Buddy's speedometer and odometer: Kilometers or miles?

[Phuket]

Hi everyone! I just got my Buddy this weekend, and I'm looking forward to scooting all over DC- as soon as this snow storm passes!

I think I figured something out... A few people on Modern Buddy have said that the speedometer overestimates the MPH, and I've noticed that the odometer might be ambitious about the miles I've driven too... This leads me to believe that although the display says miles, the buddy actually displays KPH and total kilometers driven. I went to Taiwan this summer, and I know they use kilometers instead of miles. I'm thinking it's a lot easier to change the display than to change the mechanics of the speedometer and odometer. My theory would mean that a buddy traveling 25 MPH would have a speedometer that read 40 MPH...

What do you think?

[Elm Creek Smith]

When I'm running with the cages on the way to work where the speed limit is 50, I'm indicating about 55. If my speedometer was in klicks, it would show 80. The speedometer is off, but it's not that far off.

ECS

[ericalm]

Good guess on the problem, but the speedo optimism is actually pretty much standard on scooters and motorcycles as well. I've heard that the DOT has regulations for the degree of variance allowed. Odd that all of these speedometers are optimistic. Maybe it's a conspiracy to get people to ride slower. From what I've read, the variation is usually around 10%-12%.

Anyway, the true test of this is comparing the indicated speed to another source ideally mounted on the scoot such as GPS. Jess did a comparison on his Vespa GT (with a chart!). Check it out here: http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic40.html

There are other devices which will provide accurate speed readings, but most people just do the rough math on the fly. Me, I never look at my speedometer.

[lou76]

I've heard that the DOT has regulations for the degree of variance allowed.

i would imagine that DOT has regulations about selling vehicles with speedos that measure in metric only...

[ericalm]

I've heard that the DOT has regulations for the degree of variance allowed.

i would imagine that DOT has regulations about selling vehicles with speedos that measure in metric only...

That too!
Personally, I say go metric, USA. Someday...

[seth xyl]

Manufacturers make the speedo's optimistic to keep from being sued for your speeding ticket, or so I've heard.

I'm with ericalm on going to metric, increments of 10 is just so much easier. And screw fractions.

[lobsterman]

1 mile = 1.6 kilometers (roughly). It can't be off that much no matter how much leeway you give it.

I just rode into downtown Cincy on a road with a 1.5 mile stretch posted at 50mph and I kept up with traffic easily at an indicated 62mph - clearly the speedometer isn't in kph, that would have been only 38 mph and there wasn't anything to slow people down. When was the last time you saw the traffic flowing unimpeeded at 38 mph on a 50 mph limit?

Also I think I can tell the difference between 38 mph and 60 mph without looking at the dial.

Trust us, the speedo is clearly off a little, but it's not showing the wrong units of measure.

[weebl]

seth xyl's theory makes the most sense to me. The manufacturer is safer having the speedos be generally over, so that the variations in manufacturing won't lead to one that reads under (possibly exposing them to a lawsuit).

No one ever said "Whaddaya mean officer? I thought I was going 70 and you wrote this ticket for 65"

Or at least, no one sane

[polianarchy]

Personally, I say go metric, USA.

BWA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! O, D/FW.

And to the original poster: I live five miles from work, and my milage is recorded accurately every day I commute. So I think the only disrepency is with the speedo, as discussed here and other threads on this board.

[lou76]

seth xyl's theory makes the most sense to me. The manufacturer is safer having the speedos be generally over, so that the variations in manufacturing won't lead to one that reads under (possibly exposing them to a lawsuit).

No one ever said "Whaddaya mean officer? I thought I was going 70 and you wrote this ticket for 65"

Or at least, no one sane

although this theory is a quality conversation piece, i seriously doubt that manufacturers are in much financial danger from being sued by people for there speeding tickets... lawyers fees and time investment would make such lawsuits improbable... also, if this were to hold any water, why would scooter speedos be over, but cars be so precise?

[ericalm]

seth xyl's theory makes the most sense to me. The manufacturer is safer having the speedos be generally over, so that the variations in manufacturing won't lead to one that reads under (possibly exposing them to a lawsuit).

No one ever said "Whaddaya mean officer? I thought I was going 70 and you wrote this ticket for 65"

Or at least, no one sane

although this theory is a quality conversation piece, i seriously doubt that manufacturers are in much financial danger from being sued by people for there speeding tickets... lawyers fees and time investment would make such lawsuits improbable... also, if this were to hold any water, why would scooter speedos be over, but cars be so precise?

