Removing Instruments

[Guest captain nemo]

WEll, now that I have my Sigma I'm tired of heavy instruments that don't work properly. I have a mind to remove the speedo, and dash (will keep the tach up there). There are a couple reasons I think I might do this and wonder what you think.

 

1. I don't think that I actually need any of the warning lights. I mean, I know when I'm in neutral, I know when my lights and turn signals are on, if I'm experiencing a suddenly loss of oil pressure I'll notice it on my legs and tires, I can count miles and know when I'm out of gas (a smart thing to do anyway) etc. etc.

 

2. I no longer need a speedo that is innacurate - nor its tripmeter.

 

3. That is a bunch of unneeded unsprung weight on the front end (probably 10 -15 lbs.).

 

4. With all the electrical bug-a-boos I'm reading about on this forum, it might be nice to cut down on all the drain and wires going everywhere. Since I'm retarded, it might be nice to simplify.

 

QUESTIONS:

 

1. Will it be difficult to do this? Can even I understand how to pull everything?

 

2. Is removal sort of self-evident?

 

3. Would I have to pull relay fuses also?

 

4. Is disconnecting the speedo any problem at all?

 

Just wondering. Bear with me.......

[callison]

The whole instrument cluster weighs in the neiborhood of four pounds or less. If you never plan on selling the bike and therefore do not need an odometer reading, then by all means ditch the speedometer. You will notice a lack of oil pressure in your wallet before you will notice it by feel - because by then it's too late. Idiot lights are nice, I like the purty kolors... You are obligated by vehicle code to have a high beam indicator and probably turn signal indicators as well. Without the cluster, you will have a bunch of wires with no good place to stuff them. So, IMHO, it's a pointless effort to remove the cluster. There are other instrument panels available from after market sources, primarily in Germany, so you might want to do research along those lines.

[Kiwi Dave]

That is a bunch of unneeded unsprung weight on the front end (probably 10 -15 lbs.).

 

I think you'll find it is actually SPRUNG weight i.e. it's not gonna let your suspension work any faster.

[al_roethlisberger]

Yep, it's sprung weight...

 

Check with Zeb and his G&B SuperTwin. He's got an aftermarket gauge cluster that's very compact and attractive. But I suspect it's pricey.... looks like a Swiss watch

 

But I have to say, I like the Guzzi cluster... simple and elegant.

 

al

[bento]

shoot, my insturment cluster IS my windscreen. but yeah, big n white n purdy. i got my speedo fixed and low and behold, i WAS speeding everywhere. the cops would eat you for lunch without a speedo.

 

"do you know how fast you were going?"

 

"well...uh...see, i don't actually HAVE a speedo..."

 

"oh ho!! then you were going 160, see you in court!!"

[Motomonster]

If you doubt the accuracy of your current instrumentation, what makes you think a $25 bicycle gizmo will be any more accurate -- or, even work properly for any length of time? Isn't this the second one you've had to buy?

 

Other than that, I think that any gains would be minimal for two reasons:

 

1) The cluster doesn't weigh enough to strongly affect performance, so ditching it probably wouldn't give you enough gains to justify the procedure.

 

2) Your faring covers the cluster, so if you're ditching it for aesthetic reasons you probably wouldn't notice the difference much (from an observer's viewpoint) unless you got rid of the faring as well, which would be a waste of a good custom paint job.

 

A free one:

 

Less is not always more when it comes to being informed about the operations of your bike.

[Baldini]

Captain,

 

How about ....

 

Bin the tacho but keep the speedo on ally mount, bin the idiot light cluster & use a Lucas type chromed h/lamp w/integral idiot lights (oil/charge/main beam)...bung any left over loose wires in the voluminous h/lamp shell....

 

...well it was just an idea....

 

KB, Cymru

[Guest russ]

I have a mind to remove the speedo, and dash (will keep the tach up there). There are a couple reasons I think I might do this and wonder what you think.

 

Don't we have more productive ways to spend our time? Like complaining to MGNA or MGUK about the shoddy service we receive. Really though, this seems a waste of effort for weight reduction. Aesthetics maybe, if you don't like the look but I'd rather spend the time on more useable changes to improve performance or comfort.

 

Well tou asked what we think, so you must want to know.

[Guest captain nemo]

Yes, I remember now - SPRUNG is above the shocks and UNSPRUNG is below them. (which reminds me to start a thread on the possibility of using Buell front wheel and brakes)

 

I have another VERY GOOD REASON TO DUMP THE CLUSTER AND INSTRUMENTS. It is night vision. I'm also an astronomy buff and know a lot about night vision and adaptation. The worse thing to look at in the dark is a white light. Now, if you are out in the country outside the big city - and you are worried about moose and elk and all sorts of varmints - you want your eyes adapted to the darkness as much as possible. If your instrument panel was red or green you would be OK. But having that white light up in your face closes down your pupils and you can't make out your own headlight up ahead in the woods.

 

The Sigma (proven totally accurate in many tests - up to 173 mph.) also has a green bar-mounted light that shines down on it. TOO COOL. I just ordered it.

 

The other reason I'm thinking about doing this is because I've become convinced from this Forum that I'll soon be ripping all the wires apart anyway - tracing down some gremlin. Less wires - less confusion.

[callison]

Lucas type chromed h/lamp w/integral idiot lights (oil/charge/main beam)

 

Oh good!!! Lucas "Prince of Darkness" electrics added to Moto Guzzi wiring! This seems, er, somewhat counter-productive to me.

[docc]

Having some anatomy and physiology background on the neurology of the eye, I am not convinced we use a great deal of 'night vision' to operate a motor vehicle in the dark.

 

Consider that there is no color differentiation with night vision: shades of grey. Yet the lamps of these modern vehicles give us all manner of color perception: road lines, road signs, other vehicles, oncoming lights, tail lights , stationary lights and structures.

 

The 'rods' of the eye ( which percieve the low light of ' night vision' ) are so blown by all this input that they contribute very little to what we see as we drive or ride , at night.

 

The exception would be on long stretches of vacant highway with no traffic. This is the case where the red instrument lights of so many German cars or the panel dimming function of some of the Swedish cars may actually be of some benefit. Yet, more to reduce eye strain of long hours driving than actually enhancing visual perception. What we see ahead of us in the wash of our headlamps is all mediated by ' cone' receptors which percieve only in color.

[callison]

"Cold hearted orb that rules the night

Robs the colors from our sight

Red is grey, and yellow white

But we decide which is right

And which is an illusion"

 

Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin

 

I have white LED's for my instrument lighting. They're actually a very, very light blue. Kind of peaceful, yet spooky, like a 1000 rad Cobalt 60 source under 10 meters of water. Really. We have one at work. No swimming allowed...

[docc]

The whole Moody Blues thing has always been "kind of peaceful, yet spooky."

[Guest Brian Robson]

Captain, have you thought about riding for long stretches at night without the headlight on?

Just think how well you will be able to see all the deer.