My Least Expensive Farkle

[JimLor]

I think the dots are a good idea too. Maybe one at 80mph in VA which is where speeding goes to Wreckless driving regardless of the speed limit! I had actually thought of taking thin strips of white tape and putting them right on the speedo face at selected speeds - just never got around to it.

 

[painman]

If you think that is bad, the 06 and 07 indicators are even smaller and the sweep is reduced making them even closer together. Can you say squint? PM. <><

 

[SkooterG]

If you think that is bad, the 06 and 07 indicators are even smaller and the sweep is reduced making them even closer together. Can you say squint? PM. <><

+1

The new gauges might be more attractive, but a big step backwards in legibility.

 

[Knifemaker]

Yep, good idea. What I did myself is I took one of those "non adhesive" labels off a pair of sunglasses and cut it so I just had a small piece that I shaped like a tiny arrow. I then place this on the speedo to show what the "maximum allowed speed " is for a given road. The little piece of plastic film can be peeled off and moved easly.

I had thought of using the same concept by taking a sheet of the stuff they sell to protect PDA screens and painting on some type of reference grid or numbers then cutting it to fit , but the single bit of film works fine for me.

KM

 

[kindofblue]

Get some Lasik, glasses, something! You got to be kidding right?! If you can't see or recognize the speedo numbers, you shouldn't be on a bike!

Your time will come.

And one of the first signs is that you'll gripe that they've printed the numbers in the phone book in a smaller point size

Personally I use the GPS readout when I'm using it on long rides.

 

[GPRIDER]

I think the dots are a good idea too. Maybe one at 80mph in VA which is where speeding goes to Wreckless driving regardless of the speed limit! I had actually thought of taking thin strips of white tape and putting them right on the speedo face at selected speeds - just never got around to it.

I wear bifocals and can see the numbers fairly well till I get over 100. Then it just gets harder the faster you go.

Did I just really say that? oster_oops: :blush2:

GP

 

[RTSR1/FJR]

Get some Lasik, glasses, something! You got to be kidding right?! If you can't see or recognize the speedo numbers, you shouldn't be on a bike!

Your time will come.

My time did come and I did something about it and got lasik. I have absolutely no problem reading numbers on my gauges or seeing now. 20/15 in both eyes at 53. If in the future I need a touchup, I'll have it done also. I believe nothing is MORE important than your eyesight. Making excuses is the first sign at any age. If I couldn't read the gauges, I'd be concerned! Don't just chalk it up to getting old.

 

[chornbe]

Get some Lasik, glasses, something! You got to be kidding right?! If you can't see or recognize the speedo numbers, you shouldn't be on a bike!

Dude, I wasn't going to say it... *snicker*

 

[Metcalfe1963]

You guys are making me feel a lot better. I was somewhat worried that I might be the oldest U.S. rider of an FJR. It's nice to know that there are some that aren't too far behind me. I can still see the instruments when I have the nerve to look down. Now if I could just figure out a way to get the lift to get me out of my wheelchair onto the bike quicker..... And by the way, who is this "Dude" guy some of these future old farts keep talking to?

Go Gators :clapping:

 

[Jabber]

Good idea to mark significant speed points on the bezel of the speedo. While white out marks work just fine, a sexier approach might be to go to a gun shop and buy a bottle of day-glo paint that they use to put on the sights of pistols to better align your sight picture quickly. It can be purchased in small bottles about the size of the white-out bottle and includes a small applicator. They are sold in white, yellow, green and red and would be very easy to read at a glance. Perhaps use green for speeds below 70 and red for speeds above that mark.....be creative. Jabber

 

[Bounce]

Get some Lasik, glasses, something! You got to be kidding right?! If you can't see or recognize the speedo numbers, you shouldn't be on a bike!

+1

When I first got my 2003 FJR, I had a hard time seeing the speedo. I had lost my prescription glasses after the trunk of my Wing popped open when hitting a "pothole" at the CA/NV border during a little ride known as Mass Gold. I did a little 150 mile trip to Waco for an eye exam at a friend's optometry shop. On thw way home, new specs deployed, those numbers were amazingly easy to see. {yes i had been going without for 2 years before i stepped to the plate and got the replacements}

Get some Lasik, glasses, something! You got to be kidding right?! If you can't see or recognize the speedo numbers, you shouldn't be on a bike!

