I know there have been tons on questions about digital gauges but one thing is still unclear to me: Is there a digital gauge I can buy that won't require upgrading to an electronic speedo & tach? ie - one that I could plug my stock mechanical speedo & tach cables into.

no there isn't and you need to have digital sensors to digital supply information to the speedo/tach
Look at the vapor website the sensors are not hard to install and lots of people here have done it
there are other models out there too 
Cheers 

From the looks of the pictures on Trail Tech's website, it looks like it's the same concept as a bicycle computer for the speedo sensor. Is this correct?

yes, they use a magnet with a hall effect sensor.  on mine, I used one of the magnet bolts with a nylock nut in the spacers for the front rotor, and attached the sensor to the fork leg with a tie-wrap.  worked great, and wasn't very obtrusive

Silly questions guys= why? A GS is not the Space Shuttle? There are so many things you could improve why this? Just saying er asking?

Most importantly, i believe Samburger has busted gauges anyway.

No more cable to lube, fewer moving parts, cleaner looking, and the "coolness" factor of digital. Of course, it brings it's own set of problems to the table.

Quote from: Big Rich on October 12, 2010, 09:27:24 PM
Most importantly, i believe Samburger has busted gauges anyway.

No more cable to lube, fewer moving parts, cleaner looking, and the "coolness" factor of digital. Of course, it brings it's own set of problems to the table.

Ok isn't that counterintuitive for owning a GS? Just saying

Quote from: JB848 on October 12, 2010, 09:07:55 PM
Silly questions guys= why? A GS is not the Space Shuttle? There are so many things you could improve why this? Just saying er asking?

Because I want to. Why do you own a yellow GS? I hate yellow. If I hate it, you should, too.

My style of automobile modification is "when something breaks, don't fix it; upgrade it". My speedometer is broken & I want to upgrade it. It would be silly to upgrade a speedometer & not the tach, so why not go with a whole new gauge set-up? And yes, it's really broken. It's not just the housing--the needle doesn't indicate the speed with a cable properly connected to the speedometer & wheel sensor.

I like my GS because it's light, nimble, & has incredibly cheap parts & maintenance compared to many newer & faster bikes. For that reason I want to keep it. What I don't like is having giant, ugly gauges sticking out throwing off the aesthetic appeal of the bike. Digital gauges look nicer & have more useful features. Amongst getting digital gauges, I'll also be upgrading the exhaust, rejetting the carbs, fixing all the scratches & dents, upgrading all the lights (including streetfighter dual headlights), powder coating the frame matte black, & repainting the tank & plastics gixxer blue.

I'm going to go out on a limb & assume that it bothers you that my first project bike that I'm going to put all this effort into doesn't do 0-60 in 3.6 seconds & reach speeds in excess of 130mph. But hey, I may just go ahead & get an SV with the money I'm planning on using to fix up this bike. Then I wouldn't have to deal with people asking the stupid question of "why?" when I start working on that bike.

Hey Samburger,

What condition are your tail plastics in? Why do I ask? I hate to see good original parts get painted. I sort of have a "tail farm" with over a dozen different sets of tails. It started for 2 reasons:
1. I wasn't sure what I wanted Junior to look like (he had been painted flatblack and I wanted original colors)
2. I needed some crappy ones to test on because I wanted good tails to get a clear coat for added protection.
3. I've now settled on red and black due to the new tank I found. So there are LOTS of tail sides and a few center pieces filling up my garage.

If you tails are good, maybe we could swap for a fugly set. You have to sand them anyway or you'll get lines from the decals and the paint won't stick very well. Good ones could join the farm. Then, when someone drops their bike and damages a tail piece, chances are I'd have a nearly new replacement they can pop on and get back to riding.

Quote from: samburger on October 14, 2010, 08:18:14 AM

Quote from: JB848 on October 12, 2010, 09:07:55 PM
Silly questions guys= why? A GS is not the Space Shuttle? There are so many things you could improve why this? Just saying er asking?

Because I want to. Why do you own a yellow GS? I hate yellow. If I hate it, you should, too.

My style of automobile modification is "when something breaks, don't fix it; upgrade it". My speedometer is broken & I want to upgrade it. It would be silly to upgrade a speedometer & not the tach, so why not go with a whole new gauge set-up? And yes, it's really broken. It's not just the housing--the needle doesn't indicate the speed with a cable properly connected to the speedometer & wheel sensor.

I like my GS because it's light, nimble, & has incredibly cheap parts & maintenance compared to many newer & faster bikes. For that reason I want to keep it. What I don't like is having giant, ugly gauges sticking out throwing off the aesthetic appeal of the bike. Digital gauges look nicer & have more useful features. Amongst getting digital gauges, I'll also be upgrading the exhaust, rejetting the carbs, fixing all the scratches & dents, upgrading all the lights (including streetfighter dual headlights), powder coating the frame matte black, & repainting the tank & plastics gixxer blue.

I'm going to go out on a limb & assume that it bothers you that my first project bike that I'm going to put all this effort into doesn't do 0-60 in 3.6 seconds & reach speeds in excess of 130mph. But hey, I may just go ahead & get an SV with the money I'm planning on using to fix up this bike. Then I wouldn't have to deal with people asking the stupid question of "why?" when I start working on that bike.

Don't listen to JB. He's been on a BS posting marathon lately and nothing useful is coming from that hole. It's your bike. Make it yours and whatever you want it to be. The nicest digital gauges you can get are probably the KOSO styles. I've been looking at them for a long time now but can't pull the trigger to get one because they cost $$$. Now if my gauges were already broken then it would be a different story. Some cheaper ones would be the veypors and acewells. I think a few members have veypors and acewells and I remember one member had a koso. Do a search. Remember to post soime pics when done.

Quote from: samburger on October 14, 2010, 08:18:14 AM

Quote from: JB848 on October 12, 2010, 09:07:55 PM
Silly questions guys= why? A GS is not the Space Shuttle? There are so many things you could improve why this? Just saying er asking?

Because I want to. Why do you own a yellow GS? I hate yellow. If I hate it, you should, too.

Let 'em know. 


My GS was converted to digital because the previous owner laid it down, and I guess the only replacement stock guages he could find were digital.

Quote from: seamax on October 14, 2010, 02:18:39 PM
Don't listen to JB. He's been on a BS posting marathon lately and nothing useful is coming from that hole. It's your bike. Make it yours and whatever you want it to be. The nicest digital gauges you can get are probably the KOSO styles. I've been looking at them for a long time now but can't pull the trigger to get one because they cost $$$. Now if my gauges were already broken then it would be a different story. Some cheaper ones would be the veypors and acewells. I think a few members have veypors and acewells and I remember one member had a koso. Do a search. Remember to post soime pics when done.

^^  this

I am about the same way I want to leave my bike pretty much as stock as possible, however there are certain things (like the angle I want the forward controls at) that are requiring me to replace stock parts with after market ones. I am not gonna get worried about it because hey it makes my bike more comfortable to ride for me. Same with gauges, in my opinion digital is easier and faster to read and has better visibility and probably more reliable in there speed reporting (they look cool too)  who cares if I'm upgrading a gs500, hell for all it maters it could be a 125 dirt bike or a 1300 super bike, its my bike I am gonna do what ever the heck I want to with it as long as it is still legal to drive on the street. Those Koso gauges are SWEET looking and I would like to put one on mine eventually I think. Dakota digital also makes some nice looking gauges if you want to go digital in something that looks more like the stock gauges (the universal round ones for example) http://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=results/Category_ID=560/home_id=-1/mode=cat/cat560.htm   What ever you get let us know, and take pictures! ^_^