Ever since I picked up my Bonneville T100 last fall I wanted to change the gauges. The stock ones just looked too big, and this was really amplified once I switched to the M-bars, bar-end mirrors and smaller indicators.
Went through all the info and pictures on here and finally decided on an Acewell 4453. I wanted a single gauge with a mechanical needle tach. The choices are few that meet this criteria and the I think the Acewell 4453 matches the lines and look of the T100 best, complements the headlight and chrome very nicely.
Onto the install:
The gauge comes with a wire harness of its own and a bracket/arm attached to it. I wanted a clean install that could use the stock wiring connector, so I knew I’d be doing a rewire.
The gauge wires were split up into a number of different connectors, but with the Acewell and T100 wiring diagrams it was pretty easy to match up the wires. I was able to eliminate much of the wiring that came with the gauge and use a single plug to connect to the stock plug in the headlight. The stock wire connector is the Amp/Tyco part #174058-2, and the pins are part #173682-1. I was able to source them from online but had to order 5 of them to meet the minimum order. So I’ve got 4 extra connectors and sets of pins... PM me and I can send you a set for a small price.
I didn’t want to dish out the extra money for the specialized wire crimpers for the pins so just used the pliers/stripper tool I had. It can be done with a little patience and practice. One thing to be careful of is not to over crimp the pins. I did with one and it just cuts into the wire and eventually broke it off. Also, don’t insert the pins into the connector until you are ready as they are near impossible to get out (ruined one connector this way).
Once I had all the wires mapped out it was just a matter of plugging into the connector and voila… we had connectivity and it all worked! At this point I was a bit surprised at myself and delighted that my planning had actually worked out. Acewell has an adaptor (ACE-TA2 Sensor) that plugs into the mechanical speedo gear drive on the front wheel and converts the wheel turns into an electric signal. The stock tack wiring and all other wires just connect directly into the gauge. It has an engine temp gauge that can be connected via a wired oil drain plug or with a sensor into the oil cooler. To do the oil cooler mount you need a newer (than 07) model that has the tapped banjo bolt.
Next I had to mount it to the bike. I wanted a simple mounting plate that could blend into the bike. In comes Seth (D9) with the original idea and bracket concept he did for a similar Acewell gauge. As we all know his work is great and he’s super helpful, but the lead-time was too much for me. So I thought I would tackle it myself. First traced the mounting points of the original gauge bracket onto a ¼” piece of wood and tested out the size/shape of my bracket. The wood one looked good, so on to the aluminum plate. A bit of time with the Dremel and touch-up with the file and I had a nice simple bracket. The bracket just covers the 4 bolt holes on the triple clamp and extends out to meet the gauge. I mounted the gauge arm to the underside of my bracket for a seamless look. It’s bare aluminum right now, which looks ok, but I think I’ll be turning it black soon so that it will blend right into the bike.
The gauge has a number of great features that really stand out for me.
First is the top mounted needle tach; love to see that going as I ride.
You can program your starting mileage into the gauge, no need to run the odometer up to the mileage of your bike.
Has a programmable shift light, big red light at the top of the gauge comes on at your selected RPM (had fun testing this one out)
Volt meter.
Clock
Engine temp and outside temp.
2 trip meters.
Saves max and average readings (speed, rpm, temp) for all time and current trip.
Has an automatic ride timer for while bike is in motion, both for current trip and total time.
Adjustable backlight color (you blend R,G,B as desired)
There are more features as well, but these are what I see myself using. You can find all about the gauge features here
Thanks for reading through all that, now I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Photobucket Link
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Went through all the info and pictures on here and finally decided on an Acewell 4453. I wanted a single gauge with a mechanical needle tach. The choices are few that meet this criteria and the I think the Acewell 4453 matches the lines and look of the T100 best, complements the headlight and chrome very nicely.
Onto the install:
The gauge comes with a wire harness of its own and a bracket/arm attached to it. I wanted a clean install that could use the stock wiring connector, so I knew I’d be doing a rewire.
The gauge wires were split up into a number of different connectors, but with the Acewell and T100 wiring diagrams it was pretty easy to match up the wires. I was able to eliminate much of the wiring that came with the gauge and use a single plug to connect to the stock plug in the headlight. The stock wire connector is the Amp/Tyco part #174058-2, and the pins are part #173682-1. I was able to source them from online but had to order 5 of them to meet the minimum order. So I’ve got 4 extra connectors and sets of pins... PM me and I can send you a set for a small price.
I didn’t want to dish out the extra money for the specialized wire crimpers for the pins so just used the pliers/stripper tool I had. It can be done with a little patience and practice. One thing to be careful of is not to over crimp the pins. I did with one and it just cuts into the wire and eventually broke it off. Also, don’t insert the pins into the connector until you are ready as they are near impossible to get out (ruined one connector this way).
Once I had all the wires mapped out it was just a matter of plugging into the connector and voila… we had connectivity and it all worked! At this point I was a bit surprised at myself and delighted that my planning had actually worked out. Acewell has an adaptor (ACE-TA2 Sensor) that plugs into the mechanical speedo gear drive on the front wheel and converts the wheel turns into an electric signal. The stock tack wiring and all other wires just connect directly into the gauge. It has an engine temp gauge that can be connected via a wired oil drain plug or with a sensor into the oil cooler. To do the oil cooler mount you need a newer (than 07) model that has the tapped banjo bolt.
Next I had to mount it to the bike. I wanted a simple mounting plate that could blend into the bike. In comes Seth (D9) with the original idea and bracket concept he did for a similar Acewell gauge. As we all know his work is great and he’s super helpful, but the lead-time was too much for me. So I thought I would tackle it myself. First traced the mounting points of the original gauge bracket onto a ¼” piece of wood and tested out the size/shape of my bracket. The wood one looked good, so on to the aluminum plate. A bit of time with the Dremel and touch-up with the file and I had a nice simple bracket. The bracket just covers the 4 bolt holes on the triple clamp and extends out to meet the gauge. I mounted the gauge arm to the underside of my bracket for a seamless look. It’s bare aluminum right now, which looks ok, but I think I’ll be turning it black soon so that it will blend right into the bike.
The gauge has a number of great features that really stand out for me.
First is the top mounted needle tach; love to see that going as I ride.
You can program your starting mileage into the gauge, no need to run the odometer up to the mileage of your bike.
Has a programmable shift light, big red light at the top of the gauge comes on at your selected RPM (had fun testing this one out)
Volt meter.
Clock
Engine temp and outside temp.
2 trip meters.
Saves max and average readings (speed, rpm, temp) for all time and current trip.
Has an automatic ride timer for while bike is in motion, both for current trip and total time.
Adjustable backlight color (you blend R,G,B as desired)
There are more features as well, but these are what I see myself using. You can find all about the gauge features here
Thanks for reading through all that, now I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Photobucket Link
