Auto Meter

[doodsaibot]

A friend of mine mentioned he was going to install a gauge that measures the real time air/fuel ratio in his truck. This made me wonder if a gauge like that could be installed for a motorcycle. The brand name was Auto Meter and they make all types of gauges and meters. Some of their items are very pricey but some do seem affordable. An air/fuel ratio gauge for our carbureted bikes seems like it would be the most handy. Any thoughts on the subject or does anyone here have one?

 

[Wolfe_11B]

They work great, but don't bother with the gauges that use a narrowband sensor. They are 100% worthless.

Wideband gauges, the ones that need a controller to run, are the ones you want to look at. Pricey, but they do the job well. I currently use the Innovative system-

 

[doodsaibot]

Very nice! So do you see the air fuel ratio change when you turn the choke on and off?

 

[Wolfe_11B]

I haven't used it on the XS yet, but yes, it will show and log every change in the AF ratio. This is the fourth wideband controller I've owned over the past 12 years. I've used them on everything. Very handy for EFI turbo applications, and this one I have now will be mostly for bikes. Cool thing about this one is it has an ODB II connection so I can use it to read and reset codes on my cars, and log all sensor data Handy tool!

 

[doodsaibot]

Very noice! In a sense, you can almost always keep tabs on your carburetor synchronization just by simply looking at the gauge. I feel like I need this!

 

[Wolfe_11B]

Yes, that's the key. A lot of folks say they are experts at getting carbs perfectly tuned, but throw one of the meters on and show them how off they are

Most of the time you just need the meter to do your initial tuning, and then you can toss it back on whenever you make changes to the bike or want to check it. But there is nothing wrong with having one permanently mounted either.

 

[doodsaibot]

Definitely a worthy investment. I'll be getting my hands on one soon enough.