Topic: Anybody ever used this speedo? Pics

[robdrobd]

Has anyone tried one of these mini speedos with the indicator lights on board? I thought it might tidy up the front end quite a bit. 

[Ryan 550k]

No but I've looked for small speedos before for the 550 and can never find any, only for the 750.  Where did you find these?

[Gordon]

Unless you find and fit a sender unit to match that speedo the only thing you'll get to work will be the back-light.  The stock speedo is mechanically driven, that one is entirely electrical, from what I can see in that picture. 

[Canada]

I've got the mechanical model with all of the lights on mine. I like the size and look. They are fairly cheaply built and my lights stopped working but I cannot comment on whether or not it is the unit or my bad wiring. I have not had the time. I did have the needle break off of one too but the place I ordered from, MikesXS, replaced it no questions asked. All and all it is fairly reliable and I would buy another if this one were to stop working. Hope that helps.

[Ryan 550k]

I've got the mechanical model with all of the lights on mine. I like the size and look. They are fairly cheaply built and my lights stopped working but I cannot comment on whether or not it is the unit or my bad wiring. I have not had the time. I did have the needle break off of one too but the place I ordered from, MikesXS, replaced it no questions asked. All and all it is fairly reliable and I would buy another if this one were to stop working. Hope that helps.

Did the stock CB tach and speedo cables work with these?

[cafe2be]

I bought mine through cycle x and they work perfectly. Gearing and all.

[robdrobd]

Unless you find and fit a sender unit to match that speedo the only thing you'll get to work will be the back-light.  The stock speedo is mechanically driven, that one is entirely electrical, from what I can see in that picture. 

I believe the back has the 12mm mechanical input, but I could be wrong. From what I have seen they might not be the most durable, but seem to work.

[robdrobd]

I bought mine through cycle x and they work perfectly. Gearing and all.

Do they have the 2240:60 timing ratio? I can only seem to find 2:1, which would be close, but still not quite right.

[eurban]

I have a set of these on my 750 project for over 3 years.  Many of the 70s and 80's Japanese bikes share the same speedo ratio, including the CBs and the xs650s.  The speedo units that MikesXS sell will be the correct ratio for the CBs and the connector on the back will work with the CB speedo cable.  Mine was sold to me as have the 2240:60 ratio but had a 2 and 1 on the back of it which prompted me to call the seller and ask for an explanation.  He connected me with the manufacturer (Chinese I think) who claimed that the ratio was correct inspite of the 2 and 1 on the back. In the end I installed the speedo and it reads very accurately.  The idiot lights work fine as long as you install a diode to keep the turn signals from cross flashing (there is only one turn signal idiot light; I am using led front turn signals which makes the diode a must but I am not sure if one would need it with a standard filament bulb)  At times, the speedo needle will get jumpy (speeds over 60 and only sometimes) but for the most part it works OK.  The matching mechanical tach (I believe it is a 4:1 ratio for the 750) has worked perfectly.  Here's a couple shots for you . . . .

[Turbogrimace]

they work nicely, and a few harleys (softails?) had the 2240:60 ratio as well.  I have one, but I ended up using an acewell digital speedo/tach instead.  Very sexy.

[robdrobd]

I have a set of these on my 750 project for over 3 years.  Many of the 70s and 80's Japanese bikes share the same speedo ratio, including the CBs and the xs650s.  The speedo units that MikesXS sell will be the correct ratio for the CBs and the connector on the back will work with the CB speedo cable.  Mine was sold to me as have the 2240:60 ratio but had a 2 and 1 on the back of it which prompted me to call the seller and ask for an explanation.  He connected me with the manufacturer (Chinese I think) who claimed that the ratio was correct inspite of the 2 and 1 on the back. In the end I installed the speedo and it reads very accurately.  The idiot lights work fine as long as you install a diode to keep the turn signals from cross flashing (there is only one turn signal idiot light; I am using led front turn signals which makes the diode a must but I am not sure if one would need it with a standard filament bulb)  At times, the speedo needle will get jumpy (speeds over 60 and only sometimes) but for the most part it works OK.  The matching mechanical tach (I believe it is a 4:1 ratio for the 750) has worked perfectly.  Here's a couple shots for you . . . .

Did you remove the idiot lights but still use the original ignition? I thought about doing that, but wasn't sure how it would look. Looks pretty good on yours! Drag bars too? You are reading my mind.

[Gorms]

Turbogrimace,

Do you have a pic of that gauge installed?

[754]

In those custom speedos, I believe there is only 2 ratios.. 1:1 and 2:1.. and that is for HD.. one is front speedo drive, the other is off the trans (early bikes).

 I suspect if my dim memory is working they were first made by VDO, then knocked off and sold by a few diff companies. Drag Specialties  sold a boatload or two of them.

 And yes one of them works on the 750 and the HD.. I have a minty one sitting around , I was thinking of using on something

[eurban]

Did you remove the idiot lights but still use the original ignition? I thought about doing that, but wasn't sure how it would look. Looks pretty good on yours! Drag bars too? You are reading my mind.

