Rear Speedo Drive... Revisited...

[Dave Walters]

Was looking into ideas for a rear speedo drive.

I am running a 6-8 over 34mm front end that is shaved and polished with a 1983 HS 64 spoke 19" front wheel. I do not want to clutter the front with cables.


I know this thread covered some info but acebars never posted more on his findings and I am looking to take off where he stopped.
http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4600


What if I were to find a speedo drive off a bike that has a 20mm front axle... (leaning towards Honda bikes since there are more... list below)

And do fabrication, machining, and welding to fit the speedo into the center of the rear drum brake plate and add the drive tabs onto the hub of the wheel.

Since the drum rears take a spacer on the drum side I am sure I have room to mess with since there is also thickness to the brake plate.

20mm

Honda CB400 F 89-90, CBR600 Hurricane 89-90, CBR600 F
Hurricane 91-96, CBR600 SE 96, VT600 Shadow 88-97, NT650 Hawk
88-91, CB750 SC 91-93 & 95-97, RVF750 R RC45 94-95, VF750
C/C2/D 94-97, VFR750 F 86, VFR750 F Interceptor 88-97, PC800
Pacific Coast 89-90, CBR900 RR Hurricane 93-97, CBR1000 F
87-88 & 90-91 & 93-96, CBR1100 XX Blackbird 97, VT1100 C
Shadow 87-96, VT1100 C2 ACE Shadow 95-97, GL1500 88-97, GL1500
Valkyrie 96-97, Honda VF750 C/C2 98. Kawasaki ZX750 Ninja ZX-7
89-90. Suzuki GSX-R750 88-92, GSX-R750 W 92-95, Honda CR125
00-03, CR125 95-97, CR250 95-97, CR250 00-03, CR500 R 95-97.
Kawasaki KX125 93-97, KX250 93-97, KX500 94-97. Suzuki RM125
96-97, RM250 96-97. Yamaha YZ125 96-97, WR250 Z 97-98, YZ250
96-98, Kawasaki ZX600 E ZX-6 93-98, ZX600 F ZX-6R 95-97, VN800
Vulcan Classic 96-97, VN1500 D 96-97, Yamaha YZF750 R 94-97,
FZR1000 94-95, XVZ13 Royal Star 96

 

[Dave Walters]

Now all I need is to find a decent priced rear drum brake wheel.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I'm thinking that if you imbed it into the brake backing plate, with the 'ears' engaging the hub bearing area, it'll be running backwards...?...?...

 

[Dave Walters]

Good point...

I wonder if there is a way to flip the gearing.

Or look at what it would take to mount it on the sprocket side.

Or even off of the front sprocket underneath the case.

Or I might just give up and run a front speedo drive.


Still more though and ideas would be appreciated though

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I like this project! There must be more out there to support this. 30 years ago I found a speedometer repair shop in Wichita that offered a re-ratio kit. About the size of a pack of cigs, you screwed it onto the speedo output of your tranny (my 4-speed saginaw), and attached your speedo cable to its output. Super-simple, any ratio you wanted, and reverse spin was available.

I like the idea of imbedding into the backing plate (stealth), but need to get the drive to emerge from the backing plate somehow...

 

[neanderthal]

if you mounted it to the front or rear sprocket youll have ratios to figure, and clearness regarding the chain. Im about to dive into using a rear ironhead drum wheel with a rear speedo. Ill let you know if i come close.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Could investigate using a sprocketed chain tensioner, drive output from the idler...

 

[neanderthal]

6:40 also 4:00 is a neat little deal.

 

[gggGary]

I think I would buy an electronic speedo. A bike I recently had, had the pick up mounted off the rear brake plate sensing a magnet on a spoke, done. I am sure a pick up mount to the swing arm could be made, that would be near invisible.

 

[Paulrxs650]

Hi,

Here's what i did for mine, if it helps:

The Vapor connected up with indication lights for dip beam, main beam and neutral

Tucked the pick up away on the rear wheel rather than the front - I think it looks cleaner

 

[Dave Walters]

Good info.

Lets keep it up.


What is the price range on the electrical speedos?

I am a chopper guy so I was planning on mounting a small round speedo somewhere other than the handlebar area.

I was thinking of making a tab to mount it off the down tubes or off the head of the engine

Like this but lower and tighter to the bike

 

[gggGary]

IMHO Screw all that, use a phone or GPS speedo.

 

[gggGary]

Here you go < $10 SHIPPED!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-Bicycle-Bike-Cycle-Wireless-LCD-Digital-Computer-Speedometer-Odometer-/300915736819?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460ff9c0f3

 

[neanderthal]

yes ive known of the electronic speedo and lots of folks use the bike speedos, but i want analog not digital. mechanical is what i dig.

 

[Dave Walters]

I might look into using a small bicycle speedo like that.

That way I can tuck it away but still have one so when Johnny Law gets on me I will be covered. Plus its good to know how fast you are going at times.

Or I might just run the stock front drive.

 

[Paulrxs650]

Check out the Acewell range, not cheap but very good

 

[wiggins]

Triumph uses a rear speedo drive... look into adapting a rear triumph wheel to an xs?

 

[neanderthal]

i got my iron head drum hub to work easily enough with a stock xs drive...both happen to be 17mm. still have to ride it, but should work

 

[wiggins]

Isn't ironhead right side chain? What type of modifications did you have to do?

 

[neanderthal]

yeah, mods? as far as what? the tire has no front or back and i just flipped the wheel to work. Im running linkage across the bike to the brake pedal so itll have two pivot points. one on each side. I just love the look of those drums. nice and big and when polished up it looks good.