Add-on Gauges?

[Greg Field]

I'd really like to add voltage and oil-pressure gauges to Billy. Hopefully I can find some tiny ones that would be easy to mount. Have any of you done thise? Or do any of you have leads for nice, small gauges?

 

I just want to make sure mine doesn't suffer a drop in oil pressure under hard acceleration, like some report.

 

Also, the darn things seems to barely charge. I want to know when it is and isn't to see if I can do anything about it. This has become my main commuter bike, and I's lik to run spotlights, grip heaters, and an electric vest if the system is up to it.

[Guest george in vancouver]

As for the oil pressure gage, here's one that's 1 1/4":

 

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/oilpress5.php

 

Almost for sure not water proof though. Still, I've run a 2 1/4" automotive volt meter on mine that's been rained on with no ill effect.

 

George

 

I'd really like to add voltage and oil-pressure gauges to Billy. Hopefully I can find some tiny ones that would be easy to mount. Have any of you done thise? Or do any of you have leads for nice, small gauges?

 

I just want to make sure mine doesn't suffer a drop in oil pressure under hard acceleration, like some report.

 

Also, the darn things seems to barely charge. I want to know when it is and isn't to see if I can do anything about it. This has become my main commuter bike, and I's lik to run spotlights, grip heaters, and an electric vest if the system is up to it.

85370[/snapback]

[beauchemin]

This is the most unobtrusive charging indicator you can get: http://www.signaldynamics.com/products/Modules/HUVM.asp

(be warned, the website is slow to load)

 

I have the remote-LED version but haven't installed it yet (probably this weekend).

[todd haven]

These guys make nice stuff:

http://hp.autometer.com/homepage/homepage.html

[Guest tsombrero]

If you want to really get your geek on, here are the smallest sealed digital voltmeters I could find: http://store.cd4power.com/cgi-bin/cd4power...4e/Catalog/1042

 

I put one on the Caponord after it left me with a dead battery in Post, Oregon. I like it.

 

Wayne Orwig's DIY one will fit anywhere you can mount an LED, and you get to play with a soldering gun.

 

BTW, the Capo's charging system was much more productive after I soldered all the connections and added some 14ga wire between the regulator and the battery +. (A common mod on the Aprilias.)

 

OK, back to lurking now.

 

Tennessee Sombrero

[jrt]

Those are good points Tenn. Somberero. Apparently, the V11 benefits from from running some extra grounding straps as well. And I think any bike would be improved by soldering some of the main connections rather than having the plug-ins.

 

What did Wayne O. set up? a two color LED with a pair of resistors? That'd be dirt-easy and as small as I could think of. Green on 14+V, yellow on anything lower.

[beauchemin]

What did Wayne O. set up?  a two color LED with a pair of resistors?  That'd be dirt-easy and as small as I could think of.  Green on 14+V, yellow on anything lower.

 

Wayne uses three LEDs - I have his wiring diagram (it might even be somewhere on the web). I bought one of his little units many years ago - and still have it. I like the Signal Dynamics version ,mainly because it uses only one LED and gives just as much information.

[Steve G.]

This is nice stuff:

http://www.stewartwarner.com/

Ciao, Steve G.

[callison]

I've never had any trouble running electric grips and a heated vest, a Kisan SM2 in running light mode and even a heated faceshield helmet. Driving lights would very likely exceed the charging capacity though. I suppose that eventually there'll be some hi power LED driving lights on the market which wouldn't draw as much current.

[pete roper]

Greg, lurking around in the shed I've got an adaptor with the take-off for an electronic, analog, oil pressure gauge. I think I've also still got the gauge somewhere too? I'll post 'em over if you like. The only issue is that the guage is damped so even if you do get a sudden drop in OP it will probably be no more useful than the oil light, (Which the adaptor keeps.).

 

Go and hassle Enzo. If he no longer rides the Cobra pinch the windage plate out of it and get it copied, better yet copy it and send one to me so I can replicate 'em. While expulsion of oil doesn't seem to be such a problem on spineys the other benefit of running a plate as I'm sure you realize is that it will act as a surge baffle and help prevent the dreaded pick-up exposure and boundary lubrication horrors that can occur with the broad sump bikes. Enzo did some good stuff with that bike, I would of liked to have stayed in touch but I just found the whole 'Jewish Conspiracy what about the Protocols of Zion?' bullshit too tiresome on the 'Crows' and when you bailed out I did too, .

 

I think with the oil starvation thing prevention is best achieved by trying to keep the oil up near the pick-up, some sort of baffle plate would seem like the cheap and easy option. If you want difficult and expensive build a real windage plate with scrapers and re-locate the pick-up, (Yeah, like right, we'll do that this evenin' with a six pack, some bailing wire a bit of mild steel off-cut and a hacksaw and bastard cut file, Not! )

 

Pete

[Martin Barrett]

...

Go and hassle Enzo.  If he no longer rides the Cobra pinch the windage plate out of it and get it copied, better yet copy it and send one to me so I can replicate 'em. While expulsion of oil doesn't seem to be such a problem on spineys the other benefit of running a plate as I'm sure you realize is that it will act as a surge baffle and help prevent the dreaded pick-up exposure and boundary lubrication horrors that can occur with the broad sump bikes. Enzo did some good stuff with that bike, I would of liked to have stayed in touch but I just found the whole 'Jewish Conspiracy what about the Protocols of Zion?' bullshit too tiresome on the 'Crows' and when you bailed out I did too,  .

...

 

Pete

85415[/snapback]

 

When researching this post I found his watch appreciation forum. He has had the Cobra blue ceramic coated which makes it even faster than the Krypto. Something to do with blue shift no doubt (Doppler effect) So it seems that there's no chance of his V11 languishing unused currently.

[Greg Field]

I'll just make a new pattern and send it to you, Pete. If it's a plate specific to the V11 Sport engines, you can cut out less metal (shouldn't need a cutaway for the filter, for example), making it a better surge baffle.

 

I think a mechanical oil gauge is what I need, plus that little cube thing for voltage.

 

THanks everyone for all the suggestions!

[Guest MikeC]

Here's another.

 

Kuryakyn