Permanent Volt Meter

NorazDad

NorazDad
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Hey Guys, I have and '81H mostly rewired. I had some issues with my Reg/Rec in the past so I installed a volt meter on the jug after removing the instrument panel which was serving no purpose. The Bosch volt meter I installed worked great for a while and then it went crazy and stopped working. As RG would say, "Chinese crap!"
What is a reliable brand of meter that will hold up to the vibrations of the 650? I don't think I want digital because they can be hard to read while on the road especially with sunglasses. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
! have the rectangle digital voltmeter on two bikes now, works great, easy to glue any bracket that you need with ABS glue. I cut the side tabs off.

Hard to read, no. If you need to see a volt meter 100% of the time......you're in grave danger. Get the green display.

Scott
 
Yes, I think an analog voltmeter is much easier to read than a digital meter, especially in bright day light.
My analog voltmeter is just a cheap meter that I bought at Walmart. However, it is rubber mounted, and has worked perfectly for many years now.
 
Whatcha need a meter fer any way ? I fired up the bike to see if the alternator was charging after i played with the brushes and the head light came on and showed on the back wall of the shop... I reved it up and it got brighter so that told me it was charging ! LOL
.........
.... all kidding aside, I have been thinking of getting one of those cheap small volt meters like Gary has in his bikes and put it in there .... never hurts to have a bit of Useful technology .... lord knows we have enough Useless technology on our bikes, like headlight relays and sidestand switches and caps on the pilot airscrews.... etc,etc. HEHEHEHEHHE
.....
Bob..........
 
Bob........................seeing the headlight get brighter as you rev the engine, does not tell you if the charging system is going up to 14.1 volts, which is the minimum that is required to fully charge a battery.
 
lol Nope your right it just means that it's putting out more than the battery is is all !
...... I was pokin' fun RG !.... hehehehhe !
ok so sometimes my Humor is strange ! but it was funny to me !
......
Bob.........
 
Photo Scott? Hmmmm?

Looking for a picture, this is how I have them mounted on two CB750Cs.



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That bracket is a piece of ABS from an old TV case, cut and drilled, and glued to the meter case with ABS glue, available at hardware and home stores. Just about any configuration to any mounting point can be done this way. It is mounted to the air cap on top of the fork. One of my Hondas has a relay triggered by the ignition switch and wired straight to the battery. 2M has a few of these meters in his shop too, he's shown them to be very accurate.

Buy three, you're gonna like them. ebay, slow boat

Scott
 
I had the color changing LED already (thanks gggGary) but it didn't give me numbers. It was easy to find a spot for because it's so small .....

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Now I have the digital unit in my dash and like it better. I chose the red LED and I can't see it all the time (mid-afternoon bright sunshine) but that's OK. At times like that I can read it if need be by cupping my hand around it. For better visibility I thought of trying the yellow version and now, with MTW's recommendation, maybe the green one too. They're only like $4 so I can afford a few more, lol.
 
I put a Stewart-Warner analog on mine, worked perfectly. Still does as far as I know.
Got it off Amazon IIRC.
 
have a look at this......http://www.ebay.com/itm/6v-12v-24v-...2e3fc9:g:dA8AAMXQVT9S2Hr5........programmable and easy to install in a gauge or the tower, and it will only take a quick glance to tell you how the bike is charging...................Independent review.....http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_113051/article.html
skull have you used this or know anybody that has? the thing looks and sounds good but the photos are a bit of a worry , looks like the bottem of it is open to the elements (connections) , having more than 1 bike it sounds usefull but you know what our wet seasons are like and exsposed connections are not a good idea
 
Looking for a picture, this is how I have them mounted on two CB750Cs.



View attachment 104331

That bracket is a piece of ABS from an old TV case, cut and drilled, and glued to the meter case with ABS glue, available at hardware and home stores. Just about any configuration to any mounting point can be done this way. It is mounted to the air cap on top of the fork. One of my Hondas has a relay triggered by the ignition switch and wired straight to the battery. 2M has a few of these meters in his shop too, he's shown them to be very accurate.

Buy three, you're gonna like them. ebay, slow boat

Scott

Thanks Scott for the reply. I like your idea of cutting the ears off and just gluing them to a small mounting tab. Simplicity it self. Very discreet.
 
Flea, haven't used it but my thoughts would be to install it in a gauge light or in a tower light. That would protect it from the elements. Most of the rev counter gauge housings have a spare uncut hole in the back that hasn't been used.
77.................................................78SE - 79F/SF
DSCF7775.JPG P1030828 1.jpg


Going to the swap meet????
 
that's a good idea but alas got the after market mini gauges , but still might be worth looking into , not like they cost a arm and a leg , hopefully will be going to the swap meet but will be taking the ute (bit hard to cart any goodies home on the bike) ,how about you are you going ? are you chasing any xs650 bits ? could always throw a few in the ute
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-3-5-30V-...583510?hash=item1a1a21f816:g:pWQAAOSwaB5XvaOBhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-3-5-30V-...443464?hash=item281eeb8588:g:kGYAAOSwZVlXvbCT

One link - red

One link - green


These are the ABS plastic cased, waterproof ones that I bought, 1-1/16" x 9/16" and 11/16" deep without the ears.

Just rough up the plastic with a piece of sandpaper, clean with rubbing alcohol or acetone, glue the mounting tab on with ABS glue or ABS slurry (ABS and acetone left in a plastic jug for days and mixed to a working consistency) lightly clamp to not push out all of the glue. As a Luthier, I do "clamp rehearsal". A piece of masking tape placed over the parts and stuck to a table may work, might be slippery. Weak spring clamps, or a slight mush together.

I really like shaping ABS. I can use almost any woodworking tool on it, power tool or hand tool. I've even used hand planes on it.

Scott
 
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No good on parts, thanks.

Toss up on the swap meet..........going to try and get some good shots of the Perseid meteor shower. Full moon on the wain so not the best but still supposed to see 15 or so an hour. i think the peak is around 4 in the morning. Good chance i'll be there, looking for some stuff if it is the right stuff, lol
 
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