Speedo Error Correction?

Joined
Dec 21, 2010
Messages
68
Location
London, Arkansas
Bike
09 ST1300
My speedo is off by about 8%. Can't beleive Honda to get it that far off.

So, what's the fix?

I know you know.

Thanks,
devro
 
$115 to fix Honda's screw-up!
I too will just keep using the GPS for my speed reading.
Jeez, it would be less expensive to buy a second GPS to use just for a speedo.

Thanks all,
devro
 
Re: Speedo Error Correction? - Next Question

My speedo is off by about 8%.

Is the ODO off by 8% too??

[On my last bike the speedo was off by about 5% but the ODO was correct.]
 
Ton of thread on this. There is the speedo healer which irrc screws up the odo which is not off by the avg 7-8%. Don't know if I'd call it a Honda screw up it's not limited to Honda or the ST and I'm assuming it's by design. No idea why, liability if it was off the other way? Trying in vain to slow us down LOL?

I think the odo is commonly reported as within 2% and optimistic.
 
They are allowed to be up to 10% out but always optimistic of the speed.

ie the speedo must always read as though you are travelling more than you actually are, it must never read that you are going slower then your actual speed.

Mine is more acurate anyway but it's an RS speedo with a calibration certificate number (the bike being ex Police)
 
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But I wonder could it be OK at 30 but optimistic at 70?

all of my honda bikes of been this way....accurate up to about 40~45...the error starts to grow from there. Seems to me it max's out at about a 10% error when well into the triple digits....7% error at 100....10% at 120+
 
all of my honda bikes of been this way....accurate up to about 40~45...the error starts to grow from there. Seems to me it max's out at about a 10% error when well into the triple digits....7% error at 100....10% at 120+

I figure that if we had both a civilian and a police model speedo side by side we'd be able to find one gear that has the gears spaced differently...
then we'd all have to replace that one gear to have accurate speedos.
Well on the ST1100 it might work... on the st1300 it'd be in the ECM and the trade off would be a top speed limit of 120 for accurate speed.
 
I don't know whether it's in the ECM, since our police ST1300s have an accurately calibrated speedometer and are not speed-restricted.

Maybe if you asked IRS, the company that calibrates the police speedometers here in the UK, they'd tell you for sure.
 
I don't know why it is but most if not all the motorcycles I have owned had significant speedometer error excepting the 1981 BMW and it has the DOT mandated 85 mph speedometer that all vehicles had in 1980-1982. It is almost spot-on.

I almost always have the GPS mounted on the ST so I use it for speed. If not mounted I just use a 5 mph correction which is accurate enough for the 7% error mine has from zero to 141 GPS verified mph. This works out to ~75 indicated for 70 true mph.

It never bothered me and I just got used to it.
 
I don't know whether it's in the ECM, since our police ST1300s have an accurately calibrated speedometer and are not speed-restricted.

I'd think it would still be in the ECM... Bikes for across the bond just skip the speed limit... so to speak...
 
It's bullcrap on Honda's part. I like my ST a lot, but that doesn't mean Honda is a god.
My fuel average is off too, I get about 5% better than the smart Honda computer computes.
So you think Honda is trying to keep me from running out of gas so I won't sue them?

The largest gage on the dash is the speedo; it's wasted space. What good is a measurement that is incorrect?

The Kawi I traded in had a speedo error of about 2%, I could live with that, I can understand anyone being US liability squeamish.

But 8%!!! Gimmie a break!

If you can swallow an 8% speedo error, I'd sure like to sell you some land!
 
Devro,
I know your adamantly opposed to spending $$$ to correct your speedo error... but what if there was a device, like a speedo-healer, but packed with more features???? Hmmmmm?
Would this be of interest to you?

Subsequent to the DIY Gear Indicator project, a couple years back, I've continued to evolve the design, and further miniaturize the packaging.

