SV1000S Speedo accuracy

[sinned]

I suspect the speedo on the SV1000SK6 may be reading high by about 10kph at 100kph. When I drive along the Wellington Sthn MW in the car most traffic is flowing at 100ks some doing 108ks but on the bike the slow lane traffic is flowing at up to 110 and many others are driving at 115. Last week two cop cars in convoy were travelling at about 105 and other traffic was flowing with them. I have checked the car with a Navman GPS and the Ford XR6 speedo reads 3kph high at 100ks. I have yet to fiqure out how to fit the GPS to the bike for a check of the bike speedo.

Has anyone checked the SV1000 or other Suzuki Speedos? I don't like going slower than the flow of traffic but would like to know when in ticketing speed.

[Blackbird]

That's a pretty similar error to most bikes. You can get a commercial electronic correction device but I don't know the details. Some of the other KB'ers have them so no doubt you'll get a response soon.

[Cajun]

on average suzuki speedos have an 8-10% error (read high)

Check with a gps, or if ya know a cop with his radar gun.

If worrys you that much get a speedohealer to correct it, i have done this (i also did -1/+2 with sprockets) mine is now with in 1km/h at 100km/h

[WRT]

Cant help with Wellington, but in Aucks there are several speed readouts on Mt Albert Road, trundle along there with a clear space in front and see what it picks your speed up as. Note I'm not recommending trying to see how it reads at 100kph, just go for 50 and double it to get your margin of error.

[Pixie]

Fit a cycle computer

[TLDV8]

I have checked the car with a Navman GPS and the Ford XR6 speedo reads 3kph high at 100ks. I have yet to fiqure out how to fit the GPS to the bike for a check of the bike speedo.

Get someone to pace you in the XR6 ?

I have a couple of teeth up on the rear and use it as a buffer as far as speed,even then i think it would be less than 10% out.. SV and TL have the same system with a hall effect sensor reading off the output shaft.

[Morepower]

I used the ACC trailer "your speed is " to test the TL its 99kmh actual at 100 so real close , assuming the trailer thingy is accurate , the SVs seem to have a little extra error , perhaps up to 5kmh

[Forest]

Cant help with Wellington, but in Aucks there are several speed readouts on Mt Albert Road, trundle along there with a clear space in front and see what it picks your speed up as. Note I'm not recommending trying to see how it reads at 100kph, just go for 50 and double it to get your margin of error.

If it is anything like the ones I have seen, at speeds over 59km/h it will simply read "SLOW DOWN".

[Pex Adams]

When I got my speeding ticket I saw on the speedo 132, when he showed me the speed he got me at, it read 124...

Moral of the story - I'm glad its out:third:

[WRT]

If it is anything like the ones I have seen, at speeds over 59km/h it will simply read "SLOW DOWN".

Ah, perfect, so what your are saying is that my suggestion of "just go for 50 and double it to get your margin of error" will only fail if his speedo is out by nearly 20%.

[Silage]

Has anyone checked the SV1000 or other Suzuki Speedos?

Dennis, there was short thread relating to this a while back (here) in which I commented that my GS was almost 10% over-reading. Seems that it is quite common for m'bikes to be reading high.

GPS appear to be quite an accurate way to assess what a speedo is doing. Is your Navman hardwired into your car. I just used a Garmin handheld (strapped to the bike).

[Pumba]

To reserect a old threard.

Just come back from my easter trip and found this to be the case in my SV as well, has anyone fitted on of these speedohealers (http://www.speedohealer.com/eng/intro.htm) on there bike and are they worth it?

[Cajun]

i have fitted a speedohealer to my bike

by using 8% error, + sprocket changed, i have adjusted my speedo to be with in 1km/h at 100km/h using a gps attached to bike

[vifferman]

Why spend all that money? I bought a "Speedo Corrector (http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=KC5435&CATID=25&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=347)" from Jaycar Electronics - does the same thing, but much cheaper.

It was pretty simple to put together, and easy to hook up once I worked out which wires to hook it into. It's now mounted under one of my inner fairing panels with 3M stuff (can't remember the name of it).

I bought mine not because the speedo was inaccurate, but because I lowered the gearing AND the speedo was off. I didn't worry about absolute accuracy, as my speedo's hard to read anyway, and 10km/h is about 4 or 5mm of needle movement. What I did is find out how inaccurate the VFR's speedos were, on average, added in the ~6% the new sprocket contributed to that, then adjusted the dials to give 12% adjustment. If I ever fit my standard sprocket back, then it's a quick click of the dials and it's accurate once more.

The odometer now reads low, but it makes up for the period when it was over-reading.

[Bnonn]

I know a few people in the US who have used Speedohealers on their FZ6s, which are about 10% high stock (I know they're used widely but FZ6s are my area of knowledge). They are pretty good, and I plan to get one myself at some stage, since I'd like to do a sprocket and chain conversion, and once that's done the speedo is high by a ridiculous amount. That Speedo Corrector looks like a much cheaper option, though. Does it come with a cover? Not all bikes are faired...

[T.I.E]

my speedo could be out that much bugger.
wonder what it is doing at higher speeds? i really am slow.

