Electronic Instruments.................

Has anyone compared the instruments (clocks) that are available from Legendary and Smiths?
Features, quality, accuracy etc... side by side?
I've read accounts here in the forums about each , but none where they were compared against the other.

JD

When I compared them, I got as far as noticing that those not made by Smiths, don't say Smiths on the face... My bike is hardly a concours original job, but even so, to my eye at least, not saying Smiths just wouldn't have looked right!

I'm very pleased with my electronic Smiths units. They seem very accurate with very smooth and precise needle positions, none of the waving around and need to take an 'average' reading as per the old ones!

The only disappointment for some might be the lack of anything other than basic functionality. Even if you want a simple trip function, you have to instal and wire in a separate switch. I'm certainly no techno freak, but even I thought there'd be some more user friendly functionality out of such expensive and technological instruments.

Overall I'm happy with mine, but anyone wanting anything other than basic functionality would be wise to look at other options.

I have a Dakota Digital on another bike, it does a million things, but it has died three times now in 2100 miles.
They are very good about repairing it, but it does not seem to handle the vibration. This is strange because the model I have purchased is made for Harleys which vibrate a lot, while the bike I have the Dakota on is quite a/smooth runner, mirrors run clear at freeway speeds.
I recently installed a Smith's Chronometric Digital on my Rapide, it worked very nicely for about two weeks and a thousand miles or so, now it has stopped functioning. I need to make absolutely sure the problem there is not with the wiring, however I did some checking yesterday and everything is pointing to the unit.

In fifty thousand miles on the two old bikes I ride most, I have gone thru four Altons ( product testing, now they are quite good) two solid state regs, two Lithium batteries (14 months each) and now the Digital speed and tach problems.
Sometimes I think my old bikes just reject modern stuff. Perhaps I need to add anti-rejection drugs to the fuel tank when I try these mods!

Glen

For one, they are electronic so when you turn the key on, there is a draw.
The build is steel and solid. It feels like an instrument in your hand. and truly identical, physically, to the original. Only the printed surface of the face is slightly different.

I have the tach and it seem dead on butter smooth. The only issue I had was that to get it to work with a mag, I had to get the Joe Hunt converter. The little HT amplifier did not work for me.

I am thinking about the speedo but hall sensor retains the cable and gearbox setup. I am not sure I want to go for the reed switch and magnet thing, but it is to be considered.

The gps unit I have seen seems to be cool with all the function, but kind of plastic and don't mount the same. And I would also have to create a window to the world to function.

Around 7500 miles on my Smiths so far and no glitches.
The tach is right on the nose for accuracy.
The speedo is about 6% optimistic if the pulses per mile is set just right for the odometer to be correct.
I calibrated mine on the dyno so the speed reading is right on the nose [confirmed by the state patrol :x } which means my odo is now 6% slow. Jim

pete.v said:

For one, they are electronic so when you turn the key on, there is a draw.
The build is steel and solid. It feels like an instrument in your hand. and truly identical, physically, to the original. Only the printed surface of the face is slightly different.

I have the tach and it seem dead on butter smooth. The only issue I had was that to get it to work with a mag, I had to get the Joe Hunt converter. The little HT amplifier did not work for me.

I am thinking about the speedo but hall sensor retains the cable and gearbox setup. I am not sure I want to go for the reed switch and magnet thing, but it is to be considered.

The gps unit I have seen seems to be cool with all the function, but kind of plastic and don't mount the same. And I would also have to create a window to the world to function.

Click to expand...

I looked at the GPS one, but a few things put me off:
You need to lay the wire 'receiver' out in view of the sky (according to RGM), I didn't like the idea of that.
They won't work immediately, they have to find a signal first. Sometimes my sat nav can take quite a while to do this, I was concerned these might be the same.
I assume they don't work if there's no signal, so when going through tunnels or in any area where it can't get signal, I assume you don't get a speedo?
Any feedback on these points from a GPS speedo user would be interesting. I could easily be talking nonsense (again)...

I tried a gps speedo several years ago. It was slow to update and around town at low speeds it could not be trusted. Out on the open road it worked pretty good after a couple miles. Hopefully they have gotten better since then. Jim

I have the ones from legendary, so far they have been pretty good. the only issues is where I have been in a VERY narrow gorge with a very heavy canopy or a tunnel. I have not lost signal in the heave canopy BUT have seen the speedo slow down and of course loose it in a tunnel. as to time to acquire a signal the first start up is approx. 45 seconds and with the hot start it is approx. 15 seconds if restarted in a 2 hour window. I also like the other functions it has and the lighting is really great at night.