All's well that ends acewell

[gspd]

Ordered one of these:
https://www.acewell.co.uk/Acewell%20Spe ... ull&id=305
It does everything except wash the dishes.
Just wondering if anybody has tried one of these or has any positive or negative input.
It eliminates the speedo cable by using an electronic sensor that fits into the speedo cable transmission hole.
I ordered the metric(km) version (not shown).

[Kurt in S.A.]

Search the forum for "Acewell". Has been discussed before.

Kurt in S.A.

[Zombie Master]

Looks Great I wonder if you have to press a button to get RPMS?

[gspd]

Couldn't find any recent discussions anywhere...so I ordered it.
Nothing else to do. Kinda bored.
It has a ton of functions, but I already have separate 52mm VDO tach, clock, oil pressure, ambient temp, and voltmeter so I won't use most of the functions, but redundancy is great for comparison..
You toggle between functions with the 2 buttons on the speedometer. There is a remote handlebar mount switch available but I didn't order it. no need.
2 trip meters will be great though, my stock speedo only has only one.

You set the speed by programming in tire circumference. This can be done by extremely small increments until you get it to display the same speed as your GPS at 100km/h; then it's set and supposedly very accurate throughout its entire range.
Not sure if this can be done on the fly, or if you have to come to a stop.

I inquired about the warranty and Craig at Acewell UK replied : "Warranty is 12 months return to factory officially, but we have pretty much fixed every speedo that has failed in the past 11 years free of charge. "

[Zombie Master]

Let us know how it works out!

[Zombie Master]

$ SPEED.jpeg (61.57 KiB) Viewed 1559 times

[gspd]

Well...the Acewell speedometer idea isn't panning out.
The red/blue/green illumination is only for the small LCD display, not the complete faceplate, so it won't fit in with the rest of my instrument panel.
Luckily, they have a no hassle return policy.

I'm looking at https://www.speedhut.com/gauges/ and will keep you posted with any developments

[Airbear]

I've been using a Speedhut GPS speedo for around 4 years. I like it a lot, but there are a couple of issues you should know about. They are not waterproof as purchased though you can ask Speedhut to seal the top glass (plastic). I sealed my own with carefully applied silicone but the real problem is that the hole in the back where the wires exit allows humid air to enter and condense on the glass. Apparently the trick is to make sure the contained air is very, very dry - by gentle heating in a warm oven, f'rinstance - and sealing up the hole with silicone. I haven't done this yet but it's on the list.

The other issue is the waiting time for the gadget to find sufficient satellites. You can't just start the bike and ride off after fuelling up, for instance, and when riding in the mountains it can take a minute or more for it to indicate successful startup. If you ride off before it starts you may not have a speed reading for quite a few kms, particularly in canyon situations. One of the wires is red with black stripe and if this is connected to an always hot 12V the speedo will remember the latest satellite positions and give a quicker startup time.

When ordering, it's important to figure out the length of the antenna cable you need. If you don't specify a length you'll get 1.5 metres. The antenna has a magnetic base and its top should have a good view of the sky, unimpeded by metal. I have mine glued to the inside top of the headlight bucket, which is printed from ABS plastic. No problem there.

And by the way, when first starting up after installation there is a method for inputting your accumulated odometer reading. It's in the (rather disappointing) documentation.

[gspd]

Thanks Airbear -
I had concerns about GPS speedometers, basically all the stuff you mentioned.
Sounds like a PITA.
Not that interested in getting one now.

I might still switch to an electronic speedo though, no cable, just a sensor in the transmission speedo cable hole that sends pulses to a programable speedometer. These sensors are readily available for our transmissions.
I'm not in a rush to replace my speedometer, but seeing as OE units are NLA, I'm sizing up my options.

Speedhut units are sold as "NOT WATERPROOF"; Let's face it, they are made for inside a car, not outside of a motorcycle.
Maybe I'll rule them out too. I was thinking they meant "DO NOT SUBMERGE" but they really mean "KEEP IN A DRY PLACE".

As far as sealing it up goes...You can't seal it 100%, it has to breathe.
Heat when parking under a hot sun will cause pressure (air expands) the same way a cold mountain night will cause a vacuum (air contracts) inside a sealed container. That's why our OE speedometers have a small vent hole with fine mesh in the back of the housing. This hole is to permit the air inside the unit to remain at atmospheric pressure regardless of ambient temperature without letting water (humidity) in. Maybe something similar could be incorporated into your Speedhut.
I think LED illumination exacerbates this problem because LEDs produce minimal heat with its ensuing evaporation.
I noticed that some of my (now LED illuminated) gauges still get a bit foggy inside on those cold wet maritime mornings, but now it persists longer than when they had 3W incandescent bulbs in them. A few hours of sun and wind cures them.

[gspd]

Question for Airbear, or anybody else that uses a GPS speedometer..

After the initial startup delay, once everything is up and running, do you ever lose the GPS signal?
Rachel @ Speedhut says : "Only time you will lose signal is when your going thru tunnel".
Is this true?

They also say hooking up the red/black wire will practically eliminate the start up delay you mentioned. Why have you not done this? Power draw? Maybe a switch to only turn it off when not riding for long periods?