SpeedoHealer = Odometer Error

Installed the SpeedoHealer last summer. Speedometer originally read 8.5% high. I now have a GPS and find that the speedometer reads correctly. However, the odometer now reads 5% less than actual.

Not a major drawback, but something to keep in mind.

Are you sure about that? I know that my speedometer reads slower than I am going, but I have also verified that the odometer was off by the same percentage. My odometer actually shows about 5-6k more miles than it should based on my calculations.

Are you sure about that? I know that my speedometer reads slower than I am going, but I have also verified that the odometer was off by the same percentage. My odometer actually shows about 5-6k more miles than it should based on my calculations.

Yep. Although I never checked the odometer accuracy with a GPS before I added the Speedohealer.

Hi there. I saw your post saying that you install the SpeedoHealer. Can you tell me where this hooks up. Is it in the fairing? Do you happen to have any photos? I would really appreciate your help.

Is it really worth it? I can't believe that Yamaha gets away with this. It should be up to them to correct this problem.

I just sold my 05 Roadstar to buy my 07 Venture. The odometer read 50,000km on it. You and I both know that that is way out. However to a new buyer, it is hard to convince them that there really isn't that many miles (km) on it. So of course, because of the inaccuracy of our speedometers/odometers, we take the hit.

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

By the way, I am new here. Just bought my Venture a month ago.

Later,

Greg

Installed the SpeedoHealer last summer. Speedometer originally read 8.5% high. I now have a GPS and find that the speedometer reads correctly. However, the odometer now reads 5% less than actual.

 

Not a major drawback, but something to keep in mind.

It hooks up in the left side cover. Its plug and play.

Mine did the same thing. Speed is correct but the odo is off now. Gps shows the correct mileage but the odo is off by the same percentage I used to adjust the Speedohealer. I would rather see my speed being correct than how far I have gone.

It hooks up in the left side cover. Its plug and play.

If I may add it hooks up under the left cover under the seat. Attached are the installation instructions which should work for both the Venture and Tour deluxe. Note these instructions left one important piece out and that is that you need to splice the hot wire in to something that turns on with ignition. I did mine to the rear lights which are right by the battery. Hope this helps.

12565.pdf

Now here we have some confusion. The hot wire to a switched ignition source is only applicable to some bikes. It was not necessary on the Royal Star Venture. Are you SURE you needed to do that?

WOW - if the odometer is off by that much reading these posts, I would definitely think that that would be a mfg problem. I could see where that could hurt and/or affect insurance quotes, resale value, etc. Is the speedometer being off by 7% or more common in motorcycles in general, or again just a mfg problem? I'm confused, as I don't see why we have to buy - and rely on - an accessory item to fix a manufacturer's problem.

What I THINK they are saying is that from the factory, the speedometer reads about 5-7% Faster than the actual speed, but the odometer reads correctly. The speedometer reading Faster than actual speed is OK with Yamaha's lawyers as it is an error on the side of caution.

HOWEVER, if you install the product called a SpeedoHealer to correct the speedometer error, the speedometer will read correctly however then the Odometer will read about 5-7% low.....

The Speedometer and Odometer both get their signals from the same sensor in the final drive, therefore, they will read differently.

Read FAQ #16 here:

http://www.speedohealer.com/eng/faq.htm

The correct fix would probably involve changing the firmware that controls the speedometer, something that Yamaha would have to tackle, as the reverse engineering is beyond most people, and is cost prohibitive.....

Who is special purpose computer smart???? Maybe someone here would like to tackle this issue.

HOWEVER IMHO it SHOULD be VERY difficult, as if you you could figure it out, some unscrupulous person could "Roll Back" the odometers on used bikes to rip off people..............

According to my GPS the mileage and the speed is off. My bike reads 6 mph faster than the GPS says I am going. The mileage is always greater on the bike than on the GPS. When I put the GPS in my truck everything is right on.

With the speedohealer my odometer and speedometer are correct with the GPS. This summer on a 4800 mile trip the bike's odometer was off about 40 miles when compared to the GPS odometer. That's close enough for me.

DT

I don't have the speedohealer. My speedometer and odometer are both off but by different percentages. My speedometer is reads about 8% high and my odometer about 3.5% more miles. Got the same readings from a Lowrance iWay 500c and a Zumo 550. That would tend to support Leland's observations in the original post.

Car and Driver had an interesting article on speedometer error in cages.

Could Yamaha have set the error to the percentage they did in order to get around different laws worldwide?

Now here we have some confusion. The hot wire to a switched ignition source is only applicable to some bikes. It was not necessary on the Royal Star Venture. Are you SURE you needed to do that?

Yes it seemed that way and worked for my RSTD. The wiring that comes with it has red wire to connect to an ignition hot source - i.e. rear lights. Instructions even stated this. The guide did not. I did not have power without the connecting the wire.

OK...that's surprising. I figured it would be the same for the RSV and the RSTD.

Car and Driver had an interesting article on speedometer error in cages.

 

Could Yamaha have set the error to the percentage they did in order to get around different laws worldwide?

So per this article, the US requires all car speedos to be within 4%,, I remember Honda being sued recently for not being within this spec on Accords and they extended warranties what ever their average error was off. If the bikes are that far off, either bikes don't have to meet the same regulation, or Yamaha owes us something!

I don't think so. Remember, the RSV comes with an unlimited mileage warranty, it is based on time....5 years in the USA. The mileage error wouldn't really affect that.

I don't know but I found this.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?rule_toc=762&section=393.82&section_toc=1912&guidence=Y

OK...that's surprising. I figured it would be the same for the RSV and the RSTD.

Don,

I think what happened is that I got the universal version instead of the plug and go. I just looked at the instructions and it clearly states the splicing. On their website it states the difference so I think you are referring to the plug and go and then no splicing is needed and hence the picture guide was correct. Plug and go would be better, oh well.

 

Could Yamaha have set the error to the percentage they did in order to get around different laws worldwide?

Does anyone know if this issue with speedometer and odometers is universal i.e. does the error occur regardless if import bike or US bikes or only on import bikes?

Does anyone know if this issue with speedometer and odometers is universal i.e. does the error occur regardless if import bike or US bikes or only on import bikes?

We know from people on this board it happens in Canada, not sure about anywhere else.

My RSV runs about what everybody elses does. When I had a HD Sportster it was right on the money. The Japanese could make these dead on if they wanted to. They want their bikes to look faster and more powerful than they really are. It also looks like they get better gas mileage. I have ridden with somebody on an Electra Glide quite a bit. We would both fill up and reset our odometers. I would always show more miles than him. A while back Yamaha had to admit that one of their sport bikes didn't put out the horsepower they claimed.

1999 RSV with 33,000 odometer miles or (31,680) actually.

I figure my odometer is off by about 4%.

If my actual miles travelled is 100 miles,

my odometer shows 104.

Is this in the normal range?

What are the remedies?

Ross

I've never verified my odometer but my speedometer was off by about 7.5% before I added the Speedohealer. I think that is what most others have reported also.

Since converting the bike into a trike I've set the speedometer dead on with my gps unit. At this setting my odometer appears to read 1/10 per mile less than actual milage according to the gps now.

I checked it going and coming back from Skid's Rally with this the last outcome. I tried setting it a couple times to read correct odometer readings and finally gave up on it. Close enough for me now.

Larry