Speeding on the GS? no you can't

[calamari]

...
Today gf and I went to the woods for a hike. She drove her car and I rode the bike.
The 1.3 hours ride was fun. There were some twisties, but the road was pretty crappy and the turns had bumps! I almast killed myself twice.
Anyway, After the hike, I got dusty, sweaty and sore in every muscle (shesh nature pretty much sucks   )

To the point: on the way back, I ask gf to drive exactly at 70mph (her ford escort) and that I will match her speed on the second lane.

So she does 70mph, and as soon as I get next to her, I look at the speedometer of the GS, and: 82mph at 6200rpm!!!  :x
I was like 'what in the hell!'

I ask her to try again with similar results, and even one more time and I was still 'doing over 80' when she was doing 70.  :dunno:

No wonder cops won't stop me when I feel im speeding.

forget about that other post when I said I did 112mph at 9000rpm.
In reality I was probably doing 65 or something...  

[RVertigo]

Well...  Most people say it reads 10% higher...

I guess yours is just gifted.   :dunno:

[stefman722]

Get an electronic speedo. I love mine.

[joedude]

i was wondering about that too... so i went for a ride on my 96GS the other day and i brought my little Garmin GPS along with me... and the speed matched almost perfectly  :dunno:
i guess i'll have to give it a try at a higher speed than 70km/h next time to see if its a proportional difference....

cheers

[mastrind]

the only thing I'll point out is that you really don't know if the gf car is reading correctly....her car could be reading low, and although the chances of this happening aren't as likely as the chances of your bike reading high, they are quite possible....

[PAC]

I have analyzed my speedometer by using a GPS and cross referenced that with four other cars that I've owned and my friend's HD Sportster.  The GPS, as expected, is dead accurate, my GS500F's speedometer is almost a joke.  The dealer said that all of them are like that and it's within spec. (Edit) I think that's BS, so I did my own tests.  Below figures are for my bike only, your speeds will vary...

My GS500F's speedometer is very similar.  It's very accurate up to about 35mph, and then begins to get worse and worse.

Indicated on MYGS500F / Actual value from GPS = Difference
40 / 38  = ~2mph
50 / 45  = ~5mph
60 / 53 = ~7mph
65 / 57 = ~8mph
70 / 61 = ~9 mph
80 / 70 = ~10mph
90 / 78 = ~12mph
100 / 85 = ~15mph

And that's as fast as I went.  I've almost gone as far as using a magic marker and making marks on the speedometer to mark where 55, 65, and 70 actually are.

[calamari]

...
holy smokes  

good table there PAC. I knew the speedo was a bit wrong because I never really felt I was going that fast whenever the speedo said I was.

now don't you all go and use those numbers to open the throtle more than necessary  

[PAC]

...
now don't you all go and use those numbers to open the throtle more than necessary  

Oh yeah, I probably should put a disclaimer that these figures are for my speedometer only.  The above figures are for reference only. Use them at your own risk.

Your speedometer might be accurate, so don't whine here if you get a ticket and point to this post.  

[Chris.t.Collins]

I hope my spedo is 10 mph lower.   Lets me feel like I am doing 80.

[jason_S]

Well, that might explain why when I was going down the interstate the other day doing 80 people were still trying to run me over.  Either that or they're just idiot cagers.  Or both.

[natedawg120]

Yeah sadly i have seen this too.  I passed a radar machine, you know thing that blinks at you when you pass telling you how fast you are going.  Speedo said ~45 radar said 40.  I just figure move with traffic however fast my speedo says i am going just laugh and keep on gettin' on...

[MXF7290]

I have a 110-80-17 tire on front  and have went by radar machines and it is dead on. My buddy has the 110-70-17 on front  of his 96 and if I go an indicated 55, he's doing between 60 and 65.  :dunno:

[manofthefield]

Well, that might explain why when I was going down the interstate the other day doing 80 people were still trying to run me over.  Either that or they're just idiot cagers.  Or both.

That's because you live in illinois and everyone there drives like an idiot

[jason_S]

Well, that might explain why when I was going down the interstate the other day doing 80 people were still trying to run me over.  Either that or they're just idiot cagers.  Or both.

That's because you live in illinois and everyone there drives like an idiot

:lol: That's definitely true.

[Mk1inCali]

Damn flatlanders...

On topic, I figure 10 mph fast over 50 is about right.

[kimo3825]

Where can I get an electronic speedo?

[Toecutter]

Speedometers in general are about 8-10% optimistic.   I've checked mine against those "your speed is" radar signs the police leave on the side of the road, and it tends to be fairly close.

[Blazinjr]

Indicated on MYGS500F / Actual value from GPS = Difference
40 / 38  = ~2mph
50 / 45  = ~5mph
60 / 53 = ~7mph
65 / 57 = ~8mph
70 / 61 = ~9 mph
80 / 70 = ~10mph
90 / 78 = ~12mph
100 / 85 = ~15mph

And that's as fast as I went.  I've almost gone as far as using a magic marker and making marks on the speedometer to mark where 55, 65, and 70 actually are.

I was reading on another website that a gs top speed is 118 and ex500 was a couple more.  To go that fast wouldn't your speedometer be pegged?  

So have you had your bike at 100mph with the GPS?

My friend has a 2004 HD 1200 custom.  We came upon a car that was going slow and we passed it and he didn't let up and I stayed right beside him until my speedo said 105 mph and he then let up.  He said his read just under 120?  

Guess I need to invest in a GPS and have a look at mine again.

At 120 my car is off by 4 to 5 mph.

[rritterson]

they have those radar/LED speed displays all over berkeley. At 30 indicated I'm going 26mph, and the error increases ~linearly. I figure it's 1mph too high for each 10mph I'm going.

[rclz]

where does the veypor tap into? and can i get rid of the cable that runs to the front wheel if i buy a veypor?