I'm after a speedo for a Matchless based trials bike I'm building and there seem to be loads of all sorts of Smiths replica speedos, cables and drives on ebay. They all come from Indian sellers and they are rediculously cheap. I've always thought that if something is so cheap it can't be true, there is probably a godd reason for that, but just wondered if anyone out there knows any more about these Indian Smiths speedos? I know we will all assume they are rubbish, but has anyone got any actual facts or first hand experience of them.

hi bill,i also have the same question.i have seen one or two of these on my travels,they have a slightly larger case with a step in it.
this tells me that the mechanism is different.
having said that,the speedos are used on the enfield bullet and there are quite a few of those around,so cant be all gloom and doom.
there is a seller on ebay listing speedo, cable and hub drive for not many quids.
you may need alter the hole in the drive to suit your spindle but it may work out ok,especially if you are not wanting originality.
i believe the screwed connections may not tally with the smiths type but if you use the whole kit cant see a problem
let us know how you get on
cheers rick

email (option): richardholt@rocketmail.com

Wouldn't you be better off with a genuine Smiths one from a Tiger Cub as they're still pretty and a bit smaller and still pretty cheap?

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

I'm not jumping in and buying the Indian speedo just yet, I've got a few hundred jobs to do on the bike yet. I will keep an eye out for a genuine one, but as you say, they fit them on the new Enfields and I haven't heard that their speedos explode or run backwards? I'll let you know how I get on if I do go for the Indian one.

The Indian speedo's are magnetic not chronometric, you would need a cable from something like a new type Enfield, or the later Brit bikes they had magnetic speedo's so a cable to fit must be viable, you would need to check your drive ratio, I think the Indian ones are 2 1/2 to 1. They work by having two discs one non magnetic attached to the needle spindle and the other magnetic attached to the spindle that is driven by the cable, as the disc is spun the the magnetic drag causes the top disc to revolve against a spring like you have on the balance wheel of a clock.You can alter them sometimes by altering the distance between the discs or by putting them in a Gaussing coil and changing the strength of the magnetic disc but then the gearing would be wrong for the mile display.

That's worth knowing Ian, thanks for the info. I'm not sure which way I'll go yet, but it's food for thought, cheers.

watch out indian speedos they can be very inacurate the one on an enfield i have was 15mph low at 30mph i was doing only 15mph at least i wouldnt get nicked for speeding Hitchcocks sell indian speedos which they test so they acurate i brought the one without any indicator lights in it cost £35 plus vat they also do a cover if it is not being put into a headlight ask for a catalogue it full of bit you might be able to use