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More than a few times I’ve been happily riding along when the engine suddenly dies leaving me to coast to the side of the road, puzzled. Of course it dawns on me… out of fuel! Flipping the petcock to reserve, I’m off again and in search of a gas station. A small fuel tank on the TW coupled with no fuel gauge is compounded by the fact that on my 1993 model, I also have no trip meter. (I understand Yamaha added those in 2001).
So, I posted a message here asking others what they’d suggest to add a trip meter to my bike. One person suggested a “bicycle computer.” Wazzat?? I was skeptical. But, when told they could be had for under $20, the cheapskate in me was intrigued. I did some internet research.
Come to find out, many people have adapted bike computers to motorcycle use. They work by mounting a magnet on the spokes or wheel and a pickup unit in very close proximity (several millimeters) to the forks or other stationary part. The “computer” counts the times and frequency the magnet passes by the pickup head and does the math to give you all sorts of nifty information including what I was after – trip distance. My theory is that conservatively the TW should get at –least- 50 mpg, so if I made sure to fill up when the trip meter approached that number, I’d be good
.
The research also showed the make of choice for motorcycle use was by Sigma Sport and that REI had them for about $20. But…before I got to REI, a stop in Walmart showed me they too had bike computers, some wired, some wireless. I had read that for motorcycle use, the wireless type was problematic in that ignition interference would mess up the readings. (not a problem on a bicycle).
No problem… the wired models were cheaper anyway.. in fact, a Bell Cyclocomputer F12 set me back a “whopping” $13.74, including tax. But how well would it work? I figured the price was worth a gamble.
Photos follow of how I hooked it up. I’m sure it would be far simpler on a motorcycle with a front disc brake (of course my ’93 has a drum brake), but then if you have a disc brake, you probably also have a trip meter, huh? But then the bike computer does so much more! Of course there’s a speedometer (which actually seems more accurate than the stock Yamaha speedo and can read in mph or kph), the trip meter, average speed, maximum speed, trip timer, clock, a speed “comparator” (tells you if you’re going faster or slower than your average speed) and a few other things. I was going to be happy if the trip meter and perhaps the speedometer worked.
What follows are the photos of how I installed this. There are notes on the photos. I will provide answers if anyone has any questions. After a test ride this evening, everything is working beautifully! Will it last?? I’m not expecting years of service from a $13 special, but who knows? So far, it’s been fun and if it continues to work… great!
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Note: I did not use the magnet that came with the kit as it was intended to mount on the small spokes of a bicycle. Instead I used a super-strong "rare earth magnet" out of a old computer hard drive. I'm told you can also get rare earth magnets at Radio Shack.
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So, I posted a message here asking others what they’d suggest to add a trip meter to my bike. One person suggested a “bicycle computer.” Wazzat?? I was skeptical. But, when told they could be had for under $20, the cheapskate in me was intrigued. I did some internet research.
Come to find out, many people have adapted bike computers to motorcycle use. They work by mounting a magnet on the spokes or wheel and a pickup unit in very close proximity (several millimeters) to the forks or other stationary part. The “computer” counts the times and frequency the magnet passes by the pickup head and does the math to give you all sorts of nifty information including what I was after – trip distance. My theory is that conservatively the TW should get at –least- 50 mpg, so if I made sure to fill up when the trip meter approached that number, I’d be good
.
The research also showed the make of choice for motorcycle use was by Sigma Sport and that REI had them for about $20. But…before I got to REI, a stop in Walmart showed me they too had bike computers, some wired, some wireless. I had read that for motorcycle use, the wireless type was problematic in that ignition interference would mess up the readings. (not a problem on a bicycle).
No problem… the wired models were cheaper anyway.. in fact, a Bell Cyclocomputer F12 set me back a “whopping” $13.74, including tax. But how well would it work? I figured the price was worth a gamble.
Photos follow of how I hooked it up. I’m sure it would be far simpler on a motorcycle with a front disc brake (of course my ’93 has a drum brake), but then if you have a disc brake, you probably also have a trip meter, huh? But then the bike computer does so much more! Of course there’s a speedometer (which actually seems more accurate than the stock Yamaha speedo and can read in mph or kph), the trip meter, average speed, maximum speed, trip timer, clock, a speed “comparator” (tells you if you’re going faster or slower than your average speed) and a few other things. I was going to be happy if the trip meter and perhaps the speedometer worked.
What follows are the photos of how I installed this. There are notes on the photos. I will provide answers if anyone has any questions. After a test ride this evening, everything is working beautifully! Will it last?? I’m not expecting years of service from a $13 special, but who knows? So far, it’s been fun and if it continues to work… great!
Note: I did not use the magnet that came with the kit as it was intended to mount on the small spokes of a bicycle. Instead I used a super-strong "rare earth magnet" out of a old computer hard drive. I'm told you can also get rare earth magnets at Radio Shack.
