Speedometer is off

[GJJ]

I have a 2001 Sprint ST that I bought about a month ago and I'm in the phase of getting used to it and all it's ideosyncracies. One area that really kind of bugs me is that the speedometer reads about 4 miles slower than the actual speed (according to my GPS). Can the speedometer be recalibrated? If so how do you do this?

GJJ

[CYNCRZR]

Yours is Slower ? Historically all Triumphs are at least 10% fast. My Thurxton is consistantly 10% fast, and my '03 Sprint is between 10 - 12% fast.

Yours is the first I've ever heard that read slow, might wanna check your GPS against something known.

[GJJ]

You are correct, I have miss stated. If the speedometer reads 55 mph I am traveling at 51 mph on my GPS.

GJJ

[TheNomad]

Every motorcycle I have ever owned (a bunch) always had "optimistic" speedometers. Seems to be a universal thing (manufacturers trying to save us from ourselves?).

In any case I had a device called a Speedohealer on my FZ1 that worked very well. They have one for Triumph STs. The only thing is that it's not Plug and Play like the ones for the Japanese bikes. For the Triumph you have to get the universal model and splice it in.

Check it out here: http://www.speedohealer.com

MD

[steventhechef]

Hi GJJ and welcome to the forum. They are all the same with the low reading!! You just need to compensate by going 10% faster.

For such a great bike, the speedo thing is a small niggle!! Ride it like you stole it!

[RexxyPup]

A word of caution,

As far as DEcosse and I can work out at the moment, the signal for the odometer and speedo is s single signal from ECU to instrument. It is inside the instrument that the signal is split. On my ST my speedo is 10% over reading, but on a 100 mile trip my Odometer was less than 0.1% over. As my bike is serviced to those miles, and is valued by the miles, I decided not to adjust the signal up. This would increase your apparent miles and cost in resell and servicing.

Unless of course someone with a wiring diagram can trace two signals from the ECU to the speedo and tell me which one is the one to modify!

Alternatively, if anyone has a dead speedo they would be willing to let me cut up in the interests of science!

Rexx

[DaveM]

Hi GJJ,
the guys have this well covered already my 2004 955i Sprint is the same as yours in reading over.

CYNCRZR is right on.

As a matter of interest my work vehicle is an SUV, a Ford Territory Ghia and when I use a Tom Tom as a speed check my Territory speedo also reads over by about 6kph at 110kph.

My Toyota Altise however is accurate to within 1kph at any speed.

Just a Triumph quirk.

We here call it "CHARACTER".............at least our clutch doesn't sound like a bucket of bolts!

DaveM

[whoosh]

You guys maybe interested to hear that in the UK speedometers may legally read up to 10% faster than actual speed but may not read any amount slower.

From mine and others experiences
Honda bike - +8% optimistic
Honda car - +2% very close
Mazda car - +2% very close
GM/Vauxhall car - +5% fair
Ford car +7% fairish
Aprilia - +2% very close
Ducati - +2% very close
Kawasaki - +10% Mickey Mouse Ha Ha optimistic
Triumph - not sure yet but seems OK

Remember as well that if you are checking against a GPS you not only need a straight road, it needs to be perfectly level too :-)

On a final not my current car has GPS but can not display actual speed at all - as it would potentially conflict with the speedo reading !

[DaveM]

Hi Woosh good point.

We have a bit of flat and straight here but I avoid all that when mounted on my Sprint!

DaveM

[RexxyPup]

I'm fairly sure that the SatNavs work the speed out in 3D. I think I remember reading this somewhere when I questioned Triumph's warranty department about the inaccuracy compared to the SatNav and they fed me the same line.

Certainly my SatNav trip and Bike Odo agree with eachother to within 0.1%.

As the thing reports height as well as all the other things, the calculation for speed is not much more complex in 3D.

I'll see what I can find

Rexx