Speedometer conversion

Texasdrifter · March 04, 2019, 15:14:51 PM

I replaced my faulty Speedo with one I bought off eBay for $80. Because of the age of the bike the Mileage is exempt in TX so the odometer difference don't matter. The one I bought only had 14.3K mi on it and was pristine. There were many for sale on eBay at the time. The gauge face would be very difficult to change with out damaging the Speedo case since it's all crimped together. Newer models have MPH and KMH on the face.

Corsacreek · March 03, 2019, 21:36:34 PM

All 500/800 Vulcans used the same speedo meter, PN#25005. There's an identifier number 25005-xxxx that varies with models and year. All Drifters measure speed from the front wheel so any year will work. Now in theory you could slap a Classic on a Drifter and it will work. They all share the same speedometer receiver whether on the front or rear wheel the only thing that changes is the tire width since the rim is the same. I almost bought a dirt cheap 500 meter but at the last moment I decided to go with a newer model Drifter.

As far as the dash plaque, there's a seller on eBay from Romania that custom makes these. He actually made 4, one he sold me and 3 more that are still for sale on eBay. He has several already made with different scripts but I wanted mine in polished silver with logos.

greenbarn · March 03, 2019, 15:19:04 PM

So, you just put on a speedo gauge from a 2004 or newer, if I understand correctly?

BTW, nice dash plaque you made there... How did you make it? looks good.

Corsacreek · February 19, 2019, 19:26:15 PM

UPDATE:
So I'm happy to report that the switcheroo worked. The bike now reads in MPH with both the odometer & trip as well.

It appears that in 2004 Kawasaki stopped making two different meters and basically changed the dial to include both MPH & KPH. All 800 Drifters use the front tire to estimate speed so any year meter will work.

Tfrank59 · February 10, 2019, 14:21:37 PM

Oh I totally get that, so I hope it works out that the one you bought off evilbay does it for you. I put on this tiny TTO tach, as I really don't like not having one, but it's very discreet and can barely see it.

Corsacreek · February 10, 2019, 14:01:31 PM

Quote from: Tfrank59 on February 10, 2019, 11:46:40 AM
At any rate if you go with the electronic unit that I was describing it works as an odometer also.

No doubt, that would be the thing to do but,,,,,,, is that darn vintage look that I don't want to change. The last bit of kawi badging is now gone. I made a custom dash plaque that makes her feel like a bleached blonde now.

greenbarn · February 10, 2019, 12:18:52 PM

Quote from: Corsacreek on February 10, 2019, 07:35:55 AM

I'm hoping that the KPH meter & the MPH meter (besides the dials) have different gearing internally that translate the rotation of the front tire/rear accordingly. They all use the same meter & the same receiver for the speedometer (41064-1057).

If the 41064 is the same on both the KPH and MPH models, then I'd think it should be safe to assume that the meter then has the correct gearing built into it do record the odometer correctly.

Tfrank59 · February 10, 2019, 11:46:40 AM

Well I use the odometer on all of my bikes as a gas gauge -- and for that reason don't want to go without one -- but it did read like you're more interested in knowing your miles per hour. At any rate if you go with the electronic unit that I was describing it works as an odometer also.

Corsacreek · February 10, 2019, 07:35:55 AM

Quote from: Tfrank59 on February 09, 2019, 18:57:28 PM
but I'm inferring that you're not as concerned about that feature being the bike is more than 10 years old.

Funny you mention that since this is by far the one feature that I have come to rely upon on all the bikes I have ever owned.

On the many dozens of motorcycle that have lived in my garage, the one thing that seems to fail regardless of make and model is the gas gauge. BMW, Can-Am, Ducati & Honda, they all had their quirks & unreliability that let me to use & reset the trip-odometer religiously. Whether it was my F650GS that would display enough gas from Florida to Canada & back or my Street Triple telling me I was out of fuel with still half tank left. It is amazing that with ride-by-wire, traction control & 5 different riding modes this particular company couldn't design a better gas tank with accurate gauge.

I'm hoping that the KPH meter & the MPH meter (besides the dials) have different gearing internally that translate the rotation of the front tire/rear accordingly. They all use the same meter & the same receiver for the speedometer (41064-1057).

If anybody here has more inside on the actual dynamics involved please chime in! I plan to buy a used speedo from fleabay & go from there. I will report my findings to help others.

Tfrank59 · February 09, 2019, 18:57:28 PM

Seems like the only change needed is the dial face, which is why you can have both Kms/hr and Miles on the same dial. The ODO is another matter, being a mechanical one, but I'm inferring that you're not as concerned about that feature being the bike is more than 10 years old.

If you can't find what you need to change over the existing speedometer, there's the electronic option, which I just installed on my other bike (a dual sport), a Trail Tech Vapor or Voyager. Of course it won't maintain the same retro Indian look, but it gives a readout for RPMs, Speed (Kms or Miles), run time, engine temp, etc. Just a thought.

Corsacreek · February 09, 2019, 15:54:52 PM

Thank you for all your responses and support.

The only thing I have found so far that has a specificity part for Metric only is at the meter level. All 800 Vulcans use PN# 25005 for the clock. PN# 25005A (20005-1656) is only for KPH.

The reason why I was asking about the converter is because there is no sensor (that I know) located in the meter. This is strictly a mechanical device counting how fast the front wheel turns. In theory the converter slows down the revolutions so your clock reads slower. I would imagine that this would apply if you kept the old dial at KPH. If you were to replace the meter all-together the needle would sweep the same way but the dial itself would have closer grouping numbers therefore show you a lower speed.

BUT?? What about the odometer & trip-odometer. Would it also count slower & show actual miles not kilometers?

Bucko · February 09, 2019, 14:47:33 PM

See if you can find Metric and Imperial model parts fiches and compare the speedo drive part numbers - if they're the same (which I suspect they are) you're golden.

chief · February 09, 2019, 11:40:37 AM

I'm not sure why you would need the converter. I would think all that would be needed is a change in the indicator dial. I'm sure the experts here will set us straight!

Corsacreek · February 09, 2019, 09:00:33 AM

Hello to all,

I recently bought a 2001 Drifter 800 and among many things that I missed while inspecting it was that fact that the clock is in kilometers. I was wondering why at 110 I was being passed by a Prius?

Anyways, the question is if I get a used imperial speedo from eBay (my title has exempt miles) will I also need Motrax's Speedo Converter? Since this is a mechanical cable driving speedo I assume that by using a combination of the converter with an actual MPH speedo it will work?