Do you have a thermometer on your motorcycle? What do you recommend?

[Jimmy2Time]

Now my 99 RT is back up and running, I've been tooling around a bunch as the weather allows.

Riding last Saturday evening, it started getting a bit chilly. I thought how a thermometer would be something good to have on the RT instrument panel.

 

Do you have one? What do you recommend? Photos?

 

Thanks

[OoPEZoO]

Funny enough, the best options I have seen have come from the aquarium section of the pet store. Cheap, waterproof, and durable.

[LBump]

 

Pricey $70

 

 

Not Pricey $11

 

[greiffster]

Here's a digital answer. Full disclosure, this idea was totally stolen from user awagnon. Temp on the left, volts on the right.

 

 

[Stan Walker]

Another digital.

 

 

Bigger digits.

 

Red push button allows me to rotate through air temperature, battery voltage, and run time timer (reset each time ignition turned on).

 

Unit is powered from load shed relay output but monitors actual battery voltage.

 

Biggest problems with what I did was making sure it was waterproof. Modifying clock circuit to NOT have a battery (turns it into an elapsed time timer). And finding a good place for the temperature probe.

 

Temperature probe is currently fairly high up on the backside of the left fork leg. Out of the sun and away from the engine heat while moving. BUT close enough to the exhaust header to be affected while idling at a stop. Oh well two out of three isn't bad.

 

Stan

 

 

[greiffster]

Temperature probe is currently fairly high up on the backside of the left fork leg. Out of the sun and away from the engine heat while moving. BUT close enough to the exhaust header to be affected while idling at a stop. Oh well two out of three isn't bad.

 

Indeed. I've got the probe under the RCU shelf currently and its getting heat coming up. I'm thinking about maybe routing the probe out below the left mirror.

 

How's the visibility during the daylight?

[Stan Walker]

How's the visibility during the daylight?

 

Almost impossible to read if the sun is shining directly on it, OK otherwise. I'm thinking it needs a little sun shade.

 

Actually the basic gauge I used comes in several different colors, I keep wondering if one of the others would have been easier to see. If this one ever dies maybe I'll find out.

 

Stan

[lkchris]

Sounds like as good an excuse as any to trade for an R1200RT. Temp gauge is std equip

[Stan Walker]

Temp gauge is std equip

 

Yeah, would that be water temperature????

 

No thanks.

 

Stan

[Skywagon]

I put one of those round ones like posted above from Wunderlich in the center of the handle bars on my prior RT. It looked really nice but the temp was always off by a lot...as in 20-30 degrees. I don't know if it was heat coming up or what, but always read really high. I had it exchanged and got the same results...so recommend whatever you do, don't stick one in the center in lieu of that black plug. Mount elsewhere....

[elkroeger]

What you need is a thermometer with a remote sensor. Place the sensor down on the fork somewhere in the vicinity of the brake caliper. The problem with the little ones is you get heat from the bike coming up off the radiator, and it's also prone to sitting in the sun. Both will give you screwy readings.

 

The aquarium units have a lot of potential, but I'm in the aquaculture business, and I just haven't found anything that I like enough to mount on the bike (industrial or aquarium trade).

 

I've always thought THIS unit would be a pretty good option, if you can figure out how to mount it on your dash so it looks nice. It's also 12V, so you could power it off the bike.

 

Another thing to be careful of - a lot of those units are listed as waterproof, but the probe is waterproof, not the head unit.

[greenrider]

I got an indoor outdoor thermometer from Walmart for $10. Mounted the probe down by the forks and the display below the speedometer.

[eddd]

Funny enough, the best options I have seen have come from the aquarium section of the pet store. Cheap, waterproof, and durable.

 

Here is the one I have on two bike as well as my car and truck. I also had one on my '96 RT. The good thing about this model is that it displays down to something like 10F. Other aquarium thermometers only display to 32F.

 

This unit has the probe at the end of a cable allowing you to place it where it will not be affected by engine heat or direct sunlight.

 

It is also available at brick and mortar stores like PetSmart.

[AndyS]

I have fitted this and got the idea from someone on this forum:

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/digital-thermometers/4086143/

 

It is available in the US.

 

 

On the dash of the BMW R1150RT, below the fog light switch there is a cut out, where if you have the factory fitted radio, the LCD display is mounted. If you do not have the radio there is a great opportunity for you to fit one of these temp gauges. The unit itself is 12volt, comes with a back light (LED), has a ice alarm, with audible and visual alerts and it switches from Celsius to Fahrenheit.

 

Coiled up temperature sender lead. Head of lead is located in wing mirror pod

 

To fit the item, you remove the OEM blanking plate and rotate through 180 degrees, so that the screws go in from the other side, this will give you enough clearance to install the unit. I have stuck some rubber onto the plate to hold the temp unit more securely. I trimmed the alarm selector switch, as it just stands proud when you put the slide flush against it, and using silicone RTV, I sealed a microscope slide up against the face of the unit, to protect the unit and keep it dry.

[elkroeger]

This looks like it might be a worthy unit - if you have your smartphone mounted on your dash. Kestrel's supposed to be a good brand.

 

Kestrel

[Stan Walker]

Coiled up temperature sender lead. Head of lead is located in wing mirror pod

 

I thought about putting my sensor there but didn't. I was concerned that isolating the sensor inside a plastic compartment might add significant delay to displaying temperature changes.

 

Also concerned that warm air off the oil cooler might affect it.

 

Does it suffer from either of these? I can move mine, it's just held on with cable ties.

 

Stan

 

 

[eddd]

 

On my R1100RT I place the sensor inside the front fairing right in line with the small opening just inside of and above the mirrors.

[AndyS]

Coiled up temperature sender lead. Head of lead is located in wing mirror pod

 

I thought about putting my sensor there but didn't. I was concerned that isolating the sensor inside a plastic compartment might add significant delay to displaying temperature changes.

 

Also concerned that warm air off the oil cooler might affect it.

 

Does it suffer from either of these? I can move mine, it's just held on with cable ties.

 

Stan

 

 

Hi Stan,

It doesn't appear to suffer from any heating effect from the oil cooler.

I locate it on the lowest point of the mirror pod to reduce the sun's heating effect.

It does track temp changes pretty quickly. All in all. I think I am happy that it is in a good place. It is out of the general airflow so it is measuring (more closely) ambient air temp.

[AndyS]

On my R1100RT I place the sensor inside the front fairing right in line with the small opening just inside of and above the mirrors.

 

I tried to avoid that opening so that it doesn't get the blast of air coming through that slot. That was the reason for the inside base of the mirror pod. 'Still' air.

[roger 04 rt]

My bike came with a Wunderlich--low tech, not accurate. Decided that when I felt hot or cold I didn't need to know the temperature, just needed to change clothing. Not much of a farkles guy.

[Tri750]

Yea, I had a nice "button" analog type. Living in Fresno, temps get 105-108.

 

Depressing, so I took it off.

[tallman]

Do you have one? What do you recommend?

 

Celsius.

Never seems as hot when you are seeing 20's or 30's.