M109 Rider Forums banner

Dakota Digital MCV-7200 Install / Tachometer Replacement

37K views 46 replies 19 participants last post by  Torque doc. 
#1 · (Edited)
UPDATED 2/28/2013



I pulled this information from my website so I could share with my fellow M109R riders.


http://www.hunt4steve.com/m109r2

This is an ongoing project, however I thought I would share my current info with you all, and update this thread as I continue my work. Subscribe to this thread to keep updated on all the latest updates I post. If you all have any comments or questions, please post up.

What sparked this upgrade was the poorly placed speedometer (In my humble opinion). Like many cruisers on the road, the speedometer is placed on the gas tank. While this may look nice, the functionality is quite poor. While wearing a full-face helmet, it's quite a task to lean forward and view just how fast one is going. The Tachometer is very well place, but the law will not issue a ticket based on your tachometer reading, they are more keen on the speedometer. In an effort to make the riding more enjoyable, I've eliminated the stock tachometer and associated warning lights in favor of a Dakota Digital MCV-7200. Setting up this new combination meter is not for the faint of heart. There is extensive wiring modifications that must be accomplished to get this gauge to work correctly. Below I have ongoing documentation concerning my experience on installing this gauge on my 2008 M109R2. Please be advised that Suzuki may or may not have changed wiring color from year to year. Please be responsible and check your bike's schematic before you start down this path.

Here the Dakota Digital MCV-7200 has been unpacked and is eagerly awaiting to be installed on the Boulevard M109R2:


Wrestling with the wires:



Here is the real meat of the upgrade. Stock Schematic

PLEASE pay attention to these next two schematics, there are significant differences between the two

Stock configuration schematic with the factory tachometer:




Modified configuration schematic with the Dakota Digital in place of the Tach:



Figuring out the diodes as items were being lit or not:





Again, if you all have comments or questions, please post up.

edit: 7/15/2010
This is no longer a work in progress, as it is working very well with no hiccups.
 

Attachments

See less See more
7
#3 ·
Thanks ooinkk, there is a lot more coming. It took a while to go through my notes and gather my thoughts on this info. This is what I have so far, and I'm still going through all of my notes.

My hope is to help others along their journey, and hopefully the next guy will find it a bit easier with this information out there.
 
#5 ·
Thank you very much for sharing. This is a great How to do and it will save a lot of time for all the followers.

I had done it to my 2007 Model. Colour of wiring seem a bit different. Unfortunately I did not make a drawing because it was just terrible and I was so busy to do one thing after the other. Nearly two week's of try and error. Still struggling with the gasoline sensor. Would have been much easier with your information.

Great job mate and thank you !
 
#23 ·
Beautiful job on the tank.

You mentioned you are struggling with the gas sensor; have you considered flipping the wires that come from the Float Valve Sensor, so that the readings are reversed? If I had the DD gauge only, I would try that right away. However, because I still have the Factory Fuel level indicator I'm ok with what I have. However, in looking over the FSM for the Fuel, I may consider running a couple of wires off of the sensor in a reversed direction to see if I can get a reverse reading of ohms. This may cure the DD gas gauge issue.

love the clean job on the tank, really a work of art.
 
#6 ·
Thanks Zoom, I'm working on a full schematic that will show what color wires get connected to what color connectors and their purpose.

Hardy, that is a beautiful job of working the gauge into the tank. Is this the stock tank with some type to fiberglass on top of it, making the mold for the DD gauge? It looks really nice!
 
#7 · (Edited)
udpate

Ok guys, I've updated the first post with a very busy schematic. Is has the wire coloring, connections, etc. And, if you don't want to click all the way back to the top of the thread, here are the schematics that are of most importance.

circuit guide


Stock configuration


Dakota Digital Configuration


 
#9 ·
hmmmm, lots of views but no comments good or bad. :-\

Anybody have any recommendations or requests? :dontknow:
My recommendation is to give yourself a :bigthumbsup:

If you had posted this a few weeks ago I wouldn't have butchered my headlight doing the tach relocate mod. I suppose I should thank you for saving me money....I was very close to going Dakota Digital, but thought it would be a major pita, which, apparently it was.

But now that you have reduced the pita factor by about 90%, I may reconsider and do it. Great job! :clap2:
 
#19 ·
bringing this thread back from the grave....


