I am looking for the site that there is pictures of an atv with a bike computer on it. Now I can't seem to find it again. I would be thankful for its location.

 

Mulder,

Sorry, I don't have your site, however, I put a bike computer on my quad. Aside from the thought required prior to the actual mounting, it was relatively simple and quick to do.

I assume you have a Honda??? Maybe your setup is the same as the 400EX.

I am not sure of the advances in technology of the things, but the one I used was purchased about 2-3 years ago. I just put it on about a month ago; I never used it and it was still in the box. It is waterproof and displays Avg./Max Speed, Auto start/stop watch, Clock, Trip distance, and a total ODO. All functions can be reset between each ride except the ODO. It was only $21.

What I meant by technological advances is in the case of wired vs. remote. Mine is wired, meaning a wire runs from the sensor to the actual display module (which can be removed when not riding). I think some of the systems out today transmit a radio freq., which alleviates the need for a wire. Just be sure if you purchase a remote system, it doesn't need line of site from the sensor to the module to transmit info. You'll never achieve this on a quad.

My wire was not long enough for the job, so I had to cut out the original wire and replace with an appropriate length. In doing so, I also upgraded the gauge of wire to about an 18 AWG (give or take AWG; it was wire I had laying around the shop).

On my 400EX, I mounted the sensor onto the plastic shroud that surrounds the front brake calipers. It sits right next to the hub. This was an ideal spot for mounting because you have to mount a magnet somewhere on the wheel. The magnet is what passes the sensor and sends a signal to the display module.

I mounted the magnet, with super glue (I had to purchase a pack of 1/2" round magnets from Radio Shack to replace the magnet that came with the speedo. The one with the speedo was designed to attach to a bike spoke) to the back of one of the lugs. I made sure the magnet would pass the sensor in the desired spot (I mounted the magnet before the sensor because the placement of the magnet was my limiting factor). I wanted to position the magnet as close to the center of the wheel as possible, as this would limit any possibility of making the wheel off balance. After I mounted the magnet and determined a good spot for the sensor, I proceeded to drill a couple of holes in the plastic shroud were I would run plastic tie straps through to secure the sensor.

You really need to follow the directions that come with the speedo to determine the distance the magnet needs to be from the sensor (mine was something in the neighborhood of 1/8") and how to calculate and adjust the settings on the speedo to match the circumference of your tire.

I wish I had pictures to go along with this, but don't. After sitting down and studying my hub/wheel assembly and trying to figure out where I would mount the darn sensor and magnet, the job probably took about 1 1/2 hours and looks stock. I made sure to secure everything, except the magnet, with plastic tie straps. I made sure I left enough play in the wire so the wheel would turn without pulling on the wire.

 

Try searching the Yamaha forum for "speedometer", I'm pretty sure there was a lenghty discussion on it there.

I didn't have much luck with mounting it on my front hub (mud and brush would get jammed in there moving the sensor), so the magnet is on the inside of the rear sprocket now and I fabricated a sturdy mount for the sensor. The rear skid plate seems to keep things away from it. It only reads up to 60-65 kmh though, and mine is a good quality one (Cateye). You would have to mount the magnet right on the axle so that it doesn't pass the sensor too quickly, which would be harder to do.

Rod 86 250R

 

The magnet can also be mounted on the stub shaft where it exits the differential. It is out of the way and fairly well protected. I attached it with silicone sealer because super glue has no shear strength. Radio Shack sells a magnet that is made of Sumarian Cobalt that is about 1/4 inch in diameter and 3/16 thick. It has the highest Gaus rating for its size of any magnet made, it is even stronger than the 1/2 inch one that Radio Shack sells. I used that type on my Kawasaki. works good, lasts a long time.