Tweet
I have a question for anyone who may have experienced this before.. I just got a 1948 Chief a few weeks ago and the bike is great... What I'm wondering about is an issue I noticed with my speedo. The unit appears to be "new".. (couldn't be original since it looks to darn good..) and it seems to be recording the right speed (m.p.h.) but I am wondering about the mileage number indicators.. It looks like the mileage is recording "twice as far as the bike has actually been ridden".. I made a trip yesterday that in the past was 88 miles.. And on this speedo; it shows up as 176?.. Is there something in the speedo... Or the drive mechanism in the front wheel that might be "off".. or "incorrect".. I'm not sure what this might be.. Any help.. Or ideas.. Would be appreciated.. Thanks..
-
-
You likely have a repro speedo. I have no personal experience, but I've heard at least one (perhaps all) dealer sells speedos that indicate speed correctly but record mileage wrong. To understand this, you need to know a few things. First speed indication (needle movement) and the odometer are basically two separate systems. Second, motorcycle speedometers (at least American motorcycles of this vintage) were designed for 60mph = 2000 rpm cable speed. Most other applications (eg: cars, trucks, etc.) are designed for 60mph = 1000 rpm. So if your drive unit is delivering 2000 rpm for 60mph and the speedo is expecting 1000 rpm, your speed is going to be twice what it should be as will the mileage recording. To change the speed indication is fairly easy, just put in a stronger hairspring. To change the odometer reading requires replacing internal gears (a much more daunting and expensive task, evidently felt to expensive to undertake). Your best course of action is probably to find an original speedo ... Perry
Comment