BMW instruments or bespoke?

[touchwoodsden]

I am putting a Smart CD I into a BMW K 100.

I have already decided that the three button left/right indicator system is too complicated and therefore, beautifully made as they are, I am going to get rid of the switchgear and replace it with Honda which is straightforward.

Is it worthwhile trying to adapt the speedometer and rev counter or should I just get rid of them and put in a custom unit?

I would like to keep the original units but unless it’s going to be relatively straightforward, I have enough on with the rest of the build.

Thoughts welcome.

[mattm]

For what it is worth I had 2 bmw r series bikes of '78 vintage and found the electrics on both to be awfull even after buying replacement bits. I would go with what you are doing, junk most of it, maybe just keep the speedo, if it is mechanical. I've been contemplating diesel power for one of my bmws and thought a major attraction to such a conversion would be that it would save me having to finish wiring up the bmw switchgear and I could use honda wiring / switchgear in its place. Far more reliable in my expirience, even on older, higher milage hondas.

[touchwoodsden]

For what it is worth I had 2 bmw r series bikes of '78 vintage and found the electrics on both to be awfull even after buying replacement bits. I would go with what you are doing, junk most of it, maybe just keep the speedo, if it is mechanical. I've been contemplating diesel power for one of my bmws and thought a major attraction to such a conversion would be that it would save me having to finish wiring up the bmw switchgear and I could use honda wiring / switchgear in its place. Far more reliable in my expirience, even on older, higher milage hondas.

Thanks for the input. I think BMW spent more time designing the look and the engineering of the cases for the switchgear than they did on the electrical mechanism and hence the general opinion that the BMW stuff is crap.
The Speedo and rev counter unit is in one binnacle so it’s probably not practical to keep one part in any event. The speedo is electronic and works of the sensor in the differential. If it was mechanical, and operated off one of the wheels, I would be fighting tooth and nail to keep it rather than go to the trouble of having to do something else.

[touchwoodsden]

For what it is worth I had 2 bmw r series bikes of '78 vintage and found the electrics on both to be awfull even after buying replacement bits. I would go with what you are doing, junk most of it, maybe just keep the speedo, if it is mechanical. I've been contemplating diesel power for one of my bmws and thought a major attraction to such a conversion would be that it would save me having to finish wiring up the bmw switchgear and I could use honda wiring / switchgear in its place. Far more reliable in my expirience, even on older, higher milage hondas.

Thanks for the input. I think BMW spent more time designing the look and the engineering of the cases for the switchgear than they did on the electrical mechanism and hence the general opinion that the BMW stuff is crap.
The Speedo and rev counter unit is in one binnacle so it’s probably not practical to keep one part in any event. The speedo is electronic and works of the sensor in the differential. If it was mechanical, and operated off one of the wheels, I would be fighting tooth and nail to keep it rather than go to the trouble of having to do something else.

[mattm]

There have got to be easier ways to get a speedo by the sound of it, I have have previously had some luck with swapping clocks between binicles on some bikes - mainly on my classic hondas when my originals finally wore out and it turned out superdream clocks were far cheaper ( sat on my spares shelf ) and could be fitted to my 500/4 in such a way as to look stock and same ratio too it seems, but on a bmw it might be better to sell your clocks and use that to finance a custom type or whatever.

[touchwoodsden]

There have got to be easier ways to get a speedo by the sound of it, ..........SNIP........... on a bmw it might be better to sell your clocks and use that to finance a custom type or whatever.

Thats what I am thinking.