Is your speedometer correct?

[Steve on 3]

Mine seems to be off at least 5 or 6 mph. That means my odometer is off and I am actually getting better mileage than I thought.

 

[PIGGI]

Mine seems to be off at least 5 or 6 mph. That means my odometer is off and I am actually getting better mileage than I thought.

Do you have a tuner installed? They can adjust the speedo but can also be set wrong.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Yeah... the average HD speedo is 2 or 3 mph off with new tires. As the tire wears the mph comes back to the correct speed then as the tires wear thin it reverses it self to 2 or 3 mph off in the other direction.

Since trike tires last forever you will enjoy the same reading for some time.

 

[Steve on 3]

Nope, no tuner yet.

 

[cavie]

All the jap bike speedos are off 10-15%. I think the Harleys are a little less off but off just the same.

 

[jaxbobg]

Guess they're all different. My current Goldwing 1800/Roadsmith is spot on according to the GPS. My other trike is a BMW K1200LT/Hannigan and that speedo is at least 10 percent high - if I want to set the cruise control for 75 mph the speedo reads 82mph.

I have read that there are ways to calibrate but have never felt like fussing with it.

BTW cavie, tread lightly on the jap bike remark since a bunch of the HD components are made in Asian countries. Just saying.

 

[HDB0B]

I'd say mine is pretty right on ... according to the radar speed signs posted around my area. I'll have to check it against my hand held gps unit. ThumbUp

Bob orag:

 

[RcSuD]

Can anybody say for sure that a gps is 100% accurate. I don't have one on my trike but I just bought a new car and it's speedo is about 3-5 mph higher than the gps, depending on speed. Who's to say which one is correct?

 

[HDB0B]

My handheld Garmin 60C GPS and my NUVI are very accurate. I would trust them over any speedometer.
Otherwise find an officer with a calibrated radar gun and offer to buy him lunch for a few readings.

You know .... I have never used the feature to digitally display SPEED on the nav screen in one of the lower corner changeable areas. I will try that next ride out and see how GPS digital compares to the analog speedometer.

Bob orag:

 

[cavie]

Guess they're all different. My current Goldwing 1800/Roadsmith is spot on according to the GPS. My other trike is a BMW K1200LT/Hannigan and that speedo is at least 10 percent high - if I want to set the cruise control for 75 mph the speedo reads 82mph.

I have read that there are ways to calibrate but have never felt like fussing with it.

BTW cavie, tread lightly on the jap bike remark since a bunch of the HD components are made in Asian countries. Just saying.

I ride a riceburnner.

 

[rap47]

My 2011 reads 1 mph fast when checked with radar.

 

[Gorilla]

GPS in extremely accurate. We all use the same GPS satellites as the airlines and the military. The only difference is the military uses a little more accurate signal. The airlines use the same GPS we do to land their airplanes in almost zero visibility. I have 2 GPS readouts and certified radar and a speedo in my patrol unit. Both GPS read the same and are dead on with the radar and speedo.

 

[RcSuD]

Thanks Gorilla, now I know.

 

[Illini_Triker]

MY 2006 Honda GL1800 showed 5 mph slow when I was running 40 it showed 35 is there a way to calibrate it

 

[HarleyPap57]

Mine seems to be off at least 5 or 6 mph. That means my odometer is off and I am actually getting better mileage than I thought.

Mine was off about 4 or 5 mph but I've corrected it when I put on the Power Vision Turner thanks to Fuzzy's post. It's within 1 mile on a 50 mile loop.

 

[scuba1954]

I have a 2014 trike and I am running Dakota Digital gauges and a Garmin Zumo 590 GPS. The two match up perfectly!

 

[KeithsBMW]

Speedometer is not correct

Sources of error due to tire diameter variations are wear, temperature, pressure, vehicle load, and nominal tire size. Vehicle manufacturers usually calibrate speedometers to read high by an amount equal to the average error, to ensure that their speedometers never indicate a lower speed than the actual speed of the vehicle, to ensure they are not liable for drivers violating speed limits.
All of my vehicles (2 cars and 3 motorcycles) have always indicated higher than actual speed by several %. The GPS's speed indication has always been very accurate.

 

[riden2low]

My 2014 was a little off but I was getting moisture in the gauge set. Harley replaced them under warranty and now my speedo is right on.