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03/04/05/06 ZX636 ZX6R speedo upgrade

113K views 365 replies 169 participants last post by  Aliwil 
#1 ·
Hello ZX6R forum!
I'm extr400 from Kawiforums (and same profile on here now too) :hmmm:
Just wanted to publicise a project that I've had running to use the new style dial gauges (from 2007 bikes onwards) on the 03 to 06 bikes that used the LCD style clocks.

Well the good news is that the project is finished now and thanks to several forum members that have been willing test victims, I now have a plug and play solution to make the upgrade be seamless and easy.

The new style speedo gives you the better looking moving dial tacho and LCD speed readout. Its also much better for track use as its easier to register what a dial gauge is telling you than the LCD tacho graph, on a quick glance.

The trick feature is that the adapter calculates the gear from the difference between the speed and tacho signals and sends an extra digital signal to the new speedo to work the gear readout. This also stops the annoying red FI light from flashing :crazy

The engine signals are all a bit different between model years, so the adapter adjusts them to be correct for the new speedo. Essentially this is doing a speedo healer function, so it was logical to allow some extra variation to take account of custom final drive sprocket sizes. There is a Windows PC interface program that talks over USB to set up the adapter.

Since its a community led project I have kept costs as low as possible. Am currently selling them to forum members for US$50 and $10 post (international signed for delivery) - they are made by me in Scotland.

I'm an electronics engineer by trade, so have tried to make it as good as any commercial product.

Have limited numbers available, but can build more on demand. Please PM me if your interested.
Cheers
extr400
 

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#3 ·
So we get all this and the gauge for $60 USD?

I must admit, this is a pretty sweet upgrade.
 
#7 ·
Yea, its just the adapter you get.
But its a plug and play solution without any of the wiring hassle.
And you get all the function of the new speedo, and a speedo healer.
I post the adapter and a USB cable, you can download the PC app from a Google docs link to my account.
The app only works for PC (XP up to current OS), there is no MAC app. (Engineers don't really do MAC).
Payment is by Paypal. You have to PM me your details as I'm not broadcasting them on here for every junk mail bot to pick up....
 
#24 ·
As far as the OS X thing...

On the user end there are plenty of emulators for running PC programs on your mac. I use PlayOnMac for the small stuff and have a virtual machine with a copy of XP for the bigger stuff.


On the developer end, this is why every large OS maker needs to just adopt their systems to be POSIX compliant. I like that OS X doesn't require me to think for basic use. I do have Windows for my coding fun though. And then there is Linux...
 
#11 ·
This should work on a J model, but so far no-one has tried it.
It would be necessary to use the PC app to set the correct gearbox ratios for 1st through 6th gear (which you can easily do in the program). The service manual will have these listed.
You would also probably need to modify the clocks mounting brace on your bike.
If you were to fit the LHS handlebar switch unit from an 03 to 06 bike then you could have the lap timer function too.
 
#13 ·
Would the interface mess with an existing speedohealer? like if I JUST wanted the plug and play late model clock, would I just not program the speedohealer part?
 
#16 · (Edited)
If you have a speedo healer fitted then you would need to set it to 1:1 (no conversion). Or if you felt inclined then remove it completely.

The reason for this is that for the new gauge to display the gear correctly, it needs to know (via the adapter) the actual engine rpm and final drive speed at the output of the gearbox. Since speedo healer changes the output speed signal to make the clocks read correctly, then it would falsify the gear calcs.

The adapter has a speed correction function, but this is applied after the un-molested engine signals have been used to work out the gearbox gear.
 
#14 ·
Oh and BTW, this is AWESOME. I have always wanted the newer clock, but wiring/electrical is not my specialty. Thank you for offering such a sweet product!
 
#18 ·
Ok guys I'm Super interested but I need some answers, and Ill give my situation as well.

Situation:
- I know 0 about how the speedo and tacho work etc.
- I am about to buy my first zx636 2003 model. It is a track only bike.
- I am going to inspect this bike in less than 1 week, and will buy on the day if all is good.
- Sorry if the questions are dumb I'm new to this :p

Questions:
1). Assuming this bike has the crappy stock display cluster, what is needed for the conversion... is it literally just buy, remove old, plug in new (after the computer part) and I'm good to go?
2). Will you post to Australia? postage estimate (any currency, Ill just convert lol save you the effort)
3). Is it rain/waterproof... can I wash the bike and let it sit in rain (i try to avoid it) without worry...?
 
#19 ·
1. Yes
2. Yes (though Oz post is lousy, even with tracking :(
3. Yes adapter is sealed except for mini USB and in/out connectors.

PM me with your email address for a paypal invoice of the relevant amount.
You should probably buy the bike first tho, and source a new gauge :)
 
#21 ·
+1!
 
#23 ·
OK now I really feel stupid, so i read all/most of the posts, and ur selling the adapter.
I have to buy your adapter,
Buy a (for eg) 07-08 gauge (i assume the face bit with some cords in the back?)
then rip mine off, plug yours into the 07 - 08 thing, and then put those two on the bike, and then its done?

Sorry to appear thick I just dont get half the terminology yet :p.

But thanks for the help :D
 
#30 ·
I guess this would work fine on a ZX10R.
The app lets you set custom gearbox ratios - it uses this info for working out what gear your in. You would need to look these up in the Kawasaki service manual and enter them all into the app gear settings.

I have a bunch of defaults linked into a bike/year selection box.
I guess I could expand this to cover the ZX10R

You offering to be a test victim?
 
#33 ·
I'm still unsure as to how this works ha ha?

So my bike is an 03 B1H what do I need for this kit to work?

1) Your little device
2) New gauge cluster? if so my miles will read wrong!

Can you shed a bit more light on exactly what we need to make this work as I'm sure there are a lot more people thinking the same as me.
 
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#34 ·
I have this fitted to my B1H and you need the adaptor and a suitable gauge (I used PF7).

Its then plug and play (although you will need to make some alteration to the meter bracket to mount the new gauge)

The mileage will be wrong - I looked at getting this corrected but the cost was around £100 so I just made a note in the service book of the change. No probs at MOT time
 
#35 ·
Cheers mate, I think I'll steer clear of this one then don't see the point in all the hassle to be fair, the standard gauge is ok anyway nothing a different coloured bulb can't sort out to make it look different :devious
 
#36 ·
The mods needed to fit the new speedo are minor and take less then 10 minutes with a dremel. The biggest advantage of the new speedo is the tach which is much easier to read in sunlight, and the way the new speedo handles the clock/ multifunction. It's nice to be able to see the clock and your trip odo at the same time. The concern about the mileage is valid, I got lucky a found a cluster that was within 700~ of my original but that's not always gonna be the case. But I don't plan on selling mine, at this point the money I've put into it would be a waste at what I could sell it for. If/when I get a new bike, the 03 will become a track bike :D
 
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