2013 FJR Digital Speedometer Accuracy

[RichDoyle]

Mine reads maybe 1 MPH higher than my GPS at typical speeds (60-ish). I don't know if a it would increase at higher speeds, but I suppose it's possible.

But this is a VAST improvement over my ST1300's which were like 9-10% high. So at common highway speeds, it was like 5 MPH high.

1 MPH at 60 MPH (assuming absolute precision from the GPS - not a given) is 1.7% error. I'll take it and not sweat it. Many kinds of instruments (aircraft flight instruments come to mind, e.g.) would be within spec if meeting this accuracy. As mentioned, effective tire radius variations can cause deviations from perfection.

 

[Wlfman]

At a GPS indicated 70 my 2013 Speedo indicates 71

 

[Geezer]

Has anyone verified the odometer? If the speedometer is displaying some percentage higher than reality, then either

1) the odometer is also registering higher than reality and your warranty is going to disappear too soon

or

2) the odometer is accurate and Yamaha has intentionally made the speedometer inaccurate

 

[Wlfman]

Has anyone verified the odometer? If the speedometer is displaying some percentage higher than reality, then either
1) the odometer is also registering higher than reality and your warranty is going to disappear too soon

or

2) the odometer is accurate and Yamaha has intentionally made the speedometer inaccurate

My ODO matches the same mileage for my commute to work as my car does.

 

[Old Guy]

Has anyone verified the odometer? If the speedometer is displaying some percentage higher than reality, then either
1) the odometer is also registering higher than reality and your warranty is going to disappear too soon

or

2) the odometer is accurate and Yamaha has intentionally made the speedometer inaccurate

I know it's not a perfect test, but I zeroed the trip meter mine at the state line coming into Arkansas on I-40, and at mile marker 50 it was within a mile over. I don't remember the exact amount, but it was very close. As I remember it was within one percent.

It's not unusual for an odometer and speedometer to be off by different amounts. I had a Voyager years ago, and the speedo was about 10% fast, but the odometer was near perfect. Go figure.

 

[fjrupnorth]

This is starting to look like an issue with bikes set to km instead of miles. At 110 kph per GPS my speedo shows 119. The bikes set to miles seem to be pretty close.

 

[Dale2010]

From the different reports here, it seems that for some reason, the mph speedos are more accurate than the kph variety. For those in the metric regions, it seems that the speedo is about 8% optimistic. That is simply not reasonable or acceptable.

However, unless a number of us complain directly to Yamaha, likely nothing will be done to correct this exaggeration as it seems that Yamaha is intentionally causing their 2013 FJRs to appear faster than they really are. If so, that's pretty low.

This is my second FJR and I obviously enjoy the bike but frown on this kind of stunt.

 

[Old Guy]

And that's just weird. I can only assume, but assume I will. I assume the pickups are the same, and it decides whether to report MPH or KPH based on a calculation in the computer. On the 2013 model the owner can set it. Unless some programmer got that calculation wrong, they should be identical as far as speedo or odo error is concerned. It seems to easy to get right to get it wrong.

Does that make any sense at all?

 

[JamesW]

Feb. MCN stated the 13 fjr at 65mph indicated was 63.5

 

[RaYzerman19]

I have read elsewhere that Federal law mandates that odometers be accurate, but that doesn't seem to apply to speedos. However, that would seem to mean there are two different sources of input. I suspect the rear wheel sensor is for speedo, as changing tires alters the speedo. Perhaps the odometer input is from the front wheel sensor?

Bikes in general seem to be afflicted with optimistic speedo readings, Honda ST was ~7%, FJR (Gen II) ~5%, and my last three cars since the mid 2000's have been almost dead on. Good to hear the Gen III's are much better.

 

[Bungie]

My km/h speedo on my '13 mirrors what others have found, it's about 10% fast. Never verified the odometer. Remind me in the spring.

 

[steve_g]

my 2013 usa fjr is the most accurate moto spedometer that i have every had, every other bike was around 10% high.

my conspiracy theory is that yamaha had to make the USA version display accuratly with the 80 mph cruise control limit.

i can set my cruise at 82 indicated / 80 per the GPS.

if it was 10% off then they'd have to let me set the cruise at 88 mph. then the flux capicitor would do strange things.

 

[Bounce]

Discussion over the years has been that all bike makers set the speedo low to avoid class action lawsuit in the US where a lawyer is issued to each household.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

The only time I ever read any motorcycle magazine review of a bike with a 100% accurate speedometer was the VFR1200. It was so remarkable that it was mentioned twice in the article. Other than that all motorcycle speedometers I ever dealt with or read about were optimistic.

My ST1300 at 70 GPS mph is showing 75 on the speedo. To me a very minor annoyance.

 

[Old Guy]

The only time I ever read any motorcycle magazine review of a bike with a 100% accurate speedometer was the VFR1200. It was so remarkable that it was mentioned twice in the article. Other than that all motorcycle speedometers I ever dealt with or read about were optimistic.
My ST1300 at 70 GPS mph is showing 75 on the speedo. To me a very minor annoyance.

I'm pleased that mine is so accurate, but at 10% fast speedo on my ZRX is a minor annoyance. I do have to remember to stop the mental adjustments when I get on the FJR.

 

[RichDoyle]

The only time I ever read any motorcycle magazine review of a bike with a 100% accurate speedometer was the VFR1200. It was so remarkable that it was mentioned twice in the article. Other than that all motorcycle speedometers I ever dealt with or read about were optimistic.
My ST1300 at 70 GPS mph is showing 75 on the speedo. To me a very minor annoyance.

Yep - both of mine did that, too. The FJR IS too close to complain about (though clearly some do not agree).

 

[CA G-Man]

Mine seems to read right around 7% high. 107 kph indicated when GPS shows 100 and similar discrepancies throughout the speed range. If this is some kind of effort to keep us out of speeding tickets it sure seems misguided to me ("I know this thing reads about 7% high...or was that 10%? Anyhow I'll tack on 10% and then add another 10 kph because everyone else goes at least that amount over the limit. Come to think of it maybe I should at 12 or 15 to be safe - I wouldn't want to be the slowest vehicle on the road!" Before you know it you'll be 20 over when you think you're at the limit).

It would be nice to have relative accuracy to start with, then those speed demons among us could apply their own adjustments and all of us would know with some certainty that we're going the speed we want to be going without doing a bunch of math when we should be focusing on other things.

All that said, I agree - a minor annoyance.

 

[lnewlf]

The only time I ever read any motorcycle magazine review of a bike with a 100% accurate speedometer was the VFR1200. It was so remarkable that it was mentioned twice in the article. Other than that all motorcycle speedometers I ever dealt with or read about were optimistic.
My ST1300 at 70 GPS mph is showing 75 on the speedo. To me a very minor annoyance.

Most [gasp!] Hardleys are right on... 'course they're mostly tapped out at 65

 

[Allen_C]

FWIW my 2014 ES reads 1 mph over at GPS speed of 35 and 2 MPH at GPS speed of 65. Sounds similar to the 2013.

 

[Allen_C]

Even at higher speeds the speedo is still very accurate: 143 indicated is actually 140 on GPS. That's only overstating by 2%.