I agree. It doesn't really make sense that MC/scoot makers would be vulnerable to this kind of lawsuit and not auto makers (many of whom have deeper pockets than some of the MC companies). I would guess that there's some kind of technical cause behind the imprecision... or at least that it started out that way. But it seems odd to me that with all our modern technology, no one can make an accurate scooter speedo.

Personally, I say go metric, USA.

BWA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!! O, D/FW.

Heh—forgot there was actually someone here who'd pick up on that! Even mor oblique than the MV thread consisting almost entirely of Smith's titles and lyrics.

[BlueMark]

Personally, I say go metric, USA. Someday...

The USA has been officially metric since 1893

Believe it or not.

-Mark

[ericalm]

Personally, I say go metric, USA. Someday...

The USA has been officially metric since 1893

Believe it or not.

Well, the Office of Weights and Measures has been:

"Mendenhall ordered that the standards used for the most accurate length and mass comparison change from certain yard and pound objects to certain meter and kilogram objects, but did not require anyone outside of the Office of Weights and Measures to change from the customary units to the metric system."

[BlueMark]

Well, the Office of Weights and Measures has been

Congress authorized the use of the metric system in 1866, but it was in 1893 that the Mendenhall Order made it the official system of weights and measures.

Of course you are not required to use the metric system. Personally I'm looking for milage measures to be stated in a Biblical "cubits per kab".

-Mark

[golfinguy]

I weigh 11 stones.

And cars are often optimistic too. BMW always, according to the car mags, anyway, makes their speedos optimistic to the maximum amount. It makes a slow scooter appear faster, and an expensive car appear even faster. more of a marketing tool, I think

I like having a metric speedo in my car here in Atlanta. Everyone else goes 75, me, I get to go 120

[BuddyRaton]

I modified my speedo, now it reads in furlongs per fortnight

[BoneGirl]

I can say pretty accurately my speedometer reads 5 miles over the actual.

[ericalm]

I modified my speedo, now it reads in furlongs per fortnight

.125 miles / 2688 hrs. That would be pretty useful in LA traffic.

[golfinguy]

I modified my speedo, now it reads in furlongs per fortnight

[ericalm]

I can say pretty accurately my speedometer reads 5 miles over the actual.

So when you're stopped it says 5mph?

[lobsterman]

I can say pretty accurately my speedometer reads 5 miles over the actual.

So when you're stopped it says 5mph?

BoneGirl doesn't ever stop, she just slows down sometimes.

[Keys]

Since the speedometer is gear driven, the difference is a ratio or percentage...not a set "5 MPH" or the like. On the Buddy (as with many other scooters) the difference between actual and indicated is right about 10% which breaks down to right at 5 MPH at 50 (actual then being 45), 3 MPH at indicated 30 or 6 MPH at 60. I suppose the average would be about 5 MPH......

--Keys

[BoneGirl]

Since the speedometer is gear driven, the difference is a ratio or percentage...not a set "5 MPH" or the like. On the Buddy (as with many other scooters) the difference between actual and indicated is right about 10% which breaks down to right at 5 MPH at 50 (actual then being 45), 3 MPH at indicated 30 or 6 MPH at 60. I suppose the average would be about 5 MPH......

--Keys

I'd say that's pretty close. The average speed limit around town is 35mph. I have had my husband drive next to me and when he's going 40mph in the car, I'm going 45mph. Tested at a few different speeds and it stays pretty close to 5mph over at normal driving speeds.

[GenuineSlacker]

STOP signs are just short for Slow To Optional Pace. And of course everyone's favorite, the ones with white around the edge are optional. Unless my scoots off my speedo doesn't generally read less than 5 mph.

Also in my personal, completely non-professional opinion, I want to think that the % off actually DEcreases. This is based on simple logic. The faster my speedo says I'm going on the highway, the less I'm passed. As a side note, pegged my speedo on the way to galveston for the Sandblast rally, WITHOUT drafting (did it again drafting a fedex truck, then it wiggled) after I got there, she ran like poop. Took it in tuesday (slowly drifting FAR off topic) bad rollers he says, wednesday it will be fixed he hopes. So sad, not even forming coherent sentences. Sound like Frankenstein. Tooooo sad....