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© 2008 Cliftech Design 

 

V-Gauge Lite 

A pocket gauge 

for the 

Harley-Davidson V-Rod 

 

 Introduction 

Have you every wondered: 

  How hot is my engine (coolant temperature)? 

  What was the highest temperature reached? 

  Why are the fans on (or off)? 

  What is the average fuel economy (mpg)? 

  How does the instantaneous mpg depend on speed, wind, RPM, riding position, etc.? 

  Did my last performance modification affect fuel economy? 

  How many gallons of fuel are really left? 

  How accurate is my stock fuel gauge? 

  How many seconds from 0 to 60mph? 

  What are my 60', 330', 1/8, and 1/4 mile times? 

  At what RPM am I really shifting? 

  What was my maximum speed? 

 
The V-Gauge Lite is an electronic instrument specifically designed for the Harley-Davidson 
V-Rod.  The concept of the gauge is simple: use a 3-wire hook-up (ground, 12V, and digital bus) 
to listen to the data running across the serial data bus.  It comes with a pre-installed connector 
ready to plug straight into the computer diagnostic port on your bike.  Its compact size means 
that it can be easily carried in your tool pouch or a jacket pocket.  A small Velcro attachment 
allows it to be quickly installed in any visible location on the front of your V-Rod all the time or 
just when you need it. 

Summary of Contents for V-Gauge Lite

Page 1: ... to 60mph What are my 60 330 1 8 and 1 4 mile times At what RPM am I really shifting What was my maximum speed The V Gauge Lite is an electronic instrument specifically designed for the Harley Davidson V Rod The concept of the gauge is simple use a 3 wire hook up ground 12V and digital bus to listen to the data running across the serial data bus It comes with a pre installed connector ready to plu...

Page 2: ... Fuel economy screen 7 4 Drag race timing 9 Timing data screens 10 Maximum speed screen 11 RPM shift point screen 12 Drag timing reset READY screen 12 5 User calibration 14 Entering the user calibration mode and making adjustments 14 Serial number screen 15 Units adjustment mode 15 Gear calibration mode 17 Speed calibration mode 18 Fuel calibration mode 19 6 V Gauge Lite installation 21 Wiring the...

Page 3: ...r C Maximum coolant temperature since last reset F or C Trip odometer 0 2500mi 0 4000km Fuel used 0 200gal US 0 160gal UK 0 800L Instantaneous fuel economy mpg or kpL Average fuel economy since last trip meter reset mpg or kpL Standard odometer 0 999 999mi 0 999 999km Drag timing functions 60 330 1 8mi and 1 4mi speed time 1 10s and gear position 0 60mph time 1 10s Maximum speed RPM shift points 1...

Page 4: ...more detail Start up screen When the V Gauge Lite is first powered on by turning the bike s key switch a start up screen is displayed This screen is shown in Figure 2 After the 1130CC COM intro this screen is displayed for 3 seconds and then automatically switches to the shift point odometer screen Figure 2 Introduction screen shown for 3 seconds after power up A small screwdriver can be used to a...

Page 5: ...rovides easy readability for routine use The gear position is shown in the top left of all 5 of the run screens Remember that this only reads correctly when the clutch is engaged lever released The speed is shown just to the right of the gear position On the second line is a horizontal bar that graphically displays the RPM The full right hand extension of this bar corresponds to the shift point th...

Page 6: ...adjustable shift point that was programmed as shown in Figure 3 Figure 5 When the shift point is reached the entire display is filled with black characters This happens in any of the 5 run screens Digital RPM screen The second run screen shown in Figure 6 is similar to the graphical screen except that the RPM bar chart on the lower line is replaced with the digital RPM Figure 6 The RPM bar chart i...

Page 7: ...upper button Trip odometer screen The trip odometer screen shown in Figure 8 displays the distance traveled and the amount of fuel used since the last reset Both of these values are simultaneously reset by pressing and holding the upper button It is often useful to reset the trip odometer at each fuel up The fuel used can then be compared to the known tank capacity Figure 8 The fuel used and dista...

Page 8: ...aneous fuel economy reading is very valuable in showing the effect of speed wind riding position etc on the amount of fuel used Figure 9 The fuel economy screen showing both the instantaneous live and average fuel economy The average value is reset by clearing the trip odometer see previous section ...

Page 9: ... per second CAUTION The drag race timing function should never be used on public roadways For your own safety and the safety of others never exceed the posted speed limit The V Gauge Lite is no substitute for a track timing system but it can be a handy tool for measuring the effect of modifications on the bike s performance Remember that since the speedometer pulse sensor is in the transmission no...

