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I am considering installing a Dakota Digital Speedo Gauge on my '21 Sport Glide. I would like to know if anyone is using this gauge and if so, how do you like it? I have used their gauges in the past and I seem to remember there being an issue with them being hard or impossible to read if the sun was behind you. Wondering if this is still a problem.
Because the chicks dig it! Well ok maybe its also to see how fast he is going when he doesn't want to pull up the GPS. Harley used to have 150 mph gauges. Wish they would bring them back.
I am 68 years old and my vision, especially close vision, isn't great. I notice when driving a vehicle that has both digital and analog gauges, I look at the digital gauges. Another thing with the Dakota Digital gauges, you can correct the speedometer without going into the ECM. Not a big thing, I am sure I'll do at least a cam and dyno tune in the future, but that is a feature that adds to a desire to change. I guess I could go to the Harley handlebar clamp speedo. By the time I change out the dash the cost would be about a wash. I have also seen it mentioned that those speedos are hard to read when the sun hit them at certain angles.
I am 68 years old and my vision, especially close vision, isn't great. I notice when driving a vehicle that has both digital and analog gauges, I look at the digital gauges. Another thing with the Dakota Digital gauges, you can correct the speedometer without going into the ECM. Not a big thing, I am sure I'll do at least a cam and dyno tune in the future, but that is a feature that adds to a desire to change. I guess I could go to the Harley handlebar clamp speedo. By the time I change out the dash the cost would be about a wash. I have also seen it mentioned that those speedos are hard to read when the sun hit them at certain angles.
The only reason I would change out the speedo on my Heritage would be due to the fogging issues. I've looked at the Dakota Digital gauges and wasn't crazy about them. First, they would look out of place on a Heritage (or any Harley) in my mind. Second, they don't bring anything to the table really in terms of functionality. In fact you may lose some. I could imagine having readability issues in the right sun. I prefer having the analog speedo (in no case is it unreadable). Overall, they don't look that great to me - not a good looking gauge setup. One thing that always crosses my mind when I look at old classis/historical bikes... would they be diminished if they didn't have their original speedo? I think so. The only upside I could see - no fogging.
My vision isn't what it used to be either. Four-O syndrome. Elvex bifocals work perfectly for me...
Stonecold: Don't try and have a pity party with us. I'll be 76 next month so you have a long way to go.
You did not mention which of the two Digital Dakota speedometer's you are looking at. I recently installed one and you are able to change the colors of everything on the dial individually on the one I got.
I love it. The problem is the shop I bought it at mounted it and chose the colors so on the way home I had Yellow as one of the primary colors. That was hard to see on the Interstate mid day in Florida.
I changed everything but before I tested different colors my wife got Covid. So I sat at home with her for the 2 weeks and at about 10 days I got Covid even though I had the Pfizer shots and booster.
I got a call from the Health Department today saying I was free to escape as of tomorrow. In the next couple of days I will experiment with colors.
I'll attach a picture of the style I bought and if you let me know if this is what you are looking at I will post you over the next couple days if there is a color that stands out the best. I choose it because I wanted the
RPM"S more visible. Something I hated about the stock speedometer and the tiny box at the bottom.
Also the Blue in the picture is not as dark of a Blue in person. If I don't like that in the Sun then I'll try red where the blue is. Either way it beats the stock speedometer.
Ted
I had one on my Fatbob specifically because of the repeated fogging. I did like the asthetics of the OEM gauge much better, but not being able to see what is needed to be seen, made my decision pretty easy. The only ****ling issue I had was every once in a blue moon, the gauge would throw a cel that was easy to clear, and every so often, the colors would reset. Is pretty easy to manage and put back and besides that, very easy to view under all lighting conditions.
Stonecold: Don't try and have a pity party with us. I'll be 76 next month so you have a long way to go.
You did not mention which of the two Digital Dakota speedometer's you are looking at. I recently installed one and you are able to change the colors of everything on the dial individually on the one I got.
I love it. The problem is the shop I bought it at mounted it and chose the colors so on the way home I had Yellow as one of the primary colors. That was hard to see on the Interstate mid day in Florida.
I changed everything but before I tested different colors my wife got Covid. So I sat at home with her for the 2 weeks and at about 10 days I got Covid even though I had the Pfizer shots and booster.
I got a call from the Health Department today saying I was free to escape as of tomorrow. In the next couple of days I will experiment with colors.
I'll attach a picture of the style I bought and if you let me know if this is what you are looking at I will post you over the next couple days if there is a color that stands out the best. I choose it because I wanted the
RPM"S more visible. Something I hated about the stock speedometer and the tiny box at the bottom.
Also the Blue in the picture is not as dark of a Blue in person. If I don't like that in the Sun then I'll try red where the blue is. Either way it beats the stock speedometer.
Ted
If that is the MLX-2011-K, which it appears to be, then that is what I am considering. I'll wait to hear some more feedback from you before ordering, but I am leaning that direction more each day. Glad to hear you are still riding. I hope to be able to keep riding as I age. My health is good so far so it shouldn't be a problem.
Originally Posted by OrangeThunder
I had one on my Fatbob specifically because of the repeated fogging. I did like the asthetics of the OEM gauge much better, but not being able to see what is needed to be seen, made my decision pretty easy. The only ****ling issue I had was every once in a blue moon, the gauge would throw a cel that was easy to clear, and every so often, the colors would reset. Is pretty easy to manage and put back and besides that, very easy to view under all lighting conditions.
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Dakota Digital Speedo