Actually my 750 project has a GL1000 front end with its upper tree so the 750 idiot light cluster wouldn't have fit without some mods.  I decided to declutter the bike as much as possible and the smaller gauges with the built in lights helped.  They also perform well enough (accurate and legible) that I don't fell I have sacrificed much function for style.    The stock style ignition switch is fairly ugly with its white plastic but a bit of black paint helped to dress it up.  It still isn't beautiful but you can't beat the function of the front and center key location and the built in fork lock.  Since the pics were taken, I have modified the gauge mounts to bring the gauges lower down and farther away from the head light.  The speedo and tach cables take a more gradual bend now and the ignition switch is more nestled/hidden by the gauges.  Looks pretty good . . . .

[eurban]

they work nicely, and a few harleys (softails?) had the 2240:60 ratio as well.  I have one, but I ended up using an acewell digital speedo/tach instead.  Very sexy.

I have thought about the Acewell as a good way to get rid of the speedo and tach cables and to combine both into one gauge.  However the reviews seem to indicate that the gauges have a "cheap feel" to them.  Have you hooked up your gauge and how does it work??

[Turbogrimace]

Here is a list of Harleys that have the 2240:60 ratio:
1984 - 1986 Wide Glide
1984 - 1995 Softail
1986 - 1990 Heritage Softail
1986 - 1995 Softail® Custom
1987 - 1995 Heritage Softail Classic
1989 - 1995 Springer Softail
1990 - 1995 Fat Boy
1993 - 1995 Nostalgia
1995 Bad Boy

J and P Cycles sells the speedo in question.  They also sell a rear speedo drive setup that can be modified to work on a CB750 (havent done it, but it seems like you'd just have to bore it out a bit and adapt the small hook to your sprocket).

http://www.jpcycles.com/Search/ProductDetail?sku=5600262&N=0&Ne=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=2240%3a60&Ns=&results=10&Nao=


Here is a picture of the Acewell on my bike:


It definitely does not feel cheap and looks great.  I've been having some trouble with the engine so I havent put enough miles on it to test out the display.  The casing is completely waterproof and if you go to Acewell's main Euro page, you can see they have a display of them operating in a fish tank.  The mount is small but pretty solid.  I made my own so that I could fit it in between my bars.  The wiring harness is top notch too and even though it has a lot of wires, it doesnt take up much space at all.  As for the speedo pickup, that was easy to run as well.  I had to make up my own magnet to stick onto the rear sprocket, but I havent installed it yet.  You might be able to run it off of a magnet on the front sprocket, thus being able to hide the wire more easily.  I'm not sure how what the upper and lower limits are for the rolling radius that you have to put into the speedo to get an accurate read though.

[Ryan 550k]

So here's the question gents.  Does the Acewell speedo tach have the 12mm outlet in the back or is it fancy wires?  If so how do we convert to use it?

[Turbogrimace]

It's fancy wires man.  And there's no conversion.  Toss your speedo drive cable and use the magnetic pickup that comes with the Acewell speedo.

[robdrobd]

It's fancy wires man.  And there's no conversion.  Toss your speedo drive cable and use the magnetic pickup that comes with the Acewell speedo.

Do the wires match up, or do they at least give detailed directions? Does the magnetic pickup attach to the wheel in the same spot? 

[Turbogrimace]

It's not made for a cb750 so it's not going to pop right into place.  It comes with a wiring harness that you hook into your bike.  It was pretty easy to do.  The directions come with a wiring diagram and information about how to install it and set it up.  Give electrosport a call, they were pretty helpful.

[The_Crippler]

It's fancy wires man.  And there's no conversion.  Toss your speedo drive cable and use the magnetic pickup that comes with the Acewell speedo.

Hmmm...that magnet was the main thing holding me back from this speedo...and you say you haven't put enough miles on it to see how accurate it is?  I know their page has a number of mechanical hookups - none of those will work with our bikes?

Yeah, this guage is very sexy...but of the 2 or 3 people on here that I've seen posts of having them, none have yet ridden with them enough yet to say how accurate they are.  *crosses fingers*

[bikerbart]

I got em on my Cb750.I like em ,they are cool but the idiot lites stopped working.Speedo is pretty accurate but it jumps around at freeeway speeds.

[Turbogrimace]

Once I get my magneto back on, bleed the front brakes, and mount the magnet on the sprocket, I'll take it for a spin and see how it performs. I'd assume it's pretty good considering it's the same hookup they use on a lot of their models and I couldnt find any complaints.  I havent seen any of their mechanical hookups for the speedos.  When I called their tech dept, they said they had nothing that would match a cb750.

[robdrobd]

How does the tach connect on the Acewell. I understand the speedo, but does another cable attach to the tach as well?

[Hinz]

here's another thread for the Acewell speedo.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=26449.0