[ted clement]

Went for a ride on the 400 this morn with the GPS attached. What I got is as follows, bearing in mind that these figures are approximate...not gospel:

True Speed Speedo

50 54
60 65-66
70 76
80 87-88

As a quick estimate, just figure you're indicating 6 mph over actual speed.

 

[Randy]

Running down the highway at 60 with the old stop watch I come up with very much the same 4 to 5 mph slower then indicated.
Which is not that bad, my BMW was off by 9 mph .

 

[avgibson]

Same Results

I rode in yesterday w/ GPS strapped on and came up with the same results. I'm now riding under the assumption that the speedometer reads 5 mph high.

 

[Randy]

For me the error is not so bad , I would like to see it dead on but.
As it is if I keep 15 miles (indicated) above the speed limit I'm happy enough. :lol:

 

[pauljo]

Re: Same Results

I'm now riding under the assumption that the speedometer reads 5 mph high.

I think the error is more like 10%, than a constant value like 5 mph. This is what has most commonly been reported. If true, at 30 mph the error is only 3 mph, at 50 mph the error is 5 mph, and at 80 mph the error is 8 mph. 5 mph is probably a good average, depending on the kind of riding you do - but not entirely accurate.

Many folks have reported 10% error on various Suzukis - not just the Burgman line, so I am considering that as the real error for now.

 

[avgibson]

I thought the error would be a percentage as well, however, I found it to be right around 5 mph high at whatever speed I ran (I tested it at speeds ranging from 25 to 75 mph)

 

[pauljo]

Well, that's interesting Andy. It does differ from what most others have reported.

One thing I can say for sure is that I'm tired of dealing with an inaccurate speedometer. I have to do that on both of my new Suzukis. It bothered me a lot on my recently completed trip. I know the error exists on other Japanese motorcycles, as well as Suzuki. I know they have been like this for years. I am tired of it. There is no excuse for not providing an accurate speedometer. It's way past time for them to do so!

See, its simple. I just want to know how fast I'm really going. I don't think that is a lot to ask. Who is right? Is it a 10% error? Is it a 5 mph error? Is a state trooper going to care what I "thought" my real speed is as he writes me a ticket? I don't think so.

That we are having to try and deal with this is simply ridiculous.

 

[ted clement]

Call it what you want; 10%, or the accuracy of a GPS (which is now used by most aircraft and seagoing vessels). One thing for sure, the error is somewhat progressive, as the speed increases so does the error. When I did my several tests with the GPS my intention was to mark the actual speed on the speedo, but couldn't come up with any idea that I thought would not look so hookey. But after running variousl tests, starting at 50mph (I am not concerned with lower speeds) I found that you can round out the numbers to either 5, or 6, whichever is easiest for you.

Also, as a real general tool, the tach ain't too far off either: 5K is close to 50, 6K close to 60, etc.