The Dr. Says....

So, you just laid down some serious cash for a sweet ride, now what? Well, before the weekend ride you crack open the Owner's Manual and bam, there is it is, the Maintenance Schedule! That's right, these high performance race bikes require regular maintenance. Undaunted, you scan through the schedule looking at all the things that require inspection, cleaning, lubrication, and replacing. Panic starts to set in when, within the walls of your mind, you hear a pleading whisper, "calm down man, you can do this!" Only slightly convinced, you set you sights looking to find the frequency of all this maintenance. What? The frequency is in hours? How do you track hours? Do they expect you to duct tape a kitchen timer to your bike? Well, not exactly but kind of. Rather than a kitchen timer, we'd recommend the Doug Dubach Racing (DRD) Hour Meter.

The DRD Hour Meter automatically monitors how much time your motor spends running. You don't have to worry about turning it on, off, or resetting it. The only think you have to remember is to start your motor. Heck, we can all remember to do that, right? Once the motor is started the DRD Hour meter records the running time. It just doesn't get any easier than this!

The DRD Hour Meter tracks running time in hours by tenths of a hour. When the motor is running the symbol on the left of the LCD display will flash. Once installed, you'll be able to easily track time for maintenance. My recommendation is to keep a maintenance log for recording the time when performing maintenance. This way you'll never forget when you last changed the oil, oil filter, or some other maintenance or modification.

While the DRD Hour Meter comes with instructions, they aren't as useful as they could be. Here's how I installed one on an '05 CRF450R.

Installation Notes

1. Remove the right radiator shroud to allow easier access to the spark plug wire.

2. You'll need to wrap the included pick-up wire around the spark plug wire five times. Start wrapping the pick-up wire about an inch and a half from the end of spark plug boot. Use the included zip tie to secure the pick-up wire wrapping as shown in the photo. I opted to use a black tie to match the color of the wire. Extra style points!

3. Before continuing the installation, insert the pick-up wire into the rear of the meter as indicated in the DRD instructions. Start the motor to make sure the meter is picking up the ignition signal. If it is this will activate the timer on the meter and the icon on the left of the LCD will flash. You'll have to wait at least 6 minutes for the timer to increment the timer display (1/10th of an hour). If it is not picking up the ignition signal slide the pick-up wrap closer to the spark plug boot.

4. If the meter is successfully picking up the spark signal, run and zip tie the pick-up along ONE of the throttle cables. Make sure the pick-up wire can not make contact with the engine. Also, make sure you leave enough slack so removing the spark plug wire is possible. Keep in mind the general location of final mounting location on the frame spare.

5. The kit comes with two screws which I do NOT recommend using to secure it to the frame. I don't believe drilling into your frame is a good idea. I used padded double-sided tape on the backside of the meter and secured it to the frame spar with zip ties. This tape has a foam core which will help the zip ties maintain pressure against the meter. Hole up the removed shroud to find the location for attaching the meter. Take note in the photo of the pick-up wire routing and how it's zip tied the throttle cable. Make sure you leave some slack as the throttle cable does move some while riding. Trim the excess pick-up wire.

6. Once the meter is attached to the frame spare, replace the right radiator shroud.

That's all there is to the installation. Now you're set to accurately track your maintenance. Don't forget to record the metered time when performing maintenance.

CRF's Only Staff Review, January 2005
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