Compass on your bike?
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 280
Likes: 10
From: Knoxville, TN
I guess you misunderstood. I asking about it for my own use. I didn't mean I wanted you to mount one on your bike.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,865
Likes: 168
From: Potsdam, NY
Compasses used on boats or airplanes are very expensive and have compensating magnets that must be calibrated to compensate for metal objects like the engine. Given 1) a bike is made with lots of steel, and I don't think HD has a demagnetization process at the factory, 2) cheap compasses don't have compensating magnets to calibrate out magnetic deviation 3) declination (difference between north pole and magnetic north pole can be close to 20 degrees in some areas of north America like the east coast 4) it's pretty hard to attach it to something where it is not near something metal - It's unlikely your compass will be much more accurate than +/- 45 degrees of true north. Declination is constant, for a given geographic position, but magnetic deviation varies with direction and compass itself.
Last edited by fat_tony; Sep 26, 2010 at 07:42 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 510
Likes: 12
From: Arizona
Compasses used on boats or airplanes are very expensive and have compensating magnets that must be calibrated to compensate for metal objects like the engine. Given 1) a bike is made with lots of steel, and I don't think HD has a demagnetization process at the factory, 2) cheap compasses don't have compensating magnets to calibrate out magnetic deviation 3) declination (difference between north pole and magnetic north pole can be close to 20 degrees in some areas of north America like the east coast 4) it's pretty hard to attach it to something where it is not near something metal - It's unlikely your compass will be much more accurate than +/- 45 degrees of true north.
Tony,
But they used to be an option on E-glides not that long ago, I have one sitting on my desk that was intended to replace the air temp gauge on a 'glide. So those were not compensated?
To the OP,
sometimes you have to go through a lot of crap to get a straight answer, lol, specially during bad weather, when everybody is on the forum instead of riding.
Regards,
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 510
Likes: 12
From: Arizona
Check here
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Marli...Q5fAccessories
and here
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=har....c0.m270.l1313
The Harley ones have kinda a bad reputation, lol. You would be better off using a cheap GPS velcro mounted to your tank, or something like that. They have a better compass that doesn't get trown out of whack by the electronics in your bike. (at least my Garmin doesn't)
Regards,
Last edited by TooEasy; Sep 26, 2010 at 05:59 PM.
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Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 280
Likes: 10
From: Knoxville, TN
I didn't think about the GPS. My wife and I had been riding some very curvy roads for a couple of hours last Sunday & and I had no idea which direction home was (without backtracking). I thought it would be nice to have a compass, just to get a general idea of the direction I was going.
I already have a GPS, so I guess I'll start carrying it with me.
Thanks for the idea.
I already have a GPS, so I guess I'll start carrying it with me.
Thanks for the idea.