[BassAddict]

I just did some comparing of bike indicated speed and miles traveled against a Garmin Zumo's report of the same. In both measurements the true numbers are less than the indicated numbers, but not by the same amount.

My 2007 Nomad travels at a speed that is about 8% less than what is indicated on the speedometer; so 65MPH indicated is really closer to 60MPH. The odometer is much closer to true with with only about 1.2% error. For every 1000 miles indicated the bike has really only traveled about 988 miles.

I still have the original tires and no "speedo healer" or other similar modifications.

What are you experiencing on your bike?

 

[VN2000D6F]

Kawi for some reason can't get their speedos accurate, don't know if this is by design or incompetence. Every Kawi I have ridden with no matter year or model has indicated faster than actual. Other Jap bikes are the same but to a lesser degree it seems. HD are dead on accurate. All according to my GPS. Go figure.

 

[BassAddict]

I'd have to agree that it's designed that way if all the Kawasaki bike speedometers read roughly 8-10% high. If the condition was caused by manufacturing tolerance problems the error would be a plus/minus factor, with the error roughly evenly distributed on both sides of true. It sounds more like a 2% error band that is intentionally set about 8% off. Wonder why they'd do that?

 

[VN2000D6F]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Apparently if you change to the Euro primary gears the speedos are within that 2% accuracy range, on the V2K anyway. I think maybe the bikes were engineered for Europe first and when they came across the pond they neglected to do any fine tuning, and why they changed the primary gearing on the V2K I have not a clue. I have not read up on the Nomad so I don't know if they did the same thing with that model. Just my wild *** speculation.

 

[ZeroPunch]

So you think your bike is faster than it is?

If I'm in traffic, I move with traffic so speedo is irrelevant, If I'm out on some country road and doing 10-15 over according to speedo it might save me from a ticket. I don't think Kawasaki is worrying about my points though.

 

[Aifwikir]

My 900 speedo was 11% over actual. At 65 indicated I was only doing 57 actual. Since I installed the scootwork pulley it's almost dead on the money 65 indic. = 64 actual.


Aif

 

[Slpr_61]

HD are dead on accurate.

Good friend of mine has had 1 sporty and 2 Heritage softail Classics. all three where off by at least 5pmh.

 

[VN2000D6F]

Good friend of mine has had 1 sporty and 2 Heritage softail Classics. all three where off by at least 5pmh.

LOL well let me rephrase that then, the HD's I've ridden with and checked have been dead on accurate.

 

[Outamyvulcnmind]

I just did some comparing of bike indicated speed and miles traveled against a Garmin Zumo's report of the same. In both measurements the true numbers are less than the indicated numbers, but not by the same amount.

My 2007 Nomad travels at a speed that is about 8% less than what is indicated on the speedometer; so 65MPH indicated is really closer to 60MPH. The odometer is much closer to true with with only about 1.2% error. For every 1000 miles indicated the bike has really only traveled about 988 miles.

I still have the original tires and no "speedo healer" or other similar modifications.

What are you experiencing on your bike?

This has been covered extensively, but you have it right. The odometer is reasonably accurate, and the speedo is deliberately optimistic. BMW also does this just as deliberately (in it's cars, at least).

There is no real fix for it, however. Since both the odo and speedo respond to the same input, with the odo being linear and the speedo being proportional, any change to improve one is at the expense of the other. If you had the necessary skills, you could insert a compensating circuit into the circuit board trace that feeds the needle motors, but it doesn't sound like fun to me.

Both speedo healers and the Scootworks pulley can improve the speedo readout, but then cause the odo to under-report the mileage, which is illegal almost everywhere, I believe. I doubt you'd be prosecuted, but it would make it hard for me to be able to sign the title where it says "the mileage reported is accurate, to the best of my knowledge."

So that leaves using a Kawi police model speedo (if they make such a thing). Or doing what I did, which is to move the needle. It took a couple dozen tries, but now my speedo is 2 mph optimistic at 30 and 2 mph pessimistic at 75; in between it's within 1 mph - close enough for me. And the odo is untouched at about 1% optimistic.

Or, of course, living with it and subtracting.

;{>

Cheers!

John

 

[Utah Motorcyclist]

If the 900 is 10% off would that mean that If the odo says 10,000 we really have only gone 9000?

 

[BassAddict]

If the 900 is 10% off would that mean that If the odo says 10,000 we really have only gone 9000?

Probably not. The speedometer and the odometer are not errant by the same amount. It appears from what I measured and what others are saying that the odometers are typically over reporting by only 1% or so. If that is true then your example would be approximately 9,900 actual miles for a odometer reading of 10,000 miles.

 

[Big Ed]

Sorry to resurrect an older thread, however:

This really irritates me. The fact that the odo is more accurate than the speedo, to me, demonstrates intent. They plan this. And it isn't just Kawasaki. I have yet to speak with anyone who has seen an accurate speedo on a motorcycle of any ilk.

And they are always high. It is difficult to believe that this is an accident.

What is the big deal. Why can't they just sell them accurate? It can't be that difficult if a simple after market pulley fixes it. Isn't that fraud on their part?

Sorry for the rant, but after shelling out the $$$ for a new bike one would expect that it have accurate indications.

 

[El Zorro]

I wonder if it has to do with legal issues. Have they been sued by customers that were going "faster than I thought"? Overstating the speedometer certainly gives them a good legal defense. Or could it be a metric to standard issue? If the machines are perfectly calibrated to metric speedometers, but the standard dials are slightly off. I don't know if this is relevant, but in my experience, Honda minivans have this same problem (about 10% overstated).

 

[V2K_CCTX]

I think its planned so people think they are going faster than they are... sort of a psyche-out...every M/C is fast but you have cars now with digital and electronic speedo's DEAD ON....its a conspiracy I tell you!!!

 

[norules69]

900 speedo leaking water???

hey i wanted to know if anyone else is having issues with thier speedometer letting in water and the digital display not wanting to work properly or at all. i have noticed that my lens is lose and when we get a hard rain or i wash the bike it doesn't want to work very well. also i have notied that in a 100 mile trip i am about 5 miles behind how can i fix this, and is there any thingi can do about the speedometer. the bike has 22700 showing and i have had for a year and a half and i bought it brand new so i know it wasnt abse from the last owner but that you all for your help and time
Kurtis

 

[vn2kbob]

The VN2K's are 9-11 percent off on the speedo and the odo is quite accurate. I read somewhere recently the industry standard is 15 percent or less for the speedo. These bikes can be corrected with adding a one tooth larger front pulley and a two teeth smaller rear pulley or by installing the euro gears as mentioned. Adding one or the other pulley will correct the speedo error by approx. 50 percent.
Bob
'05 VN2K Limited
'06 Gixxer 600

 

[B3ancounter]

It really iritates me because when I am in front of a bunch of cars and doing what I think (according to my new Mean Streak) is the correct speed limit they are right up my a$$. With my luck if I speed up enough to make them happy I will probably get a ticket. I think the speedo should by law be required to show the actual speed plus or minus a small % error.

 

[tomslusher]

Come to think of it, speedos on snowmobiles are just as inaccurate, only the opposite. Everyone I have have rode snowmobile with claims that the speedo will have top speed at least 10 mph over what a GPS says.

I've always assumed it was by design to make the rider feel their snowmobile is faster than it really is.

tomslusher

 

[vn2kbob]

Probably right on the speedo designed to read fast. Wouldn't surprise me in the least.
Bob