Speedometer replacement

C

Cjsinla_imp

First service completed
Thread starter
When replacing the meters, does putting in a new speedometer reset all the mileage back to 00000? If so, how is anyone supposed to know how many miles are on the bike? Is the mileage tracked and stored inside the speedometer?

2013 CB1100 has 7600 miles, instruments were damaged in a crash. The housings were replaced by me a few months ago but the LED panel has begun to glitch and parts of it flicker intermittently. I have new meters and plan to change them out at the 8000 mile service. Can I put them in myself? It's a simple job but is there any California regulations that say I can't do it?
 
Apparently, the mileage is stored in the instrument cluster. Forum member Randy B replaced his instrument cluster and it set his mileage back to zero. Here's the thread :

Aaaaaannnnnndd.....
 
I'm not the only victim of this, PowderToastMan also had his damaged in a wreck not of his making and he started as 0000 as well. I'm not sure if they can set the odometer at the time of installation, but it wasn't done on either of ours so you'll have to ask a Honda dealer if it's possible.
 
Thread starter
Thank you for your replies. I plan to change it at 8000 so I can keep track of regular maintanence which I believe is every 4000 miles.
 
Thread starter
TINK_imp said:
Check with these guys > Palo Alto Speedometer
I seem to remember fro my Honda Auto days that these guys could rest the odo on a new cluster.
Be sure to check with your local DMV as a 0000 odometer may need to be recorded with them along with the mileage at the time of replacement.
Here's what California's DMV has to says about it > http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&u...ch5/ch5_13
Click to expand...

Just checked with my Honda dealer and insurance agent, both said that there was no issue. The dealer went so far as to tell me that they were forbidden by law to add or subtract mileage to any odometer. The CA DMV regs seem to only apply to cars as they are also smogged and bikes aren't. I'll keep checking, thanks for all the links.
 
Cjsinla_imp said:
TINK_imp said:
Check with these guys > Palo Alto Speedometer
I seem to remember fro my Honda Auto days that these guys could rest the odo on a new cluster.
Be sure to check with your local DMV as a 0000 odometer may need to be recorded with them along with the mileage at the time of replacement.
Here's what California's DMV has to says about it > http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&u...ch5/ch5_13
Click to expand...

Just checked with my Honda dealer and insurance agent, both said that there was no issue. The dealer went so far as to tell me that they were forbidden by law to add or subtract mileage to any odometer. The CA DMV regs seem to only apply to cars as they are also smogged and bikes aren't. I'll keep checking, thanks for all the links.
Click to expand...

This guy clearly does not understand the law. You are not allowed to change the mileage on an odometer to show fewer miles than is on a vehicle, but to change one to reflect the correct mileage is just fine.
When I worked and an Acura/Audi dealer they would reset the odometers on new clusters all the time and this was when the Audi's had digital and the Acura's didn't. The Audi clusters had one shot to get it right and if they screwed up the programming then a new one was needed so they made sure not to screw it up as that would be a very expensive mistake.
 
Thread starter
Right, that's what I thought. I made sure that he understood that I was talking about a new odometer and I wanted to match the old odometer. He again told me I am forbidden by law to touch an odometer read out.
 
Are you able to save the old gauges for future proof of mileage?
 
Nope, I ran to the same issue I had to get a new speedo and they never corrected the milage on the new one and now I'm stuck trying to figure out the exact milage on it, i know im getting close to 2000... the dealer won't do it because it's against the law.
 
Thread starter
I have 7,700 on the old one and will change it out after my dealer does the 8,000 mile service, that should make it a little easier to track.
 
It is NOT against the law to set a replacement odometer to read what the old one did. It IS against the law to set an odometer to LESS miles than is on a vehicle to CHEAT someone into paying more for a vehicle to make it worth more money.
Like I said previously we set odometers all the time when replacing instrument clusters when I worked at the dealership. Anyone that states that it is illegal doesn't know what they are talking about.
 
would like to bump this, since i too would like to correct the odometer reading on my bike and every bike dealer i call is telling me they cant do it.
 
Tink posted a link to the law which says a replacement must match the old one if possible and Randy says they do it all the time.

If a dealer won't do it, try calling a speedometer repair/calibration place and see if they will do it.
 
Thread starter
Randy B_imp said:
It is NOT against the law to set a replacement odometer to read what the old one did. It IS against the law to set an odometer to LESS miles than is on a vehicle to CHEAT someone into paying more for a vehicle to make it worth more money.
Like I said previously we set odometers all the time when replacing instrument clusters when I worked at the dealership. Anyone that states that it is illegal doesn't know what they are talking about.
Click to expand...
Again, Randy, you worked at a car dealer and California seems to only address this odometer issue when it comes to cars, not bikes. I can't believe that a Honda dealer or other shop would not do something that they could charge you for.
 
I was in Illinois at the time and an odometer is an odometer. It doesn't matter if it's a car, motorcycle or a semi. They want most of all to have an accurate reading of the miles on a vehicle and the laws reflect that.

This is California:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&u...ch5/ch5_13

It doesn't say anything where it is illegal to change the odometer being installed into the vehicle, on the contrary it say if it can't be changed to reflect the correct reading that something needs to be affixed to the vehicle stating the date of replacement and the mileage on the vehicle at that time.
 
I'd be very surprised if it weren't illegal to do anything that could allow a vehicle to be represented as having travelled less miles than it actually had. Surely these odometers should have been changed to reflect the actual miles the bikes have travelled?
 
They way the law is written they should have either set the odometer to the correct mileage or attached something to the bike stating that it had been changed at a specific mileage with a zero mile replacement. Either way they did not follow the law and in some way, shape, or form the owners could be held liable for odometer fraud at the time of sale.
 
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