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Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:06 pm
by DMonkey
So ive been riding a lot since i got my license and have been on the road a few times and thought to myself what the hell is the time! Why the hell doesn't my bike have a clock... Then i thought to myself lets put one one.... Any one done this before best way to go about? Hardwired or just a small one with batteries! Thinking digital with a back light so it works at night obviously! Im not so tech savvy so wiring will be difficult for me! So the battery option is probs easier unless someone can help me wire it? If so where can i get this sort of stuff???

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:15 pm
by 6maniac

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 10:22 pm
by Ratmick
El-cheapo Bike Computer would be your best bet and if you shop around you will find a waterproof one. You can even use it for a speedo if you get one with a four-digit readout (some only read to 100km/h).

The backlight is harder. Some have one but it's activated by a pushbutton. I also found the little buttons hard to manage wearing gloves and attempts to hardwire it failed as they time out after a few seconds to conserve your battery. If you're handy with a soldering iron and don't mind fiddling it may be easier to remove the backlight globes/LEDs and install your own small LEDs permanently wired into the bike power.

I borrowed this (crappy) pic from http:www/ninja250.org:

Image

FWIW I mounted mine on the dash between the tacho and speedo. As the speedos are designed to strap onto a handlebar and your bike (as did my GPX250R) has rudimentary clip-ons I made a mount out of a small slice of thin broomstick painted matt black and epoxyed to the dash. I glued the computer mount to the slice of broomstick:

Bike dash.jpg
Bike dash.jpg (91.58 KiB) Viewed 4937 times

Mick :kuda:

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 11:12 pm
by DMonkey
Looking more digital than analog... and the bike one seems like a good idea apart from the small buttons for the back light :(
hmmm thinking maybe something like this... Cheap and nasty, just how i like them!
http://www.4-motorcycles.co.uk/acatalog ... Clock.html

*EDIT* ok so i think i like this
http://shop.sydneycitymotorcycles.com.a ... clock.html
*EDIT*

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2009 11:38 pm
by IsleofNinja
Or an el cheapo digital wrist watch and some double sided tape ;) ;)
Works just fine on the KLR and cost a wopping $15 total!?(even has lap timer etc so you can pretend you own a super sport!!)
:kuda: :kuda:

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:47 am
by Cwidova
IsleofNinja wrote:Or an el cheapo digital wrist watch and some double sided tape ;) ;)
Works just fine on the KLR and cost a wopping $15 total!?(even has lap timer etc so you can pretend you own a super sport!!)
:kuda: :kuda:

+1
worked a treat and never had to change the batteries when i had the bike......dont know about it now though :kuda:

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 10:49 am
by DMonkey
IsleofNinja wrote:Or an el cheapo digital wrist watch and some double sided tape ;) ;)
Works just fine on the KLR and cost a wopping $15 total!?(even has lap timer etc so you can pretend you own a super sport!!)
:kuda: :kuda:


I like it not to get the el cheapo wrist watch! Just make sure i get one with an easy to hit light button! :D

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:24 pm
by photomike666
Waterproof watch and round velcro sticky pads. That way you can take the watch with you at the shopping centre - and you still have it when you leave!

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:54 pm
by mike-s
i did mine similar to Ratmick, except i made the mounting out of a peice of thick (and unused) fuel hosing. The trick is to cut the faces of them dead flat so they fit flush on the dash as superglue is frankly totally shit at filling gaps as well as on the back of the mount for the bike computer (my sigma one is curved to mould nicely to a handlebar/give you a hell of a time making a clean mount onto the bike. I drilled a hole for a small countersunk screw in the base of the bikeputer mount and used a whole gob of deliberately nearly-cured epoxy resin (so it gobs up really thick) on the screw so it sticks nicely into the hose.

it sounds messy, but it is quite tidy and works well and has stood the last 15thousand km on my RF quite well.

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 9:39 pm
by DMonkey
I like photomike's idea :) sounds by far the easiest and easy is how i like it :)

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 10:10 pm
by dave#3
Mine was one step easier than Mike's - I got a $5 digital watch and attached it to the bar with the watch band - no need for fancy velcro!

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Tue May 26, 2009 10:44 pm
by DMonkey
Now dave you are an ideas man! I think i just came in my pants a little with the simplicity!

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 7:29 am
by dilligaf
DMonkey wrote:I like photomike's idea :) sounds by far the easiest and easy is how i like it :)


try this stuff instead of velcro

3M Dual Lock Reclosable Fastener

its clear. think its at bunnings

Image

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 9:20 am
by corvus2606
oxford make a little clock with a backlight that velcros onto your bike, its ~$30 i think
cbf finding a link to show you, but most bike shops should have them, it even has a thermometer with an ice warning for when it drops below 3 degrees c

Re: Clock for my bike

PostPosted: Thu May 28, 2009 12:18 pm
by DMonkey
yea ive had a look at the oxford clocks they are $40 from sydney city morotcycles
If i can find a digital watch that will work for 10-15 ill get that if not ill probably get the oxford one