I've hooked everything up and it all works as it should..... that's good news for me....

However, getting the mileage caught up with the correct mileage is something of a task. I've tried a few different things, all not working.

So, I'm sending the unit to Dakota Digital to have them set the mileage to the matching mileage on my stock odometer....

Hopefully I'll get it back next week and I'll be out riding again......
 
#20 ·
I wanted to go with a Dakota Digital speedo a couple years ago and emailed them about it and got nothing back. It is a little pricey, but I wanted the speedo up where my eyes didn't have to leave the road...

The other thing I wondered about was what to do with the tank afterwards... with the speedo being $600+ and having some custom tank work done to clean that up...

The wiring work you did gives me hope now... I'm waiting to see what you do with the tank. Great job so far! :bigthumbsup:
 
This post has been deleted
#27 ·
Did you damage the DD gauge at all during your search for voltages and problem solving?

Can you read the gauge in direct sunlight? Does the tach and speedo seem to be accurate enough (+/- 5%)

Sly
Nope, the DD gauge is working very, no damage when searching for voltages.

Yes, however I have not tried to change the setting to leave it bright. Currently it's set to automatically dim at night, and brighten during the day. Here is are couple of pics from my gallery:

Gauge in Direct Sunlight


Close-up in direct Sunlight


In the shade of daylight


close-up in the shade of daylight
 
#21 ·
update

VAmedic & SlyDog,

Wow, thanks for responding guys. Based on the apparent lack of interest on this thread and subsequent slow death of this thread, I didn't think many people were interested in this issue.

VAMedic, to answer your question;

The tank speedo will remain in place due to the bike being under warranty, AND the tank gauge provides important information regarding diagnosing the computer, such a engine codes. I wanted to have the factory gauge in place so that there would be no issues if I had to take the bike in for some mechanical issue while it's under warranty. They (Suzuki mechanics) can easily view the mileage on a factory gauge and not have to question if it's correct or not. So, to answer your question, the factory tank gauge will remain in place and will remain fully functional with the fuel level, engine codes and speedo.

Sly Dog,

So far the DD gauge appears to function very well with the Suzuki. I tried a few things to set the mileage myself, but was unable to get the mileage increased or "caught up" to my current mileage. So, I removed the gauge and sent it back to DD to have them set the mileage for me. I just receive it back from them so I will get it mounted this week and calibrated again.

In truth, the only thing one really needs to calibrate on the DD is the Fuel level. This needs to be programed using the "Custom" settings. This is easily done with an variable resister that ranges from 10ohms to 220ohms.

The voltage is already preset to flash the battery indicator is the voltage drops to 11 volts.
The oil pressure is already preset to come on if the engine looses oil pressure using the factory oil pressure sending unit.
The Tach can be easily setup for a maximum amount using the DD menu
The Neutral indicator is easily setup with the correct wiring
The HIgh beam is easily setup with the correct wiring
The Turn signals are easily setup with the correct wiring
The MPH are easily setup with the correct wiring, however I do have a "DD Speedometer Adjustment Module" in line to assure that I can fine tune the Speedometer to match any newly installed tires to my GPS reading.

So, this week I'll have the unit installed and will complete my writeup on the DD unit.

Stay tuned and thanks for the interest.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Update

I was able to get the DD gauge installed today and get it working properly...... for the most part. ;)

There are several settings on the DD gauge that need to be setup:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speed
Auto - Auto Calibration Speed
Adj - Adjust calibrate speed
Unit - Select MPH or KPH units
Service - Miles to service setting (500- 7500), OFF
Observed Installation Notes:

The DD gauge has a adjustment option that will allow you to increase or decrease the viewed speed. For example, I have a GPS unit that I have attached to my handlebars and gives me an accurate speed as I'm traveling down the street. Following the instructions, I was able to fine tune the DD gauge to match the GPS speed. This is great to get the DD gauge accurate, but we all know that the factory speedometer is usually off by about 7%. To fix this, I installed a DD Electronic Speedometer Adjustment Module inline with the Factory speed sensor. Putting this sensor in place allows me to control the speed to both the Factory speedometer AND the DD gauge. Once I get the Factory gauge corrected, I then can use the DD Gauge's built in adjustment to fine tune the DD gauge speedometer.

