Has anyone tried running without the speedo hooked up? Stealership mechanic say's "I would'nt advise it", which to me is code for "I don't know". I've taken the top cap with speedo housing off and replaced it with a reg. top cap. I do not really want the speedo hanging off the side of the bike and don't really need it aside from the low fuel light which I intend to wire direct to an l.e.d. somewhere. Oh yea, It's an 07 Nightster so yes, Fuel Injected and computer controlled.

 

I have an 09 Iron and have been running without a speedo for 5 months now. What do I care how fast I'm going? I'll get there when I get there. Haven't noticed any "problems". I kinda calculate how far I'm going and check my gas by removing the cap. Lookin' low, fill her up.

 

I'm sure you could get along fine without it. Just keep in my mind that if you get pulled over (and they even notice) you could get a repair order. That's not a big deal though, you would just have to put it on and then get the order signed. In Maryland you typically will only get a repair order, not a ticket.

 

Thanks, I'm reporting back for those interested that it's been running fine for a week with no speedo. I knew that dealership mechanic was a douchebag. I don't think they all are, just that one. Don't tell me, "I don't know, so don't do it."

 

It doesn't sound like the stealership guy was being a douchebag. Its not like he flat out gave you wrong advice. Usually if they tell you not to do something its because they'd like to upsell you something. He just said I wouldn't advise it. As much as I'm not a fan of the stealership I think the guy deserves a bit a slack here.

 

I agree. When is your next oil change? How will you know?

What about fuel? I can't see into my tank unless the light is just right. I depend on the odometer (trip meter).

I can think of a few other reasons to have a speedo.

 

Yeah these are good points, plus when you go to sell or tade the bike in what are you going to say the mileage is? You will not have any idea and the odometer will have lower miles the the bike has. I'm not trying to preach or anything-just giving points. I hate the looks of the gauges on the risers as well, but I guess that's part of having a sporty.

 

Hell with it, speedometer's are over-rated.

I used to run my Jeep w/o a speedometer.
All i had was a tach strapped to the column with one of those three gauge clusters: Volts/Oil Press/Water Temp.

I even got pulled over once and showed the cop the gaping hole in the dash where the speedo should be.
He didn't pull me over for speeding, so he didn't really care.
He pulled me over for 'spinning my tires'... but i explained that with a Detroit Locker it's gonna chirp the tires every time you turn whether you're going 1mph or you're punching it.
He seemed more interested in my motor/tranny combo than writing me a ticket.

 

Dude - remember that mechanics, especially the ones at dealerships cannot tell you to do anything that might void the warrantee, or is illegal, without making themselves libel if anything goes wrong. They've got jobs that they would really like to keep. And if they are a certified mechanic, they risk losing that certification by advising illegal modifications. Just think about that the next time one says "I wouldn't advise it." They're covering their backside.

 

The computer stores that info I thought. The odometer is just a display.