Idylling from hols towards a work-day tomorrow, surfin' the web and checking out Koso speedo/tacho units, I came across this Yamaha clock set on eBay:

Yamaha clock set YZF-R6 5EB 98-02 tacho speedo - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-clock-set- ... 5d2b633696 - "Yamaha YZF-R6 Complete speedo / tacho clock set to fit 5EB 98-02 pre injection models." (Item No.: 400159880854).

My question is, would this Yamaha clock set work on an NC30 without modification? I imagine tracing the correct wiring is possible, and I would guess that the tacho could be connected to "RPM out" from the NC30's CDI. Has anyone on the forum tried anything similar? What's your advice?

At nearly £200 less than a Koso RX2, the Yam clocks are a tempting idea.

tanto wrote:My question is, would this Yamaha clock set work on an NC30 without modification?

No, it may possibly not work at all.

In theory it should hook up fine, but until you try it you just won't know what's required.

I have a feeling the tacho won't be easy to hook up (it may be possible by modifying the tacho signal with other electronics), and the speedo may be difficult also (and even when hooked up will misread due to different front tyre profile of the 2 bikes).

Over the years quite a few members on here have hooked up late model honda clocks (cbr954, f4i etc) - none of them are a straight forward fit. I have a link to fitting some 954 clocks, will add it here when I'm off work.

It's a pity none are straight forward replacements, many standard late model clocks do look better than the aftermarket options I reckon!

Cammo wrote: I have a feeling the tacho won't be easy to hook up (it may be possible by modifying the tacho signal with other electronics), and the speedo may be difficult also (and even when hooked up will misread due to different front tyre profile of the 2 bikes).

Agreed, to reverse engineer the inputs ought to be possible for the tacho signal, and for the speedo the input is likely fairly straight-forward as there's no need for it to be encoded or encrypted or some-such. Translating an electronic speedo input (from a magnet/reed switch pickup) could be done with a programmable IC to accommodate different wheels sizes/tyre profiles. Or is the R6 unit speedo prop drive? I think a bit of research and experimentation is called for. Do you know of a forum on-line where someone has documented something similar?

Cammo wrote: Over the years quite a few members on here have hooked up late model honda clocks (cbr954, f4i etc) - none of them are a straight forward fit. I have a link to fitting some 954 clocks, will add it here when I'm off work.

It's a pity none are straight forward replacements, many standard late model clocks do look better than the aftermarket options I reckon!

I'd be very interested to see how the 954 clock conversion works. In principle a "black box" between the clock set and the NC30 harness would do the "translation".

Here's another Yamaha R6 clock set on eBay, at 34.95 + p&p; Genuine Yamaha R6 UK clock set / dash / guages, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-R6-99-00-0 ... 483babdb06

I seem to remember someone in France making custom dials for the R6/R1 tacho at a reasonable price. I can't find the linky.

If we could reverse engineer the clocks, it would save money over an after-market unit, save weight over the analogue tacho & speedo, and we could have a 400GreyBike design.

Even an RVF tacho isn't a straight forward install on a VFR...... I'd get one of those flashy Koyso kits if i had the money :)

tanto wrote: Or is the R6 unit speedo prop drive?

The 5EB R6 has an analogue dial on the dash with a digital pick up on the gearbox

Thanks, Thunderace. To be clear, can you confirm the R6 unit has the tacho pickup in the gearbox (it has an analogue tacho dial)? In that case, any idea where the speedo pick-up is located, or are the tacho/speedo pickup's one and the same, augmented with a separate gear selection sensor?

The pick up sensor is on the gearbox but I'm not 100% sure how they convert a digital signal into analogue movement. That may be explained by the list price of a dash unit though

Perhaps I'm getting this wrong but the digital signal from the gearbox sensor will, most likely ( ), be converted to analogue in the clock set IC. If that is the case, a wire should run back from the gearbox to the clock set. Are you looking at an R6, or an R6 service/Haynes manual? Either should show the connection.

Hold it - I've got an R6 manual somewhere around... It's a wiring diagram "YZF-R6 L/YZF-R6CL"... which shows, er, wires! It looks all digital to me, with sensors feeding back input to the clock set. Digging around further in the "R6 Manual Electric" there's wiring diagrams for the plug into the clock set (excellent!), and more information:

Re. the speedo, page 8-45: "Measure the voltage (5V) of blue/yellow and black/blue." A handy illustration shows us where on the socket these wires run. "With each full rotation of the rear wheel, the voltage reading should cycle from 0V to 5V to 0V to 5V." Sounds like a simple system. Now, what's the most practical way to compensate for the NC30's different tyre size?

Re. the tacho, returning to "YZF-R6 L/YZF-R6CL Wiring Diagram", the tachometer shares an earth with the Neutral Indicator Light, and the Speed Sensor. A Live wire runs out to the other instrumentation (inc. the Combination Meter), and a Hot wire, Yellow/Black, runs direct from the CDI Unit.

Wiring Diagram excerpt here... (Sorry, the board system says, "Your images may only be up to 865 pixels high. Your images may only be up to 1080 pixels wide.")

Note 1: The Speed Sensor is connected by a White wire from the CDI Unit (see attached diagram). The SS is also connected to the Combination Meter (the LCD panel on the unit).

Other notes. It looks like the R6 temperature warning system doesn't kick in until the coolant's up to 130C. A compromise may be necessary here. Possibly, if one connected the unit to the NC30's coolant temp sensor, the warning system would come on at a lower, NC30 friendly temperature, but the system might report a higher temp on the gauge (from an illustration, I would guess between 118C & 140C).

While I chew over my supper, and the above, would anyone more qualified than me care to comment? Thanks!

Sorry, I've been having a brain fart, ignore my previous post The tacho is analogue display with digital pickup but the speedo itself is digital all the way through with a pickup at the output shaft.

BTW, the ECU on the R6 5EB will shut down the engine at 130* to prevent damage

Looks like converting the speedo part of the clock set is possible:

Yellow Box Speedometer Calibrator http://www.bluegauges.com/prod_yellow_box.htm
Price: $100.00 (Priority Mail within USA is included)

The price kinda kills it for the NC30, but it illustrates that digital recalibration of the R6 gauge must be possible.