268 times the cable turns. Hmmm, this isn't the figure Ray had, but let's press on.

Ok, lets do a Harley. Every aftermarket cable-drive speedo I've ever seen uses HD ratios, and any Harley that uses a 19" front wheel uses the same front tire sizes as the 11. These also use a 2:1 speedo ratio if it's a front-wheel driven speedo. Same tire, so it turns the same number of times in a mile; 782. But the drive ratio is different; the cable will only turn twice for each tire revolution. So, 2 x 782 = 1564. This speedo will show one mile with only 1564 turns; pretty big difference.

Now, you mentioned Mikes XS as a source of custom speedos. This is where it gets really interesting. Mikes has both 'stock' replacements and the custom speedos. If you look at part 03-0760 ('stock replacement' MPH), it plainly states '2240 rpm = 60 mph'. 60 mph is one mile in one minute, so 2240 = 1 mile. Pretty close to my 2268 number; this 'calibration' will give you a gauge that reads just a bit fast. So yes, a 'stock' 650 gauge will work on a 11. But if you look at his 'custom' offerings, not once does he give you a calibration number. His 03-0748 speedo is virtually indentical to the one I used on my chopped '86 Sportster, and I can find every one he's offering in my Harley catalogs (only there, the ratios are listed). So will these fit a Yamaha? You bet. HD sourced their speedos out of Japan too, so the cable fittings are pretty much all the same. But the calibration isn't, so you better ask the question before you buy. How far off can it be? At 50 mph, these would read over 70. At a bit over 80, you'd bury the needle on a 120 mph model. You can't fix this with tire size; you'd need a tire 37" tall (wagon wheel anyone?). I don't know about you, but this wouldn't be good enough for me.

So, we're back where I started. Chinrest wants an inexpensive custom speedo, but he needs to know the calibration and/or drive ratio before he buys, or be willing to accept a wildly inaccurate gauge. You could try to mod a HD speedo drive to fit the Yamaha, but that's custom machine work. There are electronic units as Guy pointed out, but cheap they're not; even the cheapest will be $150 or more once you buy the sending unit.

Just trying to give the guy a heads-up before he spends his money...

'78E original owner

[DGXSER]

Funny thing is, on Thunderstruck, my speedo is stock and so is my speedo drive as far as I can tell everything on the bike has proven to be factory so far.

MY speedo will read anywhere form 5-10 mph off depending on how fast I am going, so I doubt there is much you could change to and be any more inaccurate than it already is!

[motorhead]

Funny thing is, on Thunderstruck, my speedo is stock and so is my speedo drive as far as I can tell everything on the bike has proven to be factory so far.

MY speedo will read anywhere form 5-10 mph off depending on how fast I am going, so I doubt there is much you could change to and be any more inaccurate than it already is!

ditto that ,inaccurate is better than nothing .After a little side by side testing at least you can have some kind of idea how fast you're going . (85 indicated =70 actual)
I can live with that .

[chinrest]

aftermarket analog ... Wow!

Hey you guys. Man I'm glad I asked. Maybe I'll just be better off to stay stock. I'm not interested in having a tach really. My wind em up, let her go days are over; that's why I have returned to the shaft 1100's. My last scoot was a 1200 Bandit with about 150 to the rear wheel and nothing but frame, tank and motor. Got to where I didn't want to do anything but sneak out to my few limited access two lanes and shoot for 150+ runs ... pretty dumb for a 63 year old ... but hey, I did finally realize my number would eventually be up, even after 45 years of riding; the damn deer don't care.

Anyway, thanks much for all the very useful input. I'm going to check out Mike's and the Acewell for grins. My 80 xs G is now a kinda bobber, kinda cafe, so the custom thing is the schtick. Again, muchos gratias and stay safe and well.

[crazy steve]

Funny thing is, on Thunderstruck, my speedo is stock and so is my speedo drive as far as I can tell everything on the bike has proven to be factory so far.

MY speedo will read anywhere from 5-10 mph off depending on how fast I am going, so I doubt there is much you could change to and be any more inaccurate than it already is!

Speed and distance indication in a speedo are really two different things. All the prior talk about tire size, cable turns, ratio, etc actually only determines distance accuracy; speed indication is a separate deal that's related to distance. Now supposedly they both should read the same; go 60 mph indicated, and the odometer should tick off one mile every minute, right? But distance measuring is strictly mechanical. Wheel turns the speedo drive gears turns the cable turns the gears in the speedo turns the odometer.

The speed indication is done with no mechanical connection to any of this. There's a spinning magnet inside every mechanical speedometer driven off all this stuff, and that's what moves the needle. So any issues with the needle shaft bearings, return spring tension, or even if the magnet loses a bit of it's magnetism, all will change speed indication. This can be fixed; when you see 'speedometer recalibration' services offered, this is what they're talking about.

So if you check your speedo, you'll find that only the speed indication is way off.

'78E original owner

[XSLuigi]

http://www.electrosport.com/products...oducts_id=2255

This is the Acewell electronic...will completely replace your tach, speedo, and idiot lights...fully adjustable inputs for speedometer, digital-analog tach pickup, fuel sending unit, etc. $139

They have it in chrome or black, and other models too.

http://www.electrosport.com/street/speedometers.php

I haven't used one, but it's currently on my wish list

I know this is a two year old post, but........ I did a google search and found this... http://www.acewell-meter.com/c0_1.php?pid=16&bid=16

Looks pretty sweet, website looks pretty rough and there weren't any options on ordering... Wondering what you were referring to as it sounded perfect to me haha