Speedometer Error on Norton 961

TonyA

TonyA

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I downloaded an app to my smart phone that lets me get my speed , direction , and trip miles. On my Thruxton I am 7 mph off . For example when the speedo reads 60 , I am going 53 . At 70 , a real 63 . So , If I am on the super slab and I need to stay with traffic say a real 75mph , My speedo must read 82 . NOW for the Norton 961 , a mere 2 mph off. That's car good ! So when I am going 80 a real 78 mph shows up on my phone! That's a good calibration folks .
 
2 MPH error on the 961.
That's a win! :lol:
None of my other bikes can come close to that precision.
 
Try downloading the app , there is a bunch of them free . Just search for free speedometer app or something like that. You can check your bikes .
 
Riding along Route 9 between Wilmington and Bennington, my wife is riding her H-D 883 Iron and I'm on the 961. She passes me and after we stop for beer she asks me why I'm riding so slowly! I tell her I was doing between 55 and 60 the whole way. She says, no you weren't - you were down as low as 40. :oops: Who is right?
 
I always check any vehicle i drive against at GPS (Garmin Zumo at the moment).
Any modern car in this part of the world is typically 5 kph optimistic and bikes are often nearer 10 kph optimistic in their readings at 100kph (60mph).
I think the NZ/Aus vehicle manufacture rules used to require plus or minus 5% accuracy but since speeding became a capital offence the rules have changed to plus 0% minus 10%.
 
I kind of got shot down the first time I mentioned this. At 80....I'm off at least 10% and more the faster I go. Either that, or every blue haired old lady in a Honda Accord is doing 80 along with everyone else. I don't really care so much except for the fact that my bike has a lot less miles on it in reality. (If that's how it works) My speedo reads 80 and I doubt I'm even doing 70. Keeping up with traffic where the limit is 55. So when my speedo reads 125, what was I doing? 110?
 
Well, I was able to buy a device to correct the discrepancy for my Daytona 955i. It's made by 12 O'Clock Labs. Is there anything like this for the 961?
 
richard-7 said:
The three 961's we tested were all slow by 5mph. Close enough.
Click to expand...

At what speed, Richard. 50? Where I ride at the average speed, mid 60's, my speedo is reading near 80.
 
TonyA said:
So when I am going 80 a real 78 mph shows up on my phone! That's a good calibration folks .
Click to expand...

So I have one question for you, Tony. How are you able to glance at your phone screen while moving down the highway at 78 MPH?! My personal experience - it's hard enough to take my eyes off the road long enough to glance at my tach and/or speedo at speeds above 60 MPH. I am starting to think I am way too defensive these days. :lol:
 
Hello Contours , use a tank bag with a clear top map pocket. OR , You could have your wife etc. go down the expressway at 70 mph in her car., And when she is going 70 she show you her finger and then just pace her and check that way.
 
A Motorcycle GPS will do it, and safely too.
Failing that there are phone mounts available for using a phone with GPS app.

My 1963 BSA 650 Super Rocket was slow as molasses but I kept having to pass traffic.
It's top speed was 90 if I laid flat on the tank for a long while. This didn't come close to the speeds claimed in sixties Road tests where 112 MPH was reached. I always expect there is some level of exaggeration with these tests, but 90 vs 112?

Then I mounted the GPS and found out that 90 was a true 105 mph!
When I was travelling at 50 MPH it was doing exactly 60. No wonder traffic was always in the way.
I used the Vintage speedo healer, I just removed the needle from the chronometric speed shaft and pushed it back on in the 10 MPH position while at rest. It now reads 60mph at 60 MPH true. It still reads a bit low up around the ton.
But it's not a slowpoke anymore!

Sounds like the Norton 961 speedo are just like every other bike speedo has been forever -some accurate, some high, some low, all over the map.

Glen
 
TonyA said:
OR , You could have your wife etc. go down the expressway at 70 mph in her car., And when she is going 70 she show you her finger and then just pace her and check that way.
Click to expand...

:lol:
 
The Veglia dials on my T140Ds swing wildly. Makes me dizzy. Dead center of the swing is my actual speed, which actually, is quite accurate. Triumph didn't pay their bills to Smith, so I got stuck with the Veglias. I do love the aesthetics and build quality of the dials on the Norton.
 
My dad has a computer that he hooks up to the entire bike with a display read out of all sorts of things like HP, Speed, average speed on a trip, tons of trip meters, fuel level estimation, fuel mileage consumption, etc. That number was between 40mph-60mph.
 
richard-7 said:
My dad has a computer that he hooks up to the entire bike with a display read out of all sorts of things like HP, Speed, average speed on a trip, tons of trip meters, fuel level estimation, fuel mileage consumption, etc. That number was between 40mph-60mph.
Click to expand...

So it seems it may be roughly 10% across the board. The faster I go, to bigger difference in actual speed. At 50, it doesn't even seem to be off by 5 mph, but at 80, it seems to be 8-10 mph. That's a neat device to have, Richard. My Yamaha boat motor has a similar device on the dials....miles per gallon, gallons per hour, etc. etc. Since boats of my size average 10 gal. per hour at normal cruise speed, it pays to pay strict attention to that stuff. Wide open, 20 gal. per hour, gets expensive. For the bike, meh, won't break the bank. Thanks for the numbers.
 
TonyA said:
Try downloading the app , there is a bunch of them free . Just search for free speedometer app or something like that. You can check your bikes .
Click to expand...

The App I use is YORI MOTO and it works great ! I use an iphone , it should be available for other android etc.. This is free just download it to your phone and give it a try. You can use it for trip miles (check of the tripometer) and direction . The display is nice and large , the speedo numbers are big and easy to read from the tank bag. I use it in the cars as well for a check of the speedo . It is very easy to use and you will be happy you did...
 
Well on my 2015 961SE I'm doing 80 really 72. 70 really 63. 60 really 54. And so on. Wondering why so many were passing on the interstate when I was doing 80!!
 
On mine 80 = 75 real mph. At 70 = 66 or 67 mph . I need to keep it at 75 indicated for 70 to 71 MPH real . So yes they read low. This was with my latest speedo app on the phone. The XR1200 is much closer to actual . No big deal though right ? Just put the needle at 75 and you will be doing 70 mph.
 
Yeah. I do 80 for actually 72 which works good in 65 mph zone the way people drive around here. But usually on my 03 Aprilia Tuono or 15 EBR1190SX my friends ask "Do you ever look at your speedo?" I say God no, at the speed I'm going that would be dangerous!!! Lol
 

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