Instrumentation - digital or analogue?

[-df-]

Needs more options for different combinations. Digital speedo is easier to read, but prefer an analogue rev counter next to it.

+1 on that, I hate digital rev counters like on the 04 ZX10R but love seeing the digital speedo count up

[ArcherWC]

My Aprillia has Analogue Rev Counter and Digital speedo.... Perfect...... :-)

[jim.cox]

What type of speedo/tacho do you prefer on a bike?

All analog - like this....

[vifferman]

I want a digital data display that shows the important information in a mixture of analogue, bar graphs, pie charts, cartoons, various colours, and digits. And by crikey, I'm going to have one! #2 Son and I have one on the drawing boards - stay tuned (same place, same Bat-channel...)

[robertydog]

Ive got the didital speedo and i reckon its a bit easier to maintain the right speed. But i luv the analogue rev counter as which is perfect on the R1

[xwhatsit]

I'm happy with either having had both with cars and bikes.

However, the FXR tell me if I'm wrong but doesn't it have an electronic rev counter that displays a pseudo analogue type picture i.e. its not displaying digits as such? So would we call that digital just coz its being driven digitally?

Nup, it would be an analogue display. People use the word `digital' incorrectly these days -- strictly speaking, digital refers to the use of digits. So instead of a circuit being analogue -- the processes inside the circuit representing the outside inputs proportionally and in the same manner -- the circuit is digital because it represents those inputs in digits (base 2, not decimal, usually, inside an electronic circuit).

Analogue refers to the fact it is an `analogous' representation of the data at hand. FXR150's rev counter is in fact not digital, as the data is not represented in digits but in an analogous fashion to what the engine is doing -- the faster the engine turns, the wider the bar gets on the screen.

Can you believe I had an entire lecture on this nomenclature? Amazing how that bullshit sticks in your head.

[Blairos]

The Bandit has my preferred mix - Analogue RPM, and Digital "everything else"

[Indiana_Jones]

I like analogue but digital is good too, provided they're designed well.

The FXR digital rev counter & speedo work very good. I like it.

Fuel gauge how ever, should be analogue, the FXR is accurate to 1/4 tank which isn't good enough.

yea, the fuel gague is bollocks on the FXR, I just take a peek or tap the side.

-Indy

[phoenixgtr]

yea, the fuel gague is bollocks on the FXR, I just take a peek or tap the side.

-Indy

Mine tells me I've got about 1/4 tank less than I actually have until I've been moving for a while at which point it corrects itself and is pretty accurate.

[megageoff76]

Ive had both and I prefer analouge...I just find it easier to glance at the needle rather than trying to read a number. If its pointing to 9 o'clock it means im doing 100 or there abouts.

[Indiana_Jones]

Mine tells me I've got about 1/4 tank less than I actually have until I've been moving for a while at which point it corrects itself and is pretty accurate.

Yea, I noticed that too. Says u have like 1/4 left, then it goes upto to 1/2 after you've been riding for a few mins

-Indy

[avgas]

I prefer analog everything, but i WILL NOT EVER buy a bike with a digital tacho......its just wrong, like the 80's.

[Quartermile]

Yea, I noticed that too. Says u have like 1/4 left, then it goes upto to 1/2 after you've been riding for a few mins

Yea It's like the tank has to get warmed up.

I've just got a GSXRR250 and that has analouge but I prefer the digital speedo and analouge tacho,

but my FXR's speedo was out so maybe analouge is best.

[rwh]

I've never had a digital speedo or tach, but it seems to me that analogue is much better than digital for glancing at, especially when it's moving fast (ie rapid acceleration). It should also have 100 km/h and redline revs at the top, so they're easy to spot.

I dispute the assumption in point 2 as well - digital is not inherently more accurate than analogue. In fact, it's only accurate when you happen to be doing an integral number of km/h; the rest of the time it's up to 1 km/h out. Analogue will show you those fractions. It may still be wrong, of course, but that's not the fault of the display technology.

Richard

[What?]

Nomenclature aside, I can't see any reason why a digital speedo would be any more accurate than an analogue one - it's all down to calibration (not to mention tyre diameter).
Can't beat analogue gauges for quick-glance reading. I read once (probably ~20 years ago when digital speedo's were a very trick item) that this was the finding of some university study.