[Cajun]

TIE, suzuki speedos read low. from somewhere been 6-8% most gsxr seam to be 8% end

[Devil]

My speedo runs off the front wheel so when my new rear sprocket turns up I dont have to do anything. yay.

[imdying]

Why spend all that money? I bought a "Speedo Corrector (http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productView.asp?ID=KC5435&CATID=25&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=347)" from Jaycar Electronics - does the same thing, but much cheaper.
What he said! Just fitted a 42 tooth rear to my SV... pretty sure I wasn't doing 245 on it the other day!

[Jantar]

The VStrom speedo reads high by around 8%. So when I chaged the sprockets, I also fitted a speedohealer. It was very easy to fit and to calibrate. So now the speedo is exact at 100 kmh while the odometer is low by 7.6%.

At other speeds though the speedo is still out.

Indicated 50 kmh - actual 51.3 kmh
Indicated 100 kmh - actual 100 kmh
Indicated 130 kmh - actual 128 kmh
Indicated 185 kmh - actual 177 kmh

[vifferman]

That Speedo Corrector looks like a much cheaper option, though. Does it come with a cover? Not all bikes are faired...
The case isn't included, so you just buy the one you want (plastic or metal) for the board to go in. I think I used the recommended one (UB5 or summat), which is pretty watertight, except for the hole where the wires go through. I just used heaps of silicon around them, but if you used a round cable, Jaycar sell self-sealing glands in a variety of sizes.
If you plan on changing gearing frequently, you could also drill holes in the case above the setting dials and put removable rubber plugs in, so you can change the settings without opening the case.

[Pumba]

The speedo Corrector from Jaycar looks lie a cheaper option, but may involve more dicking around, bearing in mind electric things are by no means my specialty.

My main concern is not so much speed but the odomeeter reading, rather than that reading 6 - 8% high I would like it to read true, particulary as it has the posibility to effect resale values

[Bnonn]

My main concern is not so much speed but the odomeeter reading, rather than that reading 6 - 8% high I would like it to read true, particulary as it has the posibility to effect resale values
From what I've read on SBN, the odometer is strangely dissociated from the speedo error. I don't know about other bikes, but for mine the odometer is actually accurate even though the speedo is 10% high, and that doesn't change if you use a speedohealer.

[toxteth_ogrady]

I found V-Strom 1000 was reading 120kph when I swear traffic was at 100kph on southern m/way. Same bike as your SV (ish). the only way to check is to strap on a hand held GPS.

[Pumba]

From what I've read on SBN, the odometer is strangely dissociated from the speedo error. I don't know about other bikes, but for mine the odometer is actually accurate even though the speedo is 10% high, and that doesn't change if you use a speedohealer.

Interesting, I just assumed they would all be one unit.

[imdying]

I found V-Strom 1000 was reading 120kph when I swear traffic was at 100kph on southern m/way. Same bike as your SV (ish). the only way to check is to strap on a hand held GPS.Mmmmm, I do wonder how accurate a hand held GPS unit is, and what the error % is, especially at say 100km/hr.

[slopster]

From what I've read on SBN, the odometer is strangely dissociated from the speedo error. I don't know about other bikes, but for mine the odometer is actually accurate even though the speedo is 10% high, and that doesn't change if you use a speedohealer.

Generally the odometer is accurate and the speedo is conservative to help keep you out of trouble. Correcting the speedo will make the odometer read a little low but whats 5% on the odometer. You cant make them both accurate.

Jaycar doesn't sell those speedo correctors anymore they sell another version. I brought one but after spending a whole afternoon building it just to make sure I built it right it still wouldn't work. It does all the appropriate flashing on the LED but won't work and I tryed all the different settings. Maybe its a gsxr thing

[Storm]

And if, like me, you have a front wheel driven cable speedo?
Am I SOL for correction?
I dont think my 350 single is breaking the sound barrier, but would like to know exactly whats up, as a mates 2000 RGV150 was out by 30-35 km/h at 100km/h!!!

[slopster]

Mmmmm, I do wonder how accurate a hand held GPS unit is, and what the error % is, especially at say 100km/hr.

A gps with a good signal will be pretty much dead accurate but has up to about 2 seconds of lag so you need to keep a constant speed while testing. If you lose the signal then get it back it sometimes thinks your doing 500kmh or something silly like that.

[imdying]

A gps with a good signal will be pretty much dead accurate but has up to about 2 seconds of lag so you need to keep a constant speed while testing. If you lose the signal then get it back it sometimes thinks your doing 500kmh or something silly like that.Mmmmm... I do wonder. I know nothing on the topic, but I do know that everything has a tolerance factor. I wonder if there are any reviews on the net where people have measured different devices against each other...

[Bnonn]

Mmmmm... I do wonder. I know nothing on the topic, but I do know that everything has a tolerance factor. I wonder if there are any reviews on the net where people have measured different devices against each other...
There are a couple of fairly lengthy threads over at SBN on speedo accuracy, which include the same basic question. The consensus is that GPS, provided you are doing a constant speed on a flat straight, is bloody accurate. More accurate than a radar gun, which has a +/- 5% error, iirc. I think GPS is like 2% or less (it probably depends on how far you go and how constant you keep your speed).

In other words, you're never going to know exactly how fast you're going, but GPS is the closest to exact you can get. Obviously the more satellites you have linked in, the better.