125cc Varadero Miles showing incorrect

[Mickylad]

Hello,

Recently bought a Varadero 125cc with 13,000 miles on it however the display is now showing 188888 miles (has changed since I have been riding it..) and after a bit of searching it doesn't seem to be a very common fault.

I have Googled mileage correction in my area but there doesn't seem to be anyone who can do it.

Does anyone have any advise, or has this happened anyone before?

Thanks in advance!

Mick

[jackyork]

What year is it, is it possible to have done the high mileage? Do you have previous MOT mileage? Did you buy it from a dealer, if so, straight back there.

JK

[Taught2BeCautious]

I think your LCD display has failed - which is a fairly common problem - and all of the segments are dark.  There's probably nothing wrong with the recorded mileage, but if you swap the speedo head for a new or used one, you will lose your true mileage.

It might be possible to strip down the internals and get it working by cleaning up the connections between the pcb and the display - worth a try if you have the patience!

[Mickylad]

Hello,

The year I can confirm whenever I look, its 2001/2002 off the top of my head, I have the certificate for the previous MOT which does confirm that the mileage was showing as circa 13k.

I will post up a picture/video whenever I am home and can show you what it looks like when started up.

If it is indeed the LCD that has failed, I wouldn't mind stripping it down to find the issue, needing something done ASAP as it has nearly run out of MOT and I don't want to MOT it with the incorrect mileage as this would leave a discrepancy in it's history, nor would I want to incorrectly/illegal modify the mileage.

Thanks,

Mick

[Taught2BeCautious]

As far as I know, none of the 'mileage correction' services would be able to alter the recorded mileage if you bought a replacement speedo head, because Honda use a custom chip that their equipment won't work with.

I have heard of people 'fast-forwarding' the mileage with the aid of an electric drill - but I think its worth trying to repair the original.

I'm not sure how the LCD connects to the pcb - but it will either be a ribbon cable or an elastomeric strip.

Also check the pcb for signs of oxidization, broken tracks and dry solder joints.

[Mickylad]

Well got in touch with a mileage correction fella tonight there, who met me and took apart my speedo and after locating the correct chip to do with the miles stored in the speedo, he tried 3 different diagnostics machines to try and read the mileage but to no avail, the code on the chip was 24lco18, however after scrolling through the machine, there were a few cars/vans with similar chips, Ford Transit, Ferrari F430 and a Sukuzi Swift, all however were unable to read the correct mileage.

Possibly the LCD will need replaced or a replacement set of clocks sourced. Either that or I just MOT the bike the way it is and have them declare the mileage as is.

Might give the fast forward trick a go tomorrow, but that's be done for tonight after riding 60 miles in the soaking rain! Lol

Thanks for your help, I'll keep the thread updated for anyone else incase they come across this problem!

[Taught2BeCautious]

Did he check the connections between the LCD and the circuit board?

I'm not 100% certain how Honda do it, but the chip is definitely customised and can't be read or altered.

After doing 60 miles, has the reading changed from 188888, or is it stuck there?

If you don't get it fixed in time for the MOT, take the previous certificates with you and ask the tester to put an advisory note on the new certificate to the effect that the odometer is faulty, noting the mileage recorded on the previous MOT.

As long as the speedo works, you won't fail if the mileage is wrong.

[Mickylad]

The connection seemed to be fine as well whenever we checked it, anytime he tried to read it came up with 40000 or 120000 etc reading that were way off.

Yeah should work no problem just a bit annoying if I go to sell the bike to a potential buyer it's gonna put them off, and potentially make the bike worth a bit less. 

The speedo does go up in miles, like I say the bike does that little miles now that I don't think I'll do 1k miles in my ownership!

I'll just stick it through and hope for the best, unfortunately in Northern Ireland our MOT's are a lot more strict when it comes to advisories

Thanks for your help Taught2BeCautious!!