I'm working on a 2008 custom softtail have a new speed odometer that was bought 2 years ago and when I hooked it up it shows a VIN Error and the Harley shop here said they cant do anything with it hope someone here can help me out with this I'm in southern WV

 

Hey mate, same happened to me. Do everything in the instructions but With your original speedo still plugged in. Jim

 

Yes but my problem is that the original is toast got wet when storage place let it set outside water got in it I need to find someone that can hook a computer to it and program it. Harley says it cant be done but I cant believe that

 

Put the wet speedometer in uncooked rice for a couple of days.

 

Replacement speedometers marry to a vin after 30 miles or so. Did you buy it used? It's likely married to another bike and is a paperweight. Far as I've seen HD won't fix it and neither will a speedometer shop.

Maybe someone will chime in with better news for you, I hope someone does.

Worst case you could just buy a new speedo and it should work.

 

I read somewhere that HD could send them back to the factory for a reset, and when it's returned it will marry itself to the bike, but it's most likely more cost effective to purchase a new one.

It's all to protect us against speedo manipulation fraud.

 

Harley will NOT reset speedometers that have previously been married to a bike. Like Joe said, the VIN error indicates that the new bike's VIN doesn't match the VIN of the bike that the speedo was previously connected. The factory will NOT reset it. It is, as stated, a paperweight.

Who's to say you didn't just steal that speedo from a bike and want to reset it and connect it to your bike?

Your only recourse is to purchase a new speedo or a speedo that has never been married to a bike before. Sorry.

 

I was under the impression that even with a new speedometer the old one needed to be hooked up until the odometer info was uploaded to the new one?

 

Nope. Starting in 04 the mileage is in the computer not the speedometer like it was from 95 to 03 in the digital speedos. And of course analog speedos before that.

 

This is the case. I bought a new speedo for my Heritage a year ago. Just plug in and go, but for the first 30 or so miles it counts down. When the miles hit zero, the Speedo is married to the bike and can never be used on another bike.