Bike computer on my 06

[DavidR8]

I solved my metric speedometer problem by installing a bike computer.

Here are few pics of the install.

The location of the display is Ok, but it needs to be higher to be in direct line of sight. I'll probably do some velco on the dash, maybe above the grip heater switch. Open to suggestions for folks.

The second and third pics are the sending unit on the lower fork leg and the magnet on the hub of the wheel. Initially I put a small (1/8"X1/8") round rare-earth magnet in the recess of a brake rotor bolt but I couldn't get the sending unit to line up.

So I put the magnet that came with the unit onto one of the 'spokes' of the inner hub. It is very light, haven't noticed any ill effect on wheel balance up to 'welcome to jail' speeds.

The unit is calibrated by inputting the tire's outside circumference. I have Heidenau K60 Scouts and Heidenau provides a very hand chart which lists a bunch of data on their tires, including outside circumference. Check out the chart here: http://www.heidenautires.com/tire_spec_sheet.pdf

The unit is a Sigma BC509 http://www.sigmasport.com/en/produkt...punkt=features

It reads up to 199 kmh so I think I'm good. Plus it has a nifty trip timer which records only when the bike is rolling. So if you're clever you can figure out how much time you're stuck in traffic.

I set it for mph first to see how accurate the bike speedo was and it turn out that with the K60 tire, its really accurate. I double-checked this using my gps on a long stretch of road.

Now if the speedometer in my VW Passat was as accurate as the Tiger's, I'd be a happy camper.

[PeteH]

Looking good, will keep that in mind... I`m using a borrowed GPS as my speedo went belly up 

[Sin_Tiger]

I completely forgot about that solution.  I used a similar technique with a friends Honda Café Racer project. Managed to squeeze the magnet and sensor into the original speedo drive in the hub and run the cable up the inside of the old mechanical cable. I took the cycle computer apart and grafted the guts of it into the back of a large tacho as he swabbed a single clock look. Worked better than I had any right to expect, once calibrated it was spot on by gps right through the speed range, even the odo was correct over longer distances.

You might want to consider epoxying a small nyodium magnet into one of your disc bolts and mounting the sensor near the brake caliper.  I did that when I was doing a proof of concept test but I used Blue tack and it whitened just fine. The battery on these things lasts for ages so that's not a worry.

[DavidR8]

Yeah, I'm not happy with the crude'ish nature of the sensor install. I did put a small (1/8" X 1/8") rare earth magnet into the head of a brake rotor bolt but couldn't find the sweet spot where the sensor would pick it up.

It is a small magnet but the idea of epoxy to hold it on kinda freaks me out... sure as shite, if it comes off, its coming off toward the rad!

What kind of epoxy? I'm also a boat guy so I have West System at my disposal.

[Sin_Tiger]

Just roughen the issue of the hex and outside of the magnet (easier said than done) and any decent two pack epoxy should do.

If you needed an excuse to fit a nice rad guard,  there you have it