Has anyone fitted a Biketronics Digital gear indicator to their NC23 (or NC29 or VFR400 etc.).
http://www.biketronix.info/uk_shop/index1.html
I purchased one from fleabay at a bargain price last Xmas! The problem is this, the voltage at the tacho input on my bike is only 250mV. In the instructions it says the gear indicator needs a voltage of 6-7V at its input.

Their instructions quote:
Question: I can?t find the right pulse wire what can I do to find it?
Answer 1: Use a Voltmeter and start the bikes engine.
Find on the back of the REV counter a wire what provides a DC voltage of half the battery?s
voltage about 6 to 7 Volts.
Answer 2: Use a Voltmeter with a Frequency-counter.
Hold the Black wire of the Voltmeter to the ground of the Bikes wiring loom. Search with the
Red wire from the Voltmeter in to the back of the REV counter wire loom.
If your bikes engine runs 3000RPM this should produce about 50Hz.
When you find this wire its wise to measure if the voltage on the wire is about 6 to 7 volts.
If so you have found the right one and can be connected to the gear indicators GREEN wire.
Answer 3: Some bikes have a CRANK pick up sensor that is connected to the ECU Unit.
The ECU unit is the bikes ?computer? that sent Signals from and to the engine.
Try to local the Crank pick up sensor and do as described in answer 2.

OK, I know I've got the right wire on the back of the tacho, and the NC23 doesn't have a crank sensor, so
I'm thinking I need to either a) amplify the signal that's present at the tacho input OR b) find another point to connect it??? (the ignition pick up? of the coils? and then would this need to be buffered?)

(On a similar note a friend has fitted a digital dash to his NC30 and has the same problem, ie the tacho part does not register!)

trickyd400 wrote: OR b) find another point to connect it??? (the ignition pick up? of the coils? and then would this need to be buffered?)

(On a similar note a friend has fitted a digital dash to his NC30 and has the same problem, ie the tacho part does not register!)

Yep, should be a simple fix, your thinking is correct. The tacho wire/input on both of these bikes uses an electronic converter, the problems above should be sorted if you use the +ve connection from one of the coils.

Interested to hear how you go...


Edit: You might need to use RF shielded wire for best long term results, but hooking a plain wire straight up will tell you quickly if it will work or not.

Thanks Stickshift, I'll give it a go tomorrow.
I was worried about the coil +ve point being too noisy (causing intereference and widely varying readings) or likely to damage the input to the gear indicator, but I hope they designed it to be pretty robust?

Anyway if this fails to launch I have a Datatool Digi digital gear indicator to try, but this needs a digital speedo input, so I've got a VFR speedo sensor which I need to find a way of mounting on the front sprocket cover, but I have a couple of ideas for that. But more of that later...

i fitted one of theses to my nc23 last year, oh the hours i spent looking at wiring diagrams and even emailing biketronix with the diagrams, eventualy i sorted it by going from the coil itself i still have some tidying up to do with the wiring but it does work

Stickshift wrote:Interested to hear how you go...

You looking at one to put on the race bike? I was wondering what others thought of having such a thing on a race bike. I've only done two track days on mine, so kind of have an excuse for not knowing which gear I'm in (halfway down the back straight at Broadford is where I've been caught out the most, trying to shift into the 7th of my 6 gears...)

I know what you mean Pleiades, looking for 7th! Yes I do only use it on trackdays.

Thanks for your suggestion Stickshift, after I'd used a normal length of stranded wire I tried a shielded cable, but it made no perceptible difference (I wish I had a 'scope to have look though!)

I have now taken the input from one of the coil connections and it appears to work. ie it is now reading engine pulses. After reading the programming instructions a meeellion times, I am able to program it, but I am unsure what to do once you're in 6th gear, it displays 'n' and I wait for the 15 seconds, then turn off the ignition?
Once I do this it works erraticly, although I haven't ridden it yet, just testing on the paddock stand. When sorted I intend to put the magnet on the front wheel.

I too have had no response from Biketronix to my queries, which forces you to read and re-read the instructions!!!

Picture of dash layout:

rear of dash showing simple ally bracket pop-riveted to originall bracket under the foam!

picture showing use of piggy-back spade connector to connect to the coil.


Thanks Ian400 that gives me confidence that I can get mine to work too!

After persevering with this on and off for the last year (only about 5 trackdays LOL) I have found that it is easy to count how many times you press the gear lever! Doh! and just remember how many gears to change down for each corner, once into a rythm it seems to work, and one less thing to distract you.
The result with the gear indicator is that it is a random number generator, so it gets taped over...

The project for this winter is see if I can get the Datatool DIGI gear indicator to work any better, just need to fit the electric speedo sensor from a VFR....

Oh BTW I painted it aswell for this year:

trickyd400 wrote:Oh BTW I painted it aswell for this year:

What the fairing is this ?

BTW, I also planning to use calculated gear indication embedded into MyChron dash. Good thing it work both mode - from gear position sensor and calculated based on RPM. But the calculated mode is not accurate as gear position sensor, and you can get 5 gear ever on the neutral if you turn throttle. Unfortunatelly I haven't spare engine to play with this.

Nice paint job, where did you get that done? Number 4

Parus, it's Swan Honda, BSB. Was a new team for this season, after Hydrex dropped out.