additional Gauges on a 250R

Mex · 18-08-2008, 10:23 PM

As we all know you can never have too many gauges...

so when i got a hole in the radiator from a stone on a country ride i thought i might as well get a temp gauge gromit installed while the radiator repair place was fixing the hole (hiflow balcatta). It cost an xtra $50 which wasnt too bad for an aliminium weild ($100 all up including the repair). The weild itself i thought was a bit rough but it sealed fine so i didnt worry too much (vacum tested).

Then I brought the gauges and installed a volt meter whilst at it - wouldn't have worried about the volts but as i was getting the water temp installed anyway why not even them up.

was pretty happy with everything apart from at night when the additional gauge lights lit up brighter and more white than the blue-ish dash lights - so i blue taped up the bulbs and got a pretty close match to the existing dash lights... check out the photos...

am really happy with the results - just thought i would share as there seem to be a few 250r owners out there these days... i have a tinted screen arriving this week (hopefully) which will make the gauge install fairly invisable from the front.

jules_1972 · 18-08-2008, 10:26 PM

Pretty cool mod!!!!

Good stuff.

bertie · 18-08-2008, 10:36 PM

nice work. i find it hard to believe they have a fuel gauge over a temp gauge. does it even come stock with a temp warning light???

Mex · 18-08-2008, 10:40 PM

yes there is the "oh F*ck - turn off asap" warning light...

semi · 18-08-2008, 10:47 PM

looks good mate
almost as good as this

(someone had to do it)

Scott52 · 19-08-2008, 06:54 AM

Have a look here Ozegauge. Blue backlighting and stepper motor internals. Adjustable warning feature. I've got some in my XR6 Turbo and thinking about putting something on the bike.

Scott

Mr M00se · 19-08-2008, 06:57 AM

Thats a nice tidy install, good job. As bertie said, its surprising that they dont have a temp guage.

Maxo · 19-08-2008, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semi

looks good mate
almost as good as this

(someone had to do it)

HEY! LEAVE MY STUNTOR OUT OF THIS!!

nice mods dude!

T-roy · 19-08-2008, 07:03 AM

nice mate how hot does it normally get?
say after riding for about 20 minutes?

resist · 19-08-2008, 07:25 AM

needs oversized boost guage

thro · 19-08-2008, 07:35 AM

stock ninja 250 has no temp guage?

think i'd rather have that than a fuel guage...

nicely done dude.

perdition · 19-08-2008, 08:40 AM

well done, reminds me of old bmw's :-)

Mex · 19-08-2008, 09:17 AM

Quote:

nice mate how hot does it normally get?
say after riding for about 20 minutes?

Usually sits around 50, sitting at lights for a while gets it up to 60 - 65 before the fan kicks in, its never been above 65.

Spuddy · 19-08-2008, 09:29 AM

I like it purely for its cosmetic value.
Awesome mod man, looks like its meant to be there.

Mex · 19-08-2008, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Have a look here Ozegauge. Blue backlighting and stepper motor internals. Adjustable warning feature. I've got some in my XR6 Turbo and thinking about putting something on the bike.

They are nice looking gauges, about twice what i paid for mine but it would have been easier to mount those ones and they look like better quality...

Michael · 19-08-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott52

Have a look here Ozegauge. Blue backlighting and stepper motor internals. Adjustable warning feature. I've got some in my XR6 Turbo and thinking about putting something on the bike.

Scott

cheap china copy defi are evil...

nice work, not a fan on the gauge style but awesome mod none the less

Scott52 · 19-08-2008, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mex

They are nice looking gauges, about twice what i paid for mine but it would have been easier to mount those ones and they look like better quality...

I have been using them for a couple of years in my XR6 Turbo for both city and country driving plus a couple of track days. They haven't missed a beat ... touch wood. They are a copy of the Defi but without the excessive "designer brand" price tag.

I have mounted similar gauges like yours to my bikes in the past. What usually happens is they can't handle the vibrations and the internals fall apart after a while. I'm not sure the more expensive ones are any better.

I tried putting them in a foam mounting which helped ... but eventually they failed again.

It is a pretty harsh environment for them. It will be interesting to see how they go.

Scott

Mex · 19-08-2008, 10:36 AM

Quote:

It is a pretty harsh environment for them. It will be interesting to see how they go.

The mounting allows for a bit of absorption, so will be interesting to see how long they last... i will replace them with something higher quality if they do go. The temp gauge is electric not mechanical so hopefully that will help also...

Pkunk · 19-08-2008, 10:56 AM

My Suzuki Bandit 250 also had no temp gauge, just a "warning" light

Nice mod!