Ok... I saw a few people had come up with a variety of solutions for clocks - including the watch idea.
Here is what I did ($12 Walmart watch & heavy duty velcro) Sorry about the flash glare
What sucks is I know deep down inside it can be done. Most automotive gauges are done with electronic sending units... A custom fiberglass case, tach, speedometer, fuel gauge and some indicator lamps. Dammit! I hope it's not a long winter this year
http://www.kosonorthamerica.com/index_us.html
this site has gauges for scooters.... cool stuff, but not cheap
the have instructions posted up on the site.... just as I thought... WAY beyond what I want to try and tackle
Actually... they have two models (XRSA & XRS) that look a LOT like the Rattler speedo
I figured out on the ride home it's in miles - I must've forgotten to reset it one of the last times I fueled up because I saw 1018 and just assumed it was 101800 meters (63 miles or so) which was realistic, and I know I wasn't getting 100mpg
I'm getting one for the stella since there's not really a rev limiter.
I just installed the Tiny Tach. I zip-tied it around the left front blinker bracket. It's a great little device for monitoring and adjusting idle speed.