When I setup the Speed setting, I did not use the "AUTO", but rather used the "ADJ" selection. This made it easy and accurate when adjusting the speed to match the GPS reading. It should also be noted that the "PINK" wire coming from the speed sensor is the one you want to tap into. The "Orange/Red" wire provides the 12 volts to the sensor, and the "Black/White" wire provides the ground. When the sensor is activated, the sensor fluctuates between 12v and 0v.



This module sits between the factory VSS and the speedo:

Here are the connection settings as follows, per the DD instruction sheet:
1. The speed sensor has a 3 pin connector. Cut the signal wire wherever you have access to it. Splice the wires of the SIM-1M into the speed sensor wires as follows: SIM-1M wire sensor side RED sensor power BLACK sensor ground WHITE sensor signal SIM-1M wire speedometer side RED speedo sensor power BLACK speedo sensor ground YELLOW speedo sensor signal.
2. The SIM-1M will now be in between the speedometer and transmission speed sensor. Calibrate the speedometer. (see steps below).
3. Secure the SIM-1M into the harness on the bike so it is not hanging loose.
The calibration is as follows:
1. Follow a vehicle going at a set speed or time yourself driving one mile so you know what your speed should be.
2. Press and hold the UP or DOWN button while you are driving to change the speedometer reading until the speedometer is correct. The bike must be moving in order to adjust the speedometer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tach
Engine - Set Engine cylinder setting (2 - 15)
Warn - Set RPM shift warning point
Signal - Select normal or low voltage tach signal; Normal, LO VLT

When setting the Tach setting, this was pretty straight forward; 2 cylinders.
I used the "Normal" voltage Tach signal selection with no issues of the DD gauge reading the Tach signal.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gear
Program - transmission gear display selection
OFF - No gear display

Setting the Gear was a pretty straight forward following the DD instructions. I did perform this setup and was successful in getting the DD gauge to show the correct gear as I was accelerating through the gears. To me, this is the most important aspect of changing gears, the up shifting and knowing where I am in the up-shift of the gear travel. When slowing down and coming to a stop, the gears don't quite match up to the gear in use during deceleration. However, that's ok, I don't mind this little issue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Info
Model - Gauge model number
Ver - Gauge revision code
SP Cal - Speed Cal setting

I didn't even look at this setting, as it wasn't relevant to getting the DD gauge working with the M109R2.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volt
Warn - Set low volt warning point (9.5v - 12.5v)

Following the Volt setup, I set the voltage warning to 11.5 volts. This is pretty straight forward.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fuel
Sender - Select sender type or switch input; 75 - 10, 240 - 33, Switch, or custom (If programmed)
Custom - Program custom fuel sender curve

Setting up the Fuel gauge was a REAL pain. Unfortunately, I was not able to get the DD gauge to work correctly with the Suzuki Sending unit. Dakota Digital does have its own sending unit that will work with an Automobile, but I don't know about hacking up this unit to make it work in the Suzuki tank.....

The Suzuki sending unit is the standard float valve that operates with a "Resistance" sending unit that appears to be "backwards" from the normal units. For example, Suzuki's M109R2 Fuel level shows as follows:

Resistance----------More than 190 ohms-----More than 190 ohms-------121-190ohms-------70-121ohms------17-70ohms----Less than 17 ohms--|
Thermistor-----------------ON----------------------OFF------------------OFF----------------OFF-------------OFF------------OFF-------------|
---------------------Gas light Flicker-----------Gas Light Flicker------------ON-----------------ON--------------ON-------------ON-------------|
Fuel Level meter-------@@@@@-------------@@@@@-----------@@@@@---------@@@@@-----@@@@@-----@@@@@---------|
Fuel Indicator Light---------ON-----------------------Flicker----------------OFF----------------OFF------------OFF------------OFF------------|

So, to simplify the info above;

A full tank of gas has a resistance that measures approximately 10 ohms.
An empty tank of gas has a resistance that measures approximately 216 ohms.

EDIT: As i was just re-reading my posted information, I thought of something I could try; pulling the tank apart again, and reversing the output of the resistance to reflect the resistance the DD is looking for. Something to think about for the future.....

