Speedo off on all XII's?

[Muleears]

I notice the remedy for an inaccurate speedo in the tech section. Does this apply to all years of Voyagers or just certain years? It appears the parts are about $15+/-, are they difficult to install?

[debron]

Yes it applies to all years and also to most, if not all, metric bikes. Some disagree and say the speedo is off by "about" 5mph at any speed, but my experience and research show the speedo is off by 10%. I.e. when the speedo says you are going 50, your real speed is 45, at 60 real speed is 54, at 70 real speed is 63, etc. This is (was) true on both my XIIs and my Honda, verified by my GPS.

[Chris near Kansas City]

Ditto what Ron said. Some XII speedos are off by as much as 10% while others are spot on. (and everywhere in between) If you change the gear out, then your odometer will be off. The odometers tend to be accurate, no matter how far off the speedo is.

The speedo on my '90 is off by 10% and my '01 reads within 1 mph compared to my GPS.

I have only taken one of the speedo drive units apart (my '90) and it was a bear to get the pinion support out of the main housing. I know guys have done it, but not sure how they do without buggering up the aluminum threads for the speedo cable. It may have just been the particular unit on my bike though.

[cushman eagle]

I checked the speedo on my"99, and both the speed and odometer are 2 1/2 % optimistic while my 1996 Ford Ranger is 5%.The GS1100GK I used to have was dead on .

[Muleears]

Thanks for the information gentlemen. Looks like a check of my speedo is in order when it stops raining/sleeting/gets above 50* or so. I guess I can carry my GPS with me on a little ride and see what it says.

Is the difficulty Chris ran into the norm? If that's the case I may leave this endeavor to a pro.

[Furchin]

"Is the difficulty Chris ran into the norm? If that's the case I may leave this endeavor to a pro."

The biggest problem that I have come across in doing/trying this mod is removing the very small roll pin that holds the gear inside the housing. It can be done but In my opinion it is better to leave it alone and retain the correct mileage readout on the odometer. If you are picky about change intervals for your fluids and what not then you want your odometer to be correct for your own peace of mind. Use a GPS unit for your speed or learn where the rpm range is for 55 or 60 mph and glance at the tach from time to time.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Cal if you find that your speedo is off and you just can't live with it as such you could always explore that option (leaving it to the experts). Most either have a GPS mounted and use it or learn the amount it's off and adjust mentally accordingly. If it's off 2-3 MPH at 40 MPH on the speedo (37 actual) and it seems to be about 5 MPH off at 75 MPH (70 actual speed) then just know that it's off and you are less likely to get a speeding ticket if it reads faster than actual speed.
I'm not sure just how much mine is off but I know that it reads faster than actual, so it's like having an alarm clock set a few minutes fast.
Gives leeway!

[carl leo]

i have been doing the spedo drive modification for many years and have developed a method that works without mangling the drive unit, e me for information if you are wanting to do this........carl

[Muleears]

"Is the difficulty Chris ran into the norm? If that's the case I may leave this endeavor to a pro."

The biggest problem that I have come across in doing/trying this mod is removing the very small roll pin that holds the gear inside the housing. It can be done but In my opinion it is better to leave it alone and retain the correct mileage readout on the odometer. If you are picky about change intervals for your fluids and what not then you want your odometer to be correct for your own peace of mind. Use a GPS unit for your speed or learn where the rpm range is for 55 or 60 mph and glance at the tach from time to time.

So far, I'm not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about the ease of replacing this part! Unfortunately I have already taken the plunge and ordered the parts, so now I'm committed (or should be committed) to getting this done. I'll wait to see what Mr. Leo has to say and go from there.

[kjsett]

I checked the speedo on my"99, and both the speed and odometer are 2 1/2 % optimistic while my 1996 Ford Ranger is 5%.The GS1100GK I used to have was dead on .

My '03 is about 3 above (per the GPS). That was before the thing froze up on arrival during a 900 mile ride. I couldn't justify almost as much as shipping for quick delivery so I had to return with GPS only. I chose to order the drive unit rather than just parts because I wasn't sure about it and didn't want to mess around.
Since then the cable also broke (had one on hand so no big deal) and last check still does about 3 over at 60 to 70 'ish.
Now my wife's 97 VN800a is another matter. I should see if I can get a corrected one for her. When the GPS says 75mph, hers says around 85. She always thinks I am speeding
I offered to transfer the GPS to her bike, but doesn't want it (maybe cause it would prove I am right for once).
Tires are E3's as that can affect the speedo also.
Happy riding,
Ken

[Muleears]

I checked the speedo on my"99, and both the speed and odometer are 2 1/2 % optimistic while my 1996 Ford Ranger is 5%.The GS1100GK I used to have was dead on .

My '03 is about 3 above (per the GPS). That was before the thing froze up on arrival during a 900 mile ride. I couldn't justify almost as much as shipping for quick delivery so I had to return with GPS only. I chose to order the drive unit rather than just parts because I wasn't sure about it and didn't want to mess around.
Since then the cable also broke (had one on hand so no big deal) and last check still does about 3 over at 60 to 70 'ish.
Now my wife's 97 VN800a is another matter. I should see if I can get a corrected one for her. When the GPS says 75mph, hers says around 85. She always thinks I am speeding
I offered to transfer the GPS to her bike, but doesn't want it (maybe cause it would prove I am right for once).
Tires are E3's as that can affect the speedo also.
Happy riding,
Ken

Are the E-3's a different diameter?

[cushman eagle]

My E-3 is slightly taller that the awfull 404 that was on the bike when I bought it, and the taller tire brought the speedo closer to true speed.This forum helped me realize it was the tire,not the bike,that brought out the front end wobble from 28-35MPH

[Muleears]

My E-3 is slightly taller that the awfull 404 that was on the bike when I bought it, and the taller tire brought the speedo closer to true speed.This forum helped me realize it was the tire,not the bike,that brought out the front end wobble from 28-35MPH

Thanks for the info! The bike currently has Dunlops that are about 6 yrs. old. I have ridden on them about 50 miles, haven't noticed any bad habits yet. I have a brand new pair of E-3's in the corner waiting to be mounted. As soon as it warms a little, I'll get it by the shop and have them put on.