Page 10: ...s in any one of the drag data screens resets the drag timer and brings up the READY screen to time a new run The drag data can only be reviewed while the bike is stopped As soon as the bike starts rolling the display is returned to the RPM graphical screen Timing data screens The first 4 data screens show the measured times for the 60ft 330ft 1 8mi and 1 4mi distances Figures 11 14 shows each of t...

Page 11: ...igure 15 displays the time for 0 60mph on the top line and the maximum speed reached during the run on the second line The speed will be recorded even if it occurs after the mile distance has been reached since the motorcycle is generally still accelerating at the end of the run Note that 0 60mph times greater than 9 9s will not be displayed correctly This should never be a problem with the V Rod ...

Page 12: ...drag timing run can be started from any one of the 7 drag data screens Simply press and hold the upper button at least 2 seconds until the READY screen shown in Figure 18 is displayed The second line of the display shows the digital RPM so the engine can be revved to a chosen RPM before dropping the clutch Again the bike must be stopped and timing automatically starts as soon as the bike moves Onc...

Page 13: ...e bike has to be stopped to review the data from the run As previously described holding the upper button for at least 2 seconds from the RPM graphical screen brings up the drag timing data The data from the run is retained in the V Gauge Lite even after it is powered down until a new run is recorded Note however that the data is not stored until it is reviewed for the first time If the V Gauge Li...

Page 14: ...t also be made The user calibration also allows the units to be switched between metric and English units Figure 20 Map of the user calibration screens User calibration is started by holding the upper button while powering up the V Gauge Lite Entering the user calibration mode and making adjustments The user calibration can be a one time operation The calibration factors are stored in non volatile...

Page 15: ...n Figure 22 The units can be switched between US UK and metric modes After setting the mode pressing both buttons at the same time advances to the gear calibration screen Table I summarizes the units displayed for each of these modes Measurement U S U K Metric Distance Miles mi Miles mi Kilometers km Speed Miles hour mph Miles hour mph Kilometers hour kph Fuel volume Gallons g Imperial gallons g L...

Page 16: ...ftech Design Figure 24 The digital RPM screen in metric units mode compare to Figure 6 Figure 25 The coolant temperature screen in metric units mode compare to Figure 7 Figure 26 The trip odometer and fuel usage screen in metric units mode compare to Figure 8 ...

Page 17: ...ich will match the original drive pulley delivered or may have been reprogrammed with a download from a dealership or modified using a race tuner The value that needs to be entered must match what your bike s ECM thinks is installed not what might actually be there For example in the U S 2002 2003 V Rods came with 30 tooth pulleys 30T 2004 and beyond have the 28T Later European models generally ke...

Page 18: ...ethod 1 1 Place the V Gauge Lite in one of its normal operation screens that display the speed and measure the actual speed of the bike using another reliable source This could be done by pacing against another vehicle or much better using a GPS receiver Observe the readout on V Gauge Lite compared to a known accurate speed 2 Estimate the change in calibration factor This could be done by trial an...

Page 19: ...ct reading a value of 110 was found to given the best accuracy on two tested V Rods 03 VRSCA 06 VRSCR This is the value programmed in the V Gauge Lite as delivered Figure 30 The fuel calibration screen Note that the fuel usage compare to Figure 8 is also shown with the fuel calibration value The following procedure is used to adjust the fuel use calibration factor 1 Fill the fuel tank as near as r...

Page 20: ... s Box or the Power Commander intercept the fuel injection pulses from the ECM and replace them with their own Since the V Gauge Lite uses only the data that the ECM provides installing one of these products may affect the accuracy of the fuel consumption data Under most riding conditions the one time calibration function described here should reduce possible errors to an acceptable level However ...

Page 21: ... the existing computer diagnostics port on fuel injected Harley Davidson motorcycles This is shown in Figure 32 If you use this plug no additional wiring is required and the gauge is ready to use immediately The diagnostics receptacle can be found behind one of the front clamshell covers on the V Rod It will either be loose along side the ECM wiring harness under the left side or hard mounted unde...

Page 22: ...he V Gauge Lite is supplied with a short length of self adhesive Velcro that can be used to mount the lightweight instrument at any convenient and visible location on the front of the motorcycle Since the gauge is so light it does not require a completely flat surface for secure attachment I prefer to attach the fuzzy portion of the strip to the gauge since it is less prone to stick to unwanted su...

Page 23: ... Lite uses a standard LCD display with good visibility in all daylight conditions However since it is not equipped with a backlight there is no night time visibility Weather resistance The V Gauge Lite is not specifically designed to be weatherproof and there was no attempt to make the housing water tight This said however occasional exposure to rain should not cause it serious harm nor interrupt ...

Page 24: ...1130CC COM 1250CC COM 24 V Gauge Lite Manual V1 2 2008 Cliftech Design 7 Complete screen navigation map ...

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