Kawasaki VN750 Forum banner

Gear Indicator

7K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  gidaeon 
#1 ·
Another member had ask me about my gear (position) indicator, but I was unable to respond back since he couldn’t receive PM so I decided to do a thread instead. The model I got on eBay, (under $20), uses a magnet to detect when there is a shift. Other models connect to the tachometer and speedometer to indicate the gear, but it was more confusing in my opinion so I went with the magnet one. The number range of the indicator is 0-8 which is more than enough for our bike. It displays a 0 for neutral, 1 for 1st gear, 2 for 2nd gear and so forth.



Install

I installed the display on top of my voltmeter and connected the power lines to the front running light so that it turns on with the bike.

I know the voltage is low in the pic, but I measured it and it is actually 1 volt lower than actual voltage since it’s connected to the front running lights.

The magnet went on the bottom bolt of the left foot pedal and the up/down sensors were glued onto the shift lever. The position of the sensor is critical since you only want it to activate when the lever is pushed all the way down or up. I had to toy around with it for a while to get it in the correct spot. And the neutral wire on the gear indicator was connected to the neutral wire in the headlight bucket.




Review
The gear indicator works as it should as long as you shift normally and don’t do anything out of the ordinary. Only thing about it is that it doesn’t accurately detect when the bike is in neutral. It’s not that big of any issue since there is already a green neutral light on the dash, but it’s still a bug. Sometimes it will sense when the bike is in neutral and sometimes it won’t. When I put the bike in neutral and the display doesn’t change to 0, then it will change after I push down lightly on the shift lever until I get a little resistant from the lever. I believe the indicator needs a signal from the neutral line and one of the sensors in order to indicate the neutral position. So when I lightly push down on the lever, it sets off one of the sensors. I’m not sure if changing the position of the sensors would help with this issue.

This is newbie in me speaking, but I like the indicator because I don’t have to mentally keep track of which gear I am in. Even though I spend most of my time in 5th gear, with the indicator, I don’t have to do an extra up shift to make sure that I am in 5th gear. Also since I am a noob, sometimes when I come to a stop I would forget to shift down to 1st gear, so when I look at the indicator it reminds me that I am still in 5th gear and saves me the embarrassment of stalling the bike.
 

Attachments

See less See more
7
#4 ·
I'm not even sure if the other type of gear indicator is compatible with our bike. It requires electronic speedometer and tachometer, and you're suppose to connect the wires to 0 stall, 1 stall, 2 stall, ... I don't even know what they're talking about.
 
#5 ·
Thank you for sharing your pictures and setup. Think im going to order one off ebay shortly myself.

Is the visibility acceptable during the day?
 
#8 ·
Yes, it is very visible during the day. It is really big and bright so I don't have any trouble reading it. My voltmeter on the other hand, not so much. To give you an idea about the visibility of it, the sunlight would make my voltmeter hard to read, but at the same time I am still able to read my gear indicator.
 
#7 ·
I thought at one point when I first started riding that I would like a gear indicator.
After working out the speed at 1k rpm in each gear, I can tell at a glance of the speedo and tach, what gear I am in.

Alternatively, if you shift by ear (about the same rpm between each gear change, say at 4 k rpm), just remember what the speed is at that rpm and you soon will not feel the need for a gear indicator in my experience. :)
 
#9 ·
I agree. This is a pretty easy thing to learn. After a while of riding around, you get used to it and start to know it by heart. But that is the ideal condition, you won’t always be able to shift at the same rpm every time. But even then, you should still have an idea of the speed and rpm range for each gear after practice.

However, I’m lazy and I just really like to visually see which gear I am in. Especially since the LED display is big, bright, and blue.
 
#10 ·
My bikes don't like speedometers(they either kill the guage or eat the cables) so I use the tach
 
#12 ·
Exactly right Goofy. I will be blasting down the highway a rockin' and a rollin' at 5k rpm knowing I am in 5th gear when I can see at a glance the clock says just over 70 mph. BUT I just KNOW there has to be one more gear to go, so there goes my left foot hunting for that elusive 6th gear that I can never find!! :wink2:
 
#13 ·
I just had this same indicator show up today and may try to install soon.

Everyday I ride I feel such is a little less necessary but if it prevents/saves from one or two stalls at an intersection let's say it will be worth the $18 shipped IMO for a total newbie
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top