I now make a device that is a combined Gear Indicator + Speedo Corrector + Shift Indicator + mph/kph converter.

Features Overview
Gear Indicator features
- Small package (1.5in x 1.25in)
- Large (0.8in), bright red, seven segment LED display
- Configurable display orientation setting (you can configure the display for up-right, or upside-down mounting)
- Automatically adjusting display intensity, with user-configurable "set point" (you "set" the ambient light conditions at which you want the display intensity to switch from bright to dim)
- Works on bikes that have either 5 or 6 gears
- Customizable gear ratios (You teach it "your" bike's specific gear ratios)
- Fast response time. Virtually no propagation delay (Less than 200ms)
- Neutral indicator (Displays "0" when in neutral)
- Clutch disengaged indicator (Displays "-" when you pull the clutch lever in)
- Customizable shift indicator. You can set the RPM threshold at which you want the gear indication to rapidly flash (in 1,000 RPM increments).

Speedo-corrector features
- Adjustable correction factor, from -29.9% to +29.9%, in 0.1% increments
- Optional conversion from mph->kph, or kph->mph
- Resettable top speed capture

Other features
- Based on state-of-the-art 32-bit embedded microcontroller technology, running at 80Mhz
- Single push button customization (All configuration is done via a single push button switch, on the back of the unit)
- All configuration settings, and the top-speed capture, are stored in on-board non-volatile memory
- Sealed, and weather resistant


I'll attach a couple pictures, for size reference.
The first picture shows mine mounted at the base of the handle bars.
The last couple show a close-up of the custom integrated circuit, before it's permanently potted inside of display enclosure. The entire electronics package fits inside the actual display unit, so there's no other black box to worry about finding space for.

I haven't really socialized it too much here, on st-owners.com forum. But, I have been making em for my fellow CBR1000RR brethren. I have one on both my CBR, and my ST. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, let me know where I can email you some additional information. Warning tho... My device will cost more than a speedo-healer (but not by alot IMHO).
 

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GPS speed courtesy of SpeedviewPro for Android is what I use when I want accurate speed. I have a bracket for my Droid X on the handlebar riser clamp. Otherwise I use the "5 MPH rule" to have a reasonable idea of how fast I'm going.

Cars have accurate speedos, why can't Honda motorcycles?
 
ie the speedo must always read as though you are travelling more than you actually are, it must never read that you are going slower then your actual speed.

I think it down to liability, if they claimed it was accurate and you got a ticket and disputed the speed they (Honda) could be pursued, I am sure that someone would certainly try it in the US.
 
Just remember that your satnav tells you the speed you were doing about 12 seconds ago..... not your accurate current speed, unless your speed is constant.

My current 1100 speedo is actually quite good, compared to one or two of the 1300's I have ridden with....
 
In Chicagoland we all go about 8-9 mph over the speed limit on the express way and major surface streets. If you try going the speed limit you better be prepared to get run over and receive the universal signal for I am number 1. When I first got my bike I could not understand why I was getting blown off the road. As a new rider I was only going about 5 mph the speed limit. My spedo is off 8.5%. So when I am on the expressway going 60 mph indicataded I am really only going 54 mph. It's no wonder I was getting smoked! The difference get much larger the faster you go. 80 indicated is 73 mph. Sorry but that is unacceptable. I am a precision guy. I am also not the brightest crayon in the box. I don't want to do mental gymnastics trying to figure out how fast I am really going. As it is not a constant difference.

I know we have become a litigious society in America. However I can not begin to fathom how providing a driver accurate information puts Honda at risk. Honestly somebody could probably start a class action suite to cover the cost of the fix as being off by so much actually creates an unsafe situation for the rider. I own 2 Acura's and neither one of those spedos are off by even 1 mph.

I just received my spedo healer yesterday and will be installing it this weekend. Yes I am anoyed that I had to spend the money on it, however if I want the problem resolved it apeared to be the easiest solution to the problem.
 
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