Only cable driven speedometers for front drum brake models?

[Gabey300]

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking around for about a year. I'll make a formal introduction at some point, but for now here's a picture of my bike in its current state.

I have a front drum brake and was wondering if that means I need to get a cable driven speedometer. Something like this https://www.mikesxs.net/parts/yamaha-xs650-speedo-1-9-black-face-0-140-mph rather than this https://www.mikesxs.net/parts/yamaha-xs650-metric-speedo-2-25-blk-face-0-220-kph

Thanks guys!

 

[Wolfe_11B]

You can do whatever your mechanical abilities are up to

You can stick with a stock style cable driven speedo. You can also rig up a sensor style gauge that you would have to mount a sensor on the forks and a magnet on the hub. Or you can use a GPS speedo and ditch all that junk.

Just depends on how much you are willing to spend and what kind of mechanical know how you have. The cable driven would be easy and cheapest, all you have to do is buy the right cable and correct ratio gauge (stock or aftermarket). Sensor style is slightly more pricey and requires some fabricating. GPS is super easy and no fabricating required, but it's the more expensive option.

I personally switched to GPS, and will never use a cable or sensor speedo again. Worth every penny. ($130 to $350, depending on what size and features you want)

As for the Mikes XS stuff, I can't comment on it since I don't use it. Others can help you out there if you want to stick with cable driven.

 

[Gabey300]

Thanks for the reply! I'm going for a budget build right now so I think I'll get the cable driven speedo. To be honest I never really look down when I ride so the speedo's only there because I'm required by law to have an odometer.

If anyone's used this https://www.mikesxs.net/parts/yamaha-xs650-speedo-1-9-black-face-0-140-mph speedometer before, does it work with the stock cable?

 

[xschris]

In it's desciption it states it is for a 19" front wheel and has a 2:1 ratio. That will not work on your bike. You need one with a 2240 rpm=60 mph ratio to work with your wheel.