speedometer error correction

[leafman60]

How can I correct the error (7-10% optimistic) in my 07 R1200S speedo ???

[DeltaNu1142]

Welcome to the forum............

[Steve Carlton]

Try calling Palo Alto Speedometer. I was referred to them a few years ago by Desmotosport for a Ducati Monster that was probably 30% optimistic.

[Moybin]

Originally Posted by leafman60

How can I correct the error (7-10% optimistic) in my 07 R1200S speedo ???

Don't know because I haven't seen a 12S up close. On my R11S I finally said "SCREW IT!" did several checks to determine the actual error, then used a art/paint program on my Mac to generate a new speedo face. Printed it out, laminated it over the old face and haven't looked back. This winter I'm going to replace my temporary white face with a matching black face.

PS: I tried to reprogram the speedo circuit with the surface mount resistors, but that screwed up the accuracy of the odometer. My odometer is spot-on from the factory, so it became obvious to change the speedo face instead.

[Guest24]

Originally Posted by Moybin

Don't know because I haven't seen a 12S up close. On my R11S I finally said "SCREW IT!" did several checks to determine the actual error, then used a art/paint program on my Mac to generate a new speedo face. Printed it out, laminated it over the old face and haven't looked back. This winter I'm going to replace my temporary white face with a matching black face.

PS: I tried to reprogram the speedo circuit with the surface mount resistors, but that screwed up the accuracy of the odometer. My odometer is spot-on from the factory, so it became obvious to change the speedo face instead.

Can't you just do the gear math for a given tire size and have RPM reference points? Are there any math majors out there that can do this for a R11 and R12

[wswartzwel]

It is a BMW.. you are supposed to have half a dozen electronic gizmos telling you speed, altitude, Zürich time, and such...

[ckcarr]

Take heart!

Depending on your current speed...

The R1100S speedo was 7-11% optimistic.

The R1200S speedo is only 4-6% optimistic per my GPS. It does feel slower than its going too.

So it's getting better. When the new BMW R1400S comes out soon it should only be 2-4% optimistic

[bradzdotcom]

"Can't you just do the gear math for a given tire size and have RPM reference points? Are there any math majors out there that can do this for a R11 and R12"

we tried that a few years ago when the speedometers only went to 85 MPH. didn't work. you couldn't take into account various factors, like aerodynamics, tire swelling at speed, etc....

at the time, we put a face on the tach, to read out MPH in top gear, similar to what moybin did. it worked up to about 90 mph, then got out of whack.


these days, a GPS is the only way. everyone/everything else will lie to you.

while it's standard for manufacturers to be "optimistic" with their speedo needles it can backfire. i recently heard a lot of rumblings from people who leased Honda cars that had a very optimistic speedo, and paid penalties based on mileage. last i heard, honda was wiggling around, making noises about the odomoeter being correct, but the speedo being a little off........hmmmmmmm.

[ckcarr]

Personally I find an optimistic speedometer can be dangerous if you are using it. You get into a herd of traffic that is all speeding or doing the genuine limit and you are believing the speedometer because you are a good citizen (or just got a ticket) and you can get mowed down. I like accuracy.

[wswartzwel]

I never look at my speedometer, or my tach for that matter.

Can't say I look at the sights on my pistol when shooting either..

[bradzdotcom]

bill, you could be a cop in LA.
you're qualified!

[wswartzwel]

They ride and shoot instictively???

Or just randomly wound ??

[Steve Carlton]

Speed first. Ask questions later.

[John Lyon]

Originally Posted by ckcarr

Personally I find an optimistic speedometer can be dangerous if you are using it. You get into a herd of traffic that is all speeding or doing the genuine limit and you are believing the speedometer because you are a good citizen (or just got a ticket) and you can get mowed down. I like accuracy.

On that note, I just finished Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch (is that his real name?) and he claims that the California Highway Patrol instructs its moto officers to travel a "little" faster than the flow of traffic for safety reasons. On that basis, I would think you could get away with going traffic flow, plus 2 or 3 mph, at least in CA, regardless of what the speedo said. Not sure this would fly in Utah, but its actually what I pretty much do here.

[kocook]

Originally Posted by wswartzwel

I never look at my speedometer, or my tach for that matter.

Can't say I look at the sights on my pistol when shooting either..

Good one!

[ckcarr]

Originally Posted by John Lyon

On that note, I just finished Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch (is that his real name?) and he claims that the California Highway Patrol instructs its moto officers to travel a "little" faster than the flow of traffic for safety reasons. On that basis, I would think you could get away with going traffic flow, plus 2 or 3 mph, at least in CA, regardless of what the speedo said. Not sure this would fly in Utah, but its actually what I pretty much do here.

Travelling faster, or slower than traffic (and I have minimal here) makes perfect sense, and by default that's what I do.

Truthfully, I usually travel by instinct out here and staying very aware of any movement (traffic or other) within my lines of sight, forward and backward has served me well for tickets and animals. Only looking at the speedo or GPS out of curiosity or if I'm really trying to make time or a destination by a certain time.

[bradzdotcom]

most of the time, i use the gps for backup, but if you practice without any speed indicator at all, you can get a good feel for what "just a little bit faster" feels like.
it's not hard to do. around here, it's usually tollerated by CHP. most of the ones i've talked with tend to agree (at a bbq, not roadside).

going "lots faster" is also easy to spot, which is why so many guys get snuck up upon: no rear view habit, a component the bmw excels at compared to many others. (after all why look in the mirrors of your UJM motorcycle, since you can't tell a chp from a black ford fiesta with skis on the roof?).

speaking of, heads up: once again it's ski season in so cal....when everybody thinks almost everyone else is a cop because of the roof rack.....it's not ski season, it's panic brake practice season. heads up.

[agypsy]

i got my first gps over the summer and i was surprised to see the speedo was off on my bikes and my car. my rockster's a full 5mph below the gps speedo. same was true in the '07 suburban i drove cross country. i've been doing the "zip car" since i moved out to SF and the prius was spot on and a mazda was down 3mph. that's 5 out 6 vehicle's off.

[markjenn]

http://www.speedohealer.com/

Supposedly requires a "custom fit" for a BMW - not sure what this means.

Once you calibrate a speedo (either by timing mile markers or GPS), I've never thought it much of a big deal to simply do the math in my head (e.g., most speedos read about 5 mph high in the typical 60-80 mph freeway grind, so you just add 5 to the number on the face). But you do need to find out how much it is out.

On my Strom, someone made new gauge label faces with the correction built-in and I must admit it's nice to have the speedo dead nuts on, but I have to remind myself that there is no fudge factor with the number it is giving me - at first I found myself just racheting up my speed to my typical 5-10 above around town and this is risky with an accurate speedo.

- Mark

[leafman60]

I like the idea of the re-done faceplate. Yes, I had a Vstrom too and some chap made re-printed gauge faces to correct the speed error for them. I remember the "healer" too. The Vstrom was waaay off, too. 15 percent on some cases. It was a heckuva bike, though. Quite a hotrod.

I had an 1150GS that was inaccurate as well but it was mechanical and all I had to do was to install a speedo drive from an R1150R model and that cleared everything up. I really dont know why the mfgs do this.

Anyone else have any suggestions of how to rectify the optimistic speedo on 1200S 's or any other late model BMW speedo, I guess.