+1 for the new Smiths Electronic Gauges

Status
Not open for further replies.
If you fit electronic gauges to a Commando, what you really need is a modern bike. It is very rare these days to see a classic bike which is correct in every detail. A few years ago, I saw a Thruxton Velocette at Phillip Island which was nut and bolt perfect. It made me feel good to see it in that condition and I don't even like Velocettes. The beauty of a perfect classic bike, is that young people can see what they actually were when they were new. Would you paint a moustache on the Mona Lisa ?
 
In Australia, we have several bikes in historic racing which have Scitsu tachometers fitted to them. It solves a problem, but would you do that to a close to original Manx ? There is even one two-stroke which has a full go-kart engine management system fitted to it, with the gauges on the top yoke. To anyone who knows what they are looking at, it is a piece of shit. Yet the game is supposed to be HISTORIC racing. I had to laugh - a few years ago I came across four old guys at Winton who had perfectly restored road bikes. One of them told me they'd had a look at the 'historic racers' and were simply horrified. It is just a bloody joke - there is no attempt at achieving authenticity.
I am not a purist, but at least I try to make my bike look like something which actually existed back in the era.
 
acotrel said:
If you fit electronic gauges to a Commando, what you really need is a modern bike. It is very rare these days to see a classic bike which is correct in every detail. A few years ago, I saw a Thruxton Velocette at Phillip Island which was nut and bolt perfect. It made me feel good to see it in that condition and I don't even like Velocettes. The beauty of a perfect classic bike, is that young people can see what they actually were when they were new. Would you paint a moustache on the Mona Lisa ?
Click to expand...
If that mustache actually improved Mona - then I'd say go for it.
My motorcycles/sportscars get configured to please me - go ahead and do whatever pleases you.
 
acotrel
I suppose replica Seeley frames, modern fuels, paints, oils, ignitions, chains, non original engine and transmission internals, tyres and tubes etc are perfectly OK in vintage racing...
I,m with Dutch, and do as I choose to get my vehicles how I want them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"Tom Kullen does a neat kit using old speedo drive housing with guts removed and magnetic internals fitted."

+1 on Tom's kit, have had one on my ES2 for a year or few. V Nice. And even i could do the conversion.
 
1up3down said:
I have long hated the speedo rear wheel drive unit and cable set up as being very dangerous.
Back in the early 70's I was riding behind a friend on his Commando when the cable became loose from the drive and got caught in the rear wheel spokes, my friend went down with severe injuries.
I immediately removed my own speedo drive and cable and rode for decades with no speedo until the new electronic gauges came out a couple years ago and fitted both speedo and tach, so nice and smooth.
Click to expand...
I had the speedometer cable pull out of the rear wheel drive and my rear tire rolled over it, damn near pulled the bars out of my hands. Got a new one and it did the same thing!
Did some checking and they were supplied by Barnetts, went back to the shop that I got it from and showed them that they had a problem by pulling the end off at the counter with little difficulty. Went back to cables from AN, never had a problem since.
John in Texas
 
Eddie/Tom - thanks, I contacted Tom through the website and will be purchasing the kit that removes the guts of the speedo/installs the sensor inside.
 
OOPS... Sadly, Tom is out of stock on the speedo gear kit. :( He's working on getting more made up but he said it would be at least a month 'till any are ready. We'll be driving to Mexico the first week of Dec - before they will be ready so when I get down there I'll install the sensor that came with the speedo/plugs into the speedo gear.

Even though the speedo gear is working fine, I guess I'll remove/clean/reassemble/re-lube it to ensure no problems. I plan to order the speedo drive kit when we are back in the US in March...though I won't be back to the Norton (Mexico) again until next December.
 
Hello,

I also want to get rid of my speedo gearbox at the rear wheel and put a electronic smiths speedo on my Commando.

so my question: when i take the speedo gearbox off do i have to keep the spacer [NM13270]?

How did you do it?
or have you put a solid spacer in with the same depth/length [hope you get me with my autrian english :)] as NM13270?

Do you guys have some pix from the reed sensor and magnet assembly?

have a nice day, chris
 
Chris, I can't help with your specific questions, not having installed anything yet but, FWIW, I decided NOT to go with the reed sensor/magnet assembly. The reason for my decision was based on the website's info which stated that the reed sensor/magnet was not accurate at low speeds on a 19" wheel because of the length of time it takes the wheel to rotate around and the magnet to again pass the sensor. Admittedly, that inaccuracy allegedly occurs at speeds below 15-20 mph which probably doesn't matter at all in the real world. I just don't like the concept of buying something that doesn't really work like it is supposed to work. To be fair, the site says you can buy an additional kit - or maybe it's just an additional magnet, I can't recall - and that will resolve the issue.

