Speedo-Tach face change

[Tx Bohemian]

Has anyone changed out thier faces on the Speedometer and/or Tachometer?
If so, how troublesome is this job and is there anything that needs special/extra attention?

I have the hardest time seeing mine on my '99 Standard at twilight.  I had to follow everybody coming to work this morning cause I couldn't tell how fast I was going.

The faces on mine are light brown and the numbers are light grey so between that and me not having the best eyesight anymore it is a problem. Best I can tell all the lights are working.

I've checked with a guy that makes faces for speedos/tachs (from another mc site) and he has done a set for a Valk. He can put anything you want on the faces and here is my problem - deciding what to put on them.

I'm to the point where the next phone I'm going to get will be a "Jitter Bug"!!!

[wild6]

When I first got my Valk, I changed the instrument bulbs to brighter ones.  (See: http://www.jkozloski.com/generic_parts.htm)
Made them look nicer, but still couldn't see them when the ambient light level matched their brightness.  

So I put a switch in and now all is well.  (See: http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/insfix.htm)

[John Schmidt]

This is my approach. The small gauges are Autometer C-2 series with blue LED backlighting and realized I could see them under any light. So, on a trip to Advance Auto for parts I spotted some blue LED license plate mounting bolts, the LED is in the center and quite bright. Took them home and experimented in the dark, shining them on the face of the large OEM gauge....voila, I can see. So, cut some scrap SS for mounting as you see in the first picture which is a "work in progress" shot...still not wired in obviously. The second shot is how they look after installation, been on there for maybe four years. With the addition of the external lights, all my gauges have the same blue look to them.

[9Ball]

nice work, John....

[BF]

John.....

I assume the tag lights shine down on the face of the speedo/tach guages?  Can you show some close up pics of how they're mounted and how they illuminate the guage face?

Also, what kind and where'd ya get those guage visor thingys on the speedo/tach?  They look like they're styled like the headlight.

[John Schmidt]

Look at the first picture, you'll see how they're mounted. I cut a piece of SS from some scrap I had and bent/cut/ground it to the shape seen there. Then drilled/bolted it to the smaller gauge mounts on each side. The lightls shine directly on the face of the large gauges, not down on them, but I had to use a dab of clear RTV to diffuse the light a bit because it was quite concentrated.

The rings on the face of all the gauges I bought at a truck chrome shop here in Florida. They also have been on there for some years now. You can get that ring/bezel for the large gauge from Kuryakyn for about $25, or at a truck chrome shop for about $4. I have no idea what the brand name is now, been too long. This is where I got mine, about 65 miles up the road from me.   http://www.75chromeshop.com/