Your time will come.

and, when it does, he'll pop for a pair of specs to correct the problem. just like most people would.

 

[V GER]

GLOW PAINT

(standard disclaimer) h34r:

 

[gr8eyes]

The gauges' may or may not be clear depending on your age. If you have had great distance vision all your life, the near vision will start to go at around 40-43. By near vision I mean 16-22 inches. The older you get the farther out you will be bluured so that by age 55-60 the distance your gauges are at will be blurry. Depending on age a bifocal or trifocal will solve the problem.

One note on Lasik. Lasik doesn't fix your reading problem if you are over 40. It only corrects the distance vision, unless you do some form of monovision. ( One eye distance, One eye near.) That however takes away your depth perception which is not advised if you ride a motorcycle.

Glenn

 

[RonC]

I started wearing bifocal sunglasses once I hit about 44 years old. Motorcycle Consumer News had a recommendation for an inexpensive pair of bifocal sunglasses with the name brand 'Cheaters.' They are scratch and shatter resistant, 100% UV protection, and come in 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 diopter. With the 2.5 Cheaters on, I can read the speedo, tach and GPS unit. I have them in clear and dark shade. Under overcast skies, rain and at night, I switch from the sun glasses to the clears.

I now have a clear and dark pair for my FJR, my KLR, and my car. They also serve as my shooting glasses. You can find them at:

https://www.safetyglassesusa.com/cheaters.html, although there is another site that was recommended by MCN. For $10-15 a pair, they are a great deal.

They hold up so wel, I haven't had to replace a pair yet.

Ron (no affiliation with the brand or company)

 

[kindofblue]

A fly fishing friend of mine showed me his plastic reader inserts that attach to regular sunglasses without glue (just water adhesion). I got a set from Walgreens for about $10. I don't need 'em for reading the speedo but definitely use them with maps.

 

[madmike2]

+1 on the cheaters. TurboDave had me try some at WFO-4 in Skagit, WA. They also help me read the screen on my GPS.

Uhm, GR8EYES, how are the plans for another FJR?

 

[gr8eyes]

MM, not so well. The wife and oldest daughter decided she needed to get married this year, so there went my FJR budget. I have a feeling she'll have something come up each year till the youngest is out of the house, in 2014. LOL

 

[madmike2]

MM, not so well. The wife and oldest daughter decided she needed to get married this year, so there went my FJR budget. I have a feeling she'll have something come up each year till the youngest is out of the house, in 2014. LOL

Dang, Glen, sounds like life is overtaking you. However, there is something special about walking "The Princess" down the aisle. Fortify yourself, its quite an emotional experience....thankfully the frustrations will be absorbed by your wife (a topic for lengthy discussion)...you just get to write the checks! :blink:

 

[Silver Penguin]

Get some Lasik, glasses, something! You got to be kidding right?! If you can't see or recognize the speedo numbers, you shouldn't be on a bike!

Lasik surgery wont help. It's for the correction of short sightedness i.e. people who have problems with distance vision. I had it done several years ago, and it's awesome. However, I was warned when I had it done that I will need reading glasses when that time comes. That's a part of the normal ageing process.

Jill

 

[HaulinAshe]

I dislike the 06 instruments so much, that I guesstimated speed on my 06 test ride by referencing the tach, instead of the speedo. BTW, thanks to Beal for letting me test ride.

As far as being optically challenged is concerned... The optometrist told me at age-30 "You shouldn't be having these kind of problems until at least 50". I wear a monovision setup and don't have much problem with focus on the instruments. It's the level of information that has to be deciphered in a given moment that bothers me. Too much to look at, too much guess work for a fraction of a second.

I think the tick marks are a great idea. Every millisecond that I can divert from reading instruments to piloting skills, allows me to twist a bit harder.

Hell, I might just engineer a sweep display LCD speedo that drops in place of the analog dial. Of course I'll have to put sliders on it so that I don't scratch it when I drop the damn thing!