In any case I decided on the speedo gear kit which retains the housing but removes the gears from it. That keeps the stock appearance - if that's important. It also means I don't have to come up with spacers to replace the Speedo gear. Not that that's a big deal - some washers will do that! :)
 
MexicoMike said:
Chris, I can't help with your specific questions, not having installed anything yet but, FWIW, I decided NOT to go with the reed sensor/magnet assembly. The reason for my decision was based on the website's info which stated that the reed sensor/magnet was not accurate at low speeds on a 19" wheel because of the length of time it takes the wheel to rotate around and the magnet to again pass the sensor.
Click to expand...

Not true and not sure why that is posted on the site. I have a single magnet on the hub (18" wheel) and accuracy at low speed is fine.
You also have the option to put on multiple magnets for improved accuracy (19" wheel?) and just adjust the setup of the speedo to compensate for multiple pulses per revolution.
 
Chris Zet said:
Hello,

I also want to get rid of my speedo gearbox at the rear wheel and put a electronic smiths speedo on my Commando.
so my question: when i take the speedo gearbox off do i have to keep the spacer [NM13270]?
How did you do it?
or have you put a solid spacer in with the same depth/length [hope you get me with my autrian english :)] as NM13270?
Do you guys have some pix from the reed sensor and magnet assembly?
have a nice day, chris
Click to expand...

Not a big deal - See this thread for pics
https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/speedo-drive-delete.26413/#post-394830
 
That was indeed interesting, Thanks.
Did you generate a drawing of the custom-machined part?
 
I will send the drawing to you via PM.
Note: it is only about 200 km on my bike. More testing next year. So use at your own risk.
 
Installed my Smith's e-gauges today...well, that is, I tried to install them but some minor parts that I need are not included in the gauges. The screws that stick out of the back of the gauges are too short to reach the holes in the "cups" that hold the gauges. My original speedo has screws long enough to reach; the original tach has two "extenders" that screw onto the gauge screws and reach the cup holes. No extenders were supplied for either of the gauges and the extenders that are on the OEM speedo won't fit the screws on the new E-gauge because they are a different thread! It's a niggling thing but annoying. I'll have to go out tomorrow and see if I can locate some extenders that will work. If I was in the US, I'd go down the street to Lowes. But I'm not... ;)
 
MexicoMike said:
Installed my Smith's e-gauges today...well, that is, I tried to install them but some minor parts that I need are not included in the gauges. The screws that stick out of the back of the gauges are too short to reach the holes in the "cups" that hold the gauges. My original speedo has screws long enough to reach; the original tach has two "extenders" that screw onto the gauge screws and reach the cup holes. No extenders were supplied for either of the gauges and the extenders that are on the OEM speedo won't fit the screws on the new E-gauge because they are a different thread! It's a niggling thing but annoying. I'll have to go out tomorrow and see if I can locate some extenders that will work. If I was in the US, I'd go down the street to Lowes. But I'm not... ;)
Click to expand...

This sort of thing drives me crazy, as though they are determined to prove they never bothered to actually fit them to a real machine. Nice beginning, eh?
 
I hadn't noticed any other complaints about this issue in posts re the Smiths E-gauges so MAYBE I just happened to get a set that, due to a packaging error, did not have the extenders in the boxes...maybe. ;) Also, the tach box has a small resistor taped to the inside of the lid. No mention in any of the instructions of the need for a resistor so I have no clue why it is there or where to insert it circuit-wise. I'll send an email asking about the resistor and mentioning that without any extenders, there is no way to attach the gauges to the cups without going to the hardware store. And YES, it is annoying as heck to run into this kind of stuff. Sure, it's nothing major and fairly easily resolved but it shouldn't be required - especially since these gauges are not inexpensive parts... ;)
 
MexicoMike said:
No extenders were supplied for either of the gauges and the extenders that are on the OEM speedo won't fit the screws on the new E-gauge because they are a different thread!
Click to expand...

McMaster-Carr sells quite a variety of Male-Female threaded standoffs:
https://www.mcmaster.com/standard-threaded-standoffs

I assume that these new gauges use a metric thread. Halfway down the page of Male-Female standoffs shows the metric sizes and maybe there is a size there that you can use.

Peter Joe
 
Thanks Peter Joe, they are what I need but being in Mexico ordering is...well to use a word I've been criticized for - sketchy! I learned early on not to order things to be shipped here because either I was never going to see the item or the price would be nearly double when they added duty. A $32 small electronic thingy I ordered was available for me to pick up at the local DHL but I had to pay another $25 for duty. I just told them to send it back. ;)

I'm sure they have those things here somewhere but probably not at any local hardware stores. There is a place that ONLY sells nuts/bolts/screws and they may have them...I hope.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

MS850
  • Locked
Smiths Electronic Gauge Instructions
Replies
4
Views
1,427
YING
YING
MS850
  • Locked
New Smiths gauge Speedo
Replies
9
Views
2,014
MS850
MS850
U
  • Locked
New Smiths Gauges
Replies
15
Views
1,798
pete.v
P
Back
Top