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It arrived quickly and came with terrible instructions for fitting! A bit of online research and I found that the plug'n'play connectors needed to fit in between two connectors that are located just ahead of the rear shock and low down. This is really tricky to reach and took me a good 20 minutes or so. But I got there eventually.
It then needed one additional wire to be connected to the ECU tachometer output. It came with a scotchlok connector but I don't like those so soldered it.
I mounted the indicator just above the clocks - see pic (which I took before putting the screen back in place).
The instructions, together with some info on YouTube, enabled me to programme the unit using my rear stand and that worked fine. Each gear took a good 30 seconds+ to learn and I found the bike needed to be held at around 3,000 rpm in each gear.
So it all fitted OK and functions well. However, there are three points I'd make ...
1) The readout is too bright for night time use - this was always my biggest fear. However, I had a sample of 'limo grade' window tinting film and I've mounted that on top of the unit and that has really helped. The only problem is that it is a very glossy finish and can reflect. If I can find a matt finished piece then that would be better. I may even try sanding it slightly to take the gloss off it with a fine piece of wet & dry.
2) I was doing some other bits and pieces to the bike and managed to reset the learned configuration. This happens if you switch the ignition on and off quickly a few times in a row. Not the end of the world but a bit of a pain.
3) Following on from (2), I did try to re-configure the unit while riding. However, with the need to hold gears for over 30 seconds and then change up to the next one, you need a very long bit of road with no stops. I gave up, popped home and put it back on the rear stand.
Despite those points, it's a super cheap option and seems to be working well.
I needed a torch and a couple of minutes to actually find the connector - it's not easy! Once I found it, I initially removed the nut holding on the coolant reservoir so that I could move it a little to give me a bit more space to get my hand in. That enabled me to pull apart the existing connector. However, I couldn't make the new connection to the loom for the gear indicator from there so I ended up with one hand going in through the swingarm. It's really difficult to explain. Smaller hands would definitely have made it easier.
Alright! Sounds simple enough, just ordered a couple for my CBR & ST1300. When I installed one for my VFR decades ago, there wasn’t any ECUs on carby bikes to talk to. So unit came with switches that detects up/down movements of shift lever.
Cheap Gear Indicator
