General Harley Davidson Chat Forum to discuss general Harley Davidson issues, topics, and experiences.
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Speedometer Accuracy...

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 07:35 PM
  #1  
Motorbones's Avatar
Motorbones
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 848
Likes: 0
From: Fair Oaks, Caliphornia
Default Speedometer Accuracy...

When I owned my Meric, the bike had a notorious reputation of being as much as 10% off on speedometer accuracy (which was high... go figure). Of course there were multiple postings on the subject including the two ways to correct it. The first was to install a Speedohealer (correction device) to to upgrade the front pulley to what was called an overdrive pulley from Scootworks. I installed the pulley and speedometer came to within 1% accuracy when checked against two different GPS devices.

I noticed the speedometer on my FLHR is about 2-4% high and I haven't checked the odometer yet. Has anyone else out there who uses a GPS found their speedometer to be off and if so did you do anything to correct the situation? Personally I don't think mine is off enough for me to star messing around with things. (Just another one of those winter discussions).....
.
.
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 07:58 PM
  #2  
dawg's Avatar
dawg
Seasoned HDF Member
Shutterbug
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 28,552
Likes: 3,954
From: Vermont
Default

My speedo is about 3mph different from my GPS
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 08:13 PM
  #3  
bwana1's Avatar
bwana1
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,727
Likes: 11
From: TN
Default

I "think" all speedos are universally set to read ~ 5% high. It's a liability thing with the manufacturer whether it is a car, truck, or bike. They make the error on the safe side.

Bwana
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 08:28 PM
  #4  
DGDyna's Avatar
DGDyna
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 463
Likes: 2
From: Buffalo, NY
Default

I taped my Garmin eTrex to my bars and it was about 1 mph higher at 60 mph. It was hard to keep my bike at an exact speed long enough.
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 08:41 PM
  #5  
mcain49's Avatar
mcain49
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 943
Likes: 41
Default

Originally Posted by bwana1
I "think" all speedos are universally set to read ~ 5% high. It's a liability thing with the manufacturer whether it is a car, truck, or bike. They make the error on the safe side.

Bwana
That sounds logical. A "lawyer speedometer". My old shovelhead FLH says "certified" at the bottom of the gauge but I haven't checked it with the GPS. My newer Ultra does not say "certified". Seems to be accurate though. When I'm on the interstate going 70 I'm keeping pace with other traffic. Sounds like a good project for this weekend to check speedometers if it warms up a little and stops raining.
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 08:42 PM
  #6  
Gonzy's Avatar
Gonzy
Gonzy
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,141
Likes: 7
From: Foggy Coastside California
Default

I just had my speedo replaced,I estimated it was off about 3%. When I was with my riding buddies my odometer would always be around 10-15 miles higher even though we all took the exact same route. Of the 3 of us, their 2 odometers would be within a mile of each other and mine would be way off. Also when I would check it against a radar control speed signs, my speedometer would read about 5 mph higher than the sign. So I went to the dealer they agreed with me and ordered a new one for me under warranty. While I was at I asked them if they could upgrade the speedo for me. I chose this one, it cost me a whopping $31.64

http://www.harley-davidson.com/gma/g...bmLocale=en_US

If yours is that far off and if you are under warranty, I would have it replaced if I were you.
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 09:10 PM
  #7  
Motorbones's Avatar
Motorbones
Thread Starter
|
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 848
Likes: 0
From: Fair Oaks, Caliphornia
Default

Yeah, I'll have to do a more thorough check on it this coming weekend (good excuse for a ride). The Japanese dealers would tell you if it's within 10%, that's acceptable to federal highway standards. If they do have to swap it out, I may try to do the upgrade as well. As for all vehicles being set that way deliberately, both my Malibu and Silverado are pretty much dead on with the speedometer and odometer.
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 09:10 PM
  #8  
1skrewsloose's Avatar
1skrewsloose
Stellar HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,936
Likes: 20
From: Driftless Area
Default

At our local county fair time they park a mobile speed checker on the main road so you can see your speed, on my bike or car or truck, even tho my speedo read under the limit, the mobile checker said I was over the limit. Just a ploy to get everyone to slow down? I would think gps would be the most accurate, don't have one, but looking to get one. maybe I should elaborate, one of those trailered units, that posts," your speed is"
 

Last edited by 1skrewsloose; Jan 19, 2011 at 09:13 PM.
HD Forum Stories

The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders

story-0

7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 09:19 PM
  #9  
TheSter's Avatar
TheSter
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Default

I have a group of friends that ride touring bikes and we found out that the speedometers were reading to high. Above 65 mph the speedo starts to read higher than it should. When we were running 75mph down the interstate the speedo read 81mph and that was on most of the bikes compared to three GPS's. With a speed limit of 75, we now run 81mph on our speedo.
 
Old Jan 19, 2011 | 09:31 PM
  #10  
BassCatcher's Avatar
BassCatcher
Grand HDF Member
15 Year Member
Liked
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,626
Likes: 98
From: Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Default

My garmin and my speedo are just about 2-3 mph off each other. I have always assumed the garmin to be the most accurate.
 



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:54 AM.

story-0
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson built its reputation on nostalgia, but every so often, the company took a hard left turn into the future.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-20 11:18:19


VIEW MORE
story-1
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles

Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-29 16:50:35


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: Not every Harley gets it right, but these are the ones that genuinely earned their reputation.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-15 14:23:21


VIEW MORE
story-3
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever

Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-01 20:01:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In

Slideshow: Killer Custom's "Jail Breaker" build focuses more on stance and visual aggression than mechanical overhaul.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-18 19:20:32


VIEW MORE
story-5
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?

Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-07 16:15:30


VIEW MORE
story-6
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's new RMCR concept revives the café racer formula with modern hardware-and it may be exactly the reset the company needs.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-04 12:23:37


VIEW MORE
story-7
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II

Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-02-24 18:19:44


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There is no shortage of great motorcycles to buy, but we would avoid these ten.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-02-19 14:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026

Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-13 18:33:17


VIEW MORE