What this means is that the resistance is exactly the opposite of what the DD gauge is looking for, and can be programed for. There is a custom setting that can program the "Fuel Curve", however after doing this a few times, i found that it really didn't work. For example, I used the Custom setting and set the "Fuel Curve" to the following:

SET 00 on the DD gauge would equal 215 ohms, or an Empty tank.
SET 33 on the DD gauge would equal 146 ohms, or 1/3 of a tank.
SET 66 on the DD gauge would equal 78 ohms, or 2/3 of a tank.
SET 99 on the DD gauge would equal 10 ohms, or a full tank.

Following this setup, I then used a siphon to drain the tank while watching the Fuel level on the Factory Speedometer cluster and the DD gauge. The Factory Speedo cluster's Fuel meter dropped accordingly, but the DD gauge would not move. I then attempted to reverse the programmed resistance to the settings...again, no deal. So, for now, I just chose to use the "SWITCH" setting in the Fuel menu. This Disables the DD gauge Fuel meter. So, for now, I'm using the Factory Speedo Cluster Fuel meter, which works as it should.

I could invest more time in this, and maybe later I will, but for now, I want to get out and ride. :doorag:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
oil
Warn - Set low oil pressure warning point or switch input selection, 02-30 or Switch

I use the "Switch" setting so that I could use the Factory Oil sending unit, as directed in the DD instructions. The DD gauge did come with a sending unit, but rather than install it, I wanted to test the factory unit and see if it would work. it did.

To test this, The Gray DD wire is connected to the Black/Brown Tach cluster (old wires), which is then connected to the Green/yellow wire that goes to the Speedo cluster. Now the interesting thing about this wire is that when it is supposed to be ON, the voltage is 0-volts. When the light is OFF, the voltage is 12-volts. You may question if this really works, and it does. To test this, disconnect the wire from the oil-pressure sending unit that is located next to the oil filter. When the connector is grounded, the light will come on, when disconnected, the light will go out. For further instructions check out the factory service manual; Electrical System, section 10-38.
With the engine running, it all works correctly as it should.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DIM
Auto Automatic night dimming
Off no dimming

Self explanatory, I set it for Auto, which seems to work correctly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clock
Cal 0 Set clock time adjustment

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Done Resume normal operation

There is an "ENGINE" indicator on the DD gauge, which I hooked up to the Water Temp indicator and the Fuel Injection indicator.
In testing these functions, I used 50 ohm resisters up to 500 ohm resistors, to simulate the temperature fluctuation of the water temp.
It worked great, and displayed the engine light when appropriate.

So, to conclude, so far, the DD gauge is working great. When I get some more time I'll update my website with more pictures and more information.
For those who want to pursue this modification, I'm here to tell you; It can be done!

Ride safe
 
#26 ·
Noted something interesting this past weekend.

I filled up my gas tank and noted that the gas gauge on the Factory Speedo cluster indicated the tank as Full; as it should have.

Since I switched the DD Fuel gauge off, there was no indication of the Fuel level on this gauge.

After riding for a few hours, I noted that when the gas gauge on the Factory Speedo indicated one bar left on, the gas-pump indicator started flashing. When this started to flash, I ALSO noticed on the DD gauge that a gas-pump indicator lighted up. Sorta interesting. So, with the current setup, at the very least the DD gauge will show that you are low on gas, and have about 40 miles to go before you run dry. Pretty nice indicator despite the DD gas gauge being disabled.

As for the pictures of the daylight and night riding, they are coming. Suffice it to say, I was able to see the all the indicators on the screen with no issues, even in direct sun-light.
 
#28 ·
update

Went for a long ride this past saturday. I made sure to pay attention to when the gas indicator showed on the DD gauge. When it showed lit up on the DD gauge, I was showing 1 bar on the Factory gauge. I pulled int to get some gas, and filled up with approximately 3.5 gallons. So, with the DD gauge coming on with approximately 1.5 gallons in the tank, I fell very comfortable with the DD gauge working as it should.

So far, I'm really loving this setup. It is "SO" much better than just having a tach up front where my eyes are......
 
#32 ·
Yeah, I hear ya. My background is in electronics, and along the way I've learned about welding, automotive electronics, gears and whatever else is around vehicles. Tackling this project was indeed a challenge, since there was "very" limited information on the web. I guess I sorta broke new ground in terms of documentation for the DD gauge and the 109 cruisers.....

I'm very happy to help out anybody else along the way and I hope that others can learn from my mistakes.

:D
 
#31 ·
update

So, I've been riding quite a bit lately and it has come to my attention that the Suzuki Factory Speedo and Odometer are crap. The Speedo is off considerably, which of course throws the Odometer off. I have matched my DD gauge to a GPS unit that provides speed readings. Since the Suzuki Speedo is so far off, the difficult part is getting the DD Odometer to match the Suzuki Odometer (or vice-versa), and then getting the DD speedo to match the GPS unit. The Factory speedo really is a joke, at this point I don't care what it reads in terms of how fast I'm going, just as long as the Odometer is tracking correctly, and in sync with the DD gauge.

However, that aside, the DD gauge is working flawlessly. When the Factory gas indicator drops to one bar, the gas indicator on the DD gauge comes on. I have noted on several occasions that when this condition is met, I have stopped for gas and put in approximately 3.5 to 3.7 gallons of gas. This leads me to conclude that when the gas gauge comes to the last bar and the DD gauge gas light comes on, I have approximately 1.5 gallons left, which should get me at the very least another 40 miles. This gives me a little more comfort in terms of getting down the road to the next gas station.

On a recent ride to Red River i decided to test this little scenario. The DD gas indicator came on, and I figured I had at least another 40 miles to go before I ran dry on gas. The GPS showed that there was a gas station about 27 miles up the road. I pushed on to that gas station. When I filled up, I put in 4 gallons. Having the extra gallon in the tank left me feeling more confident about the DD gas indicator and the distance I can travel when the gas comes on.

Anyhow, I've been tickled pink about how this DD gauge has been working for me. I know I've been slacking in getting more pictures up, however since I've recently re-injured my knee, I'm off the bike and should have more time to get the images posted. As well, I give reasons as to why I did the wiring in a certain way, or avoided other ways, and how I tested for the FI and Water Temp lights......
 
#33 ·
So there may be a question as to how to sync the Odometer on the Factory Cluster and the Odometer on the DD Gauge.

What I have found is that this takes some time to get in sync.

I have a DD Electronic Speedometer Adjustment Module that is wired just after the VSS on the bike.



This will allow you to have a master speedometer control to both the Factory Speedo/Odometer and the DD Speedo/Odometer.

The DD gauge has a built in Speedo/Odometer control that will allow you to perform the same function as the Electronic Speedometer Adjustment Module listed above.

Another item you will need is a GPS unit that can be clamped to the handle bars, this is what the DD gauge Speedo will be based off of.

Something to think about before reading the below confusing statements:
The DD Gauge will become the MASTER Speedo/Odometer reading, as this is what will be matched to the GPS speed reading. The DD Electronic Speedometer Adjustment Module is really there to adjust the Factory Odometer (not the speedo - which is inaccurate) and match the DD gauge Odometer.

After getting all of these items installed and working correctly;

1) Use the DD Electronic Speedometer Adjustment Module (hereafter; DDESAM) to MATCH the DD gauge speedo to the GPS speed. This will ensure that the DD gauge, which will become your master gauge, is accurate.

2) over several days and miles, note the increased Odometer reading on the Factory cluster, in relation to the increased Odometer reading on the DD Gauge.

a) If the DD Gauge Odometer is incrementing faster than the Factory Odo:
Use the DDESAM to increase the speed output, THEN use the DD gauge settings to decrease OR match the speed of the GPS.

b) If the DD Gauge Odometer is incrementing slower than the Factory Odo:
Use the DDESAM to decrease the speed output, then use the DD gauge settings to increase OR match the speed of the GPS.

Following the above methods, eventually, you will get the Odometer mileage to match the DD gauge Odometer reading. This will take some time and some miles to get the gauge's Odometers to match up. Forget about using the Factory speedometer, this is very inaccurate. In fact, the Speedo doesn't match what the Odometer is recording....pretty lame.

So, hopefully this will help those who want to take on this challenge get their Odometers setup properly.
 
#36 ·
Thought I might give a little update as to how the gauge is working.

AWESOME! It really works very well.

A couple months ago I started having a few issues with the Engine Light coming on on the DD (Dakota Digital). I found that If I turned off the bike and then turned it back on, it would clear. I took the bike to the dealership for the 7,500 mile service, and low and behold, the engine light came on and stayed on during the service. It turned out that the Cables for the Exhaust valve were getting stuck. They lubed up the cables and no more Check Engine light. Very pleased.

My point is that, with this wiring, the Check Engine light works as it is supposed to.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top