Gary Van den Driesen from Chewton in Victoria wrote, wondering if he is the only rider left in the world who cannot see anything good in the almost universal adoption of digital speedometers.
“My first experience of this was 20 years ago in a mate's Ford Fairlane; I had trouble then in keeping a constant speed, and nothing seems to have changed in the interim.
“I have been told that digital speedos are more accurate than analogue ones but surely that advantage applies only over ancient mechanically driven speedos, and not the electronic versions that have been around for years?
“Is it not easier to use peripheral vision to maintain a constant speed via the position of a needle, rather than have to focus on ever-changing numerals? Try maintaining a speedo number (in the interest of accuracy remember!) and not much attention remains for traffic.
“I am not a troglodyte. If anything, I am an early adopter of new technology. But I will not buy any vehicle, no matter how good it may be, if it has such a device.
“By the way, if digital speedos are so damn good, why then are almost all tachometers still analogue?
“I have held this view for many years. It was, however, the article on the undoubtedly excellent Kawasaki 1400 GTR (ARR no. 59) that proved to be my personal 'final straw'. The journalist says on page 93 "The instrument panel looks a little dated with the analogue speedo and tacho, where a digital speedo would freshen things up".
“I am afraid it was the "freshen things up" attitude that got to me, and confirmed my opinion that these things are basically just a fashion statement - hopefully one that will run its course before I am too old to ride!”
Well, Gary, I’ve got to admit I like digital speedos – just as I like analogue rev counters. To me it’s easier to see the speed when it’s a number, but better to see where in the rev range I am by seeing it represented on a scale. Best of both worlds, to me. But let’s see what others think!
“I acknowledge that it may be easier to see what speed you are doing when the speed is expressed numerically rather than as - what, analogically?” Gary replied. “But I am not convinced.
“However, I stand by my assertion that it is difficult, even with a low powered vehicle, to maintain a speed number; if you are piloting a high powered vehicle it becomes almost impossible to do so - even cruise controls can't do it consistently.
“As we all know, Victoria has a very low tolerance for error in this respect. I know how accurate the analogue speedos are in my car (100%) and on my bike (95% optimistic) and I pilot them accordingly. So far, no speeding tickets.
“But I suspect that if I regularly rode something like an R1 I would either (a) crash it because of over-attention to the digital speedo or (b) lose my licence because of under-attention to it.
“And yes, I would like to know if other baby-boomers think I am missing the point!”
Gary, I absolutely agree with you about the difficulty of maintaining a steady speed, but I don’t understand how an analogue speedo helps? To me, a number is easier to read accurately than a needle bobbing around on a scale.
“Good point, Peter” replied Gary. “I believe that every operator whose vehicle has an analogue speedo becomes very familiar with what the vehicle is doing purely by the needle's location on the dial (as I said before, this merely needs to be kept in one's peripheral vision). Even when confronted with an unfamiliar vehicle, an initial glance is enough to see where the needle position is going to be for any given speed (eg usually at 10 or 11 o'clock for 100 km/h). The throttle is then used to maintain the needle at that position, rather than reacting to changes in the numerals.
“Look Peter, let me put this another way. Here is a challenge for those of you with digital speedos... Find a decent stretch of country road, say 10 kilometres or so. Now, avoiding cruise control, maintain a steady 100 km/h over that stretch. You are not allowed to drop below 97 or rise above 103.
“I am a competent driver and I cannot pass this test while also watching the road. And I bet nobody else can either...”
So there’s a challenge. What do you think – could you meet Gary’s challenge – and does it matter? After all, you don’t need to stay exactly on a certain speed to avoid being booked…
Peter “The Bear” Thoeming
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Comments
Unlike an analogue speedo where the needle alone can be 5kmh thick, the digital speedo tells me whether I am doing 99 OR 100 OR 101, not some vague analogue representation that could be anywhere between 97 and 103.
... and no, I'm not some young whiz kid brought up on computer games - I've been riding on road for close to 40 years.
Finally the point Harry makes about reading glasses is a good one, but he's got it arse over tit. I need reading glasses to see the tiny numbers on an analogue speedo, but not for big digital numbers 3cms tall.
Michael