Speedometer chopper question

[EVILBLACKSABRE]

I don't think anyone was advocating conformity to any "no-speedo" ideology. Just stating personal preference. I'm sure the OP is a big boy, has his own mind, and will build his bike the way HE wants it, not the way others tell him he should. At least I hope that's his attitude. Otherwise I think he's on the wrong forum .

I can't help but question the value of a speedo. After all, how many people are constantly checking their speedo when they're riding? And even with a speedo it's so easy to break the speed limit without realizing it.

In regards to speeding tickets, I don't want to get pulled over by the cops any more than anyone else, but it's not something I worry about. In my opinion, riding a motorcycle, or more specifically a chopper, and worrying about getting a speeding ticket, do not go together.

I say- more riding, less worrying.

And if people want a speedo, I say more power to them. It's their bike, not mine. Having a speedo doesn't make one "uncool" any more than not having a speedo makes one "cool". My philosophy is- to each his own.

[Tattooo]

I've owned and built bikes with and without speedos over my past ten years of riding, and I've always missed having one on the bikes that didn't. I'm primarily a city driver. It's really easy to go 60mph when you think you're only going 45. Just one ticket costs a hell of a lot more time and money than figuring out how to get a gauge on your scoot...

Have you ever tried running with traffic?????? It works really well.................

[farmall]

If someone is used to phones and their GPS app has decent fonts, it's easy to check speed at a glance.

I have RAM mounts in my trucks and one on my FXR. They put my phone where it's in a naturally scanned area. (Pilots use HUDs so they don't have to look down for essential info. Vehicle instruments should fall into your field of vision similarly.)

I don't really care about the speedometer aspect, but I fucking LOVE assisted navigation. The gas and time it saves more than pays for my phone, and Waze users report cops, wrecks, traffic slowdowns, road closures and more. It's superb for avoiding speed traps. I like large phones with removable oversize batteries and rugged cases anyway, so it's all good.

You don't have to leave a fugly phone mount on your bars since the clamp/mount assembly is easily removable. I used a clamp-on ball mount because I don't care about pretty, but RAM have a fuckton of versatile hardware for any mounting job from boats to aircraft. Ebay is a good place to get pics.

Lots of people run bicycle speedometers but I'm not familiar with those.

[cggorman]

I have used GPS-based speedometer apps off and on for years on my android phones. All the ones I've used had extremely large speed readouts in very contrasty colors...usually customizable. Frankly, they're faster to acquire visually than a traditional analog gauge. They're also dead accurate irrespective of vehicle changes (gearing, tires, etc.) Also free or extremely cheap.

[MikeHoncho]

Hell yeah guys thanks for all the input! I'm from a small ass town an there is absolutely no chopper scene around at all so I'm going in this one blind folded. Stoked for all the response thanks ��������

Build what makes you grin man. If you dig it, that's all that matters. There's no blueprint for choppers, if there was, there'd only be factory bikes. You want a speedo, source yourself a speedo and put that bad boy wherever you want. Your bike, your style, your creativity. Heck...I've been thinking about a way to recess a small digital oil press gage into my handlebars instead of that big fluid gage hanging off the rear rocker box of my shovel. Grab a beer, sit in your garage and stare at that beast until an idea pops in your head and then figure out how to make that happen...that's what chopping a bike is all about, not the scene.

[cggorman]

Hell yeah. Concentration fuel.

[beat]

since this thread is still goin' on. i will chime in again.
i reread what i posted the other night. i will not retract or apologize for anything i posted earlier....it's a good thing i stopped when i did or i wouldve come across as a douche.
i wont follow my train of thought from the other night, but i will try to gently add on.

part of what i was getting at is this is CHOP CULT...as in "to chop". chop,cut,hack shit off yer stock bike.
if it doesnt make yer bike go or stop who needs it?...heres where the no front brake part gets a bit fuzzy..

i've been saying this for about 30 years...stock sucks and restoring is boring. yes there are exceptions,and i dig that to, but i aint for me.

another thing. i fucking hate when people say "at the end of the day". fucking business catch phrase, but....
at the end of a day of riding and you pull yer bike/chop into yer garage and have a brew while you and yer bike cool down it matters to nobody but you that yer bike feels/looks cool to you.
once you get that frame of mind of i dont care what others think and i'll do what makes me happy than yer ready to have a chopper.

yer chopping a 02 sporty? i think stock it has a large speedo. i think there are a bunch of aftermarket solutions. whatever trips yer trigger.

hit me in a PM. i think i have a small A/M speedo in one of my parts bins that came off a 70s sporty. its yers if ya want it.

[DrFxr]

I came up with this rig sunday afternoon. I took the dakota digital that was mounted on the handle bars, removed it from the fancy chrome egg. Then I used a small screw driver to pry the bezel off the gauge housing, and removed the internals. I had this oil pressure gauge bracket kicking around. The studs on the bracket were too close to mount the speedo proper, but by disassembling the gauge I determined the internals would just fit. I cut a relief and ground out the inside of the aluminum gauge cup where the mounting studs are, and unsuccessfully tried to bend the walls to get the clearance. one side cracked, so I ended up cutting reliefs for the nuts. I sanded and polished the gauge cup, hogged out the retainer ring for the original bracket to hold the speedo, and put some RTV around the lense and also the reliefs for the bolts. If I knew the aluminum wouldn't take the bend, I would have made the reliefs much smaller, but mounted on the bike it seems to look ok.
Please disregard the awesome plug wires, they came on the bike and they are coming off before it rides again

[Tattooo]

What does it look like with the speedo in it???? ^^^^^^^^^^^^

[DrFxr]

The speedo is in it, it is digital. It looks empty because the screen is blacked out. The numbers show blue, but it isn't wired up yet. Ill update when it happens.

[Tattooo]

The speedo is in it, it is digital.

What about a pic from the top?????? That side angle could be anything....... I just want to see how it looks????

[DrFxr]

The first pic is from the top looking down It will look just like this when the bike is off, kinda like a fancy ashtray. When it has power, it displays "mph" with alarm-clock style #'s, and the rest remains blacked out. I did not drop the speedo in from the top, so there is no bezel there. I re-used the bracket's original retainer which mounts on the bottom and holds the cup by the collar the bezel was originally peened over.



This is what I used. The case is machined aluminum, so I just sanded and polished it.

[Tattooo]

I got ya... It looks like there's nothing there that's why I asked..... That's cool........

[farmall]

Tidy and clean.

[chopperbob1313]

I've run a sigma wired bicycle computer for about 8 years and it works great! Accurate as hell too. It cost $19.00. Has an odometer, speedometer,avg low speed, high speed, clock etc. I also bought a GPS speedo for about $130.00 and the cheepo is within 1 or 2 miles per hour! These guys can talk all that shit about knowing your speed after years of riding. I've been riding for over 50 years and believe me they are wrong. When you leave the clubhouse after 6 beers and a cop is on yer ass your brain speedo does not work as accurately as you thought. It's nice to look down and be sure! Just sayin.......