Speedo Trouble

Energy One
topgun1

topgun1

Member
Havent had my bike but a couple of weeks,and the weather has`nt been the best so had`nt had much riding time. Took bike out today and speedometer was`nt working . It did the sweep when first turned on but going up the rode no MPH reading,was working when I bought it. The only thing I`ve done is hook up a battery tender. Any help or advice deeply appreciated.
Thanks
 
K

kurtxt

Chopperman
There have been problems with them.If bike still under warranty BD will take care of it,if not they still might,contact your dealer. also Dakota Digital has a direct replacement,digital its nice.
 
ChopperJeff

ChopperJeff

Active Member
Mine will do the same thing if the battery is at all weak. It may work fine one time, then the next time, even after the speedo does its sweep, it will not function. When this occurs, I just turn the bike off, then proceed to do the "normal" start procedure, and it will then be working fine.

Problem occurs when the voltage drops too low during starting, and causes the speedo to then basically power off enough for it to lose it's cookies. A restart usually works as the warmed up engine requires less juice, and/or perhaps the battery has gotten a bit of a charge while running.
 
zipsman03

zipsman03

Active Member
Mine in the shop for this same issue, BDM I was told by my service center is very aware of the issue and will replace the speedo. Mine has been gone for over a month now due to the fact that the new speedo they got in; broke during the dyno run. So I am awaiting my third new speedo.
 
Mad Dog

Mad Dog

ValueTeck Enterprises
I have the Dakota replacement speedometers available. It takes about a week. A lot of the guys have gone with it and all have been very satisfied. It is a plug-n-play type install. Takes about 10 minutes. I have them available on the Big Dog Group Buy Page. You can check them out here. http://valuetec.startlogic.com//page12.html
Thanks,
Don
 
M

medicineman

New Member
Check the speedo contacts, speedo itself or sending unit. We have found that even on the new models we sell ,sending units are notorious problems.Easy fix ,easy to get to.
 
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linx

linx

Active Member
I like the look of the dakota digital gauge, but it's a little "fishy" how you can set your own odometer. I see some people being shady and not setting theirs and starting back at zero.
 
Mad Dog

Mad Dog

ValueTeck Enterprises
linx said:
I like the look of the dakota digital gauge, but it's a little "fishy" how you can set your own odometer. I see some people being shady and not setting theirs and starting back at zero.
Click to expand...
I think most are honest but given the opportunity some will take it. Wait till they take it back for service or worse warranty work.
 
humpty2032

humpty2032

Member
question about the spedo...i just bought a used bd. the speedo is way off. previous owner told me i could 'program' it. if my speedo is off now and i replace with one of these, will i need to program that one too? thanks.
adam
 
Mad Dog

Mad Dog

ValueTeck Enterprises
Everyone that has bought the Big Dog setup has said it was a 10 minute install with everything going fine. It can be calibrated if needed but I believe most have not needed to do this. You can, as stated before set the miles during the first 100 miles. Any other tech questions call Dakota @ 1-800-593-4160. These are available on the Big Dog Group Buy Page Here...http://valuetec.startlogic.com//page12.html
They are available in Red and Blue.
 
stitches

stitches

Member
I just bought a new 08 k-9 that had the same problem with the speedometer.It would sweep when it was turned on but wouldn't work but 1 out of 3 times.I had had it for only 3 weeks and was very aggrevated with it.I spoke to the dealer and he said it was a quick fix since it just needed a firmware update.I took it to him and he hooked a computer to the ehc and said it was fixed.Since that I've rode it 4 times and it has worked great so far.
 
M

medicineman

New Member
topgun-1 said:
Havent had my bike but a couple of weeks,and the weather has`nt been the best so had`nt had much riding time. Took bike out today and speedometer was`nt working . It did the sweep when first turned on but going up the rode no MPH reading,was working when I bought it. The only thing I`ve done is hook up a battery tender. Any help or advice deeply appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Speedo swap would be covered under warranty if still in affect.We have changed them and the same thing occurred a few weeks later. Factory knows its an issue. Another item you may want to checkout is the sending unit on the trans. ( Small oval shaped billet piece with wires coming off it. Any questions e-mail me . be glad to help.
 
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Mad Dog

Mad Dog

ValueTeck Enterprises
Ruff, These are very easy to read in the sunlight. Like any gauge though at the right angle in the bright sun it can be difficult to read. Have had nothing but great comments on this product. Comes with a 2 year warranty also. I have them available on the group buy page in blue and red readout. http://valuetec.startlogic.com//page12.html
 
heems

heems

Member
There are many threads on this, and I happen to experience the same issue. Based on the circumstances I experienced here is my 2c: From what I can tell the root cause is a weak battery or alternatively lots of cranking (due to cold weather, etc.) resulting in a large load on the battery. On startup there isn't enough juice for the speedo so the speedo in effect shuts itself down. Many users have to restart the bike and the speedo works fine because the engine is warm and it starts up very quickly - i.e. light battery load. BD put out a firmware upgrade to mask the problem where the speedo reboots itself (so you don't need to restart the engine), but understand that it's not a fix rather just a workaround. The newer speedos (BDs, Digital, etc.) probably either have a internal reboot mechanism and/or operate in a different manner that handles this low power issue while cranking.
 
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