Hour Meters

Record your Running Time with a 24MX Dirt Bike Hour Meter

Are you serious about off-road riding? Then you need to know the number of running hours your motorcycle's engine clocks up. 24MX has the answer with a range of hour meters to ensure your maintenance schedule is on time.

What is a dirt bike hour meter?

Motocross, enduro and dirt bikes are stripped-down, power-packed motorcycles. If the bike has anything in the way of instrumentation, it will be minimal. A dirt bike hour meter is a small electronic box with a digital display to record information from the engine. As the meter doesn't need to be visible while riding, it's tucked away somewhere discreet on the bike. So far, so good, but why is it necessary to have one? Street bikes measure service intervals in miles or kilometres recorded on the speedometer. Motocross and dirt bikes are different. Apart from not being equipped with a speedometer, a lot of the time, their wheels are off the ground. For this reason, recording the distance travelled is irrelevant. Moreover, dirt bikes are ridden flat out from start to finish, so maintenance schedules come down to hours of running time rather than mileage. You can set up a dirt bike hour meter in one of two ways. The first method is the wired version.

Wired hour meter

This type of hour meter for dirt bikes has a wire cable running from the meter, which connects to the spark plug lead. The spark plug gives off an electrical pulse when the engine starts. The meter detects and registers these electrical pulses or pulses per revolution (PPR) as running time in hours and minutes. Most carburettor fed motocross bikes run at a rate of 1 PPR. However, more modern fuel-injected models may run at 0.5 PPR. You will find this information in the motorcycle owner's manual. Although the hour meter wires to the dirt bike's electrical system, the unit is battery-operated. The battery life is around 5 years.

Wireless hour meter

The wireless dirt bike hour meter is a stand-alone unit with no external wiring. You can fix the unit to almost any part of the bike, and it works by picking up the vibration from a running engine. When starting the motorcycle, the wireless unit will begin to register. Stopping the engine shuts down the meter. Like the wired version, the wireless unit is battery-operated. Depending on the model, battery life is 5-7 years.

How does an hour meter attach?

Most hour meters for dirt bikes have strong adhesive tape on the back of the unit. The tape allows it to stick securely to any flat surface, such as the frame. Amongst the 24MX range of hour meters, you will also see units with two evenly spaced holes. This design allows you to fix the meter to an hour-meter bracket (also available from 24MX). These also have adhesive tape to provide mounting options.

Features to look for in a dirt bike hour meter

Even if you ride in a dry climate, ensure the meter is waterproof to prevent damage when washing your bike. Next, check the meter's functions. It should be easy to reset or choose other functions. Some hour meters have an engine speed or tachometer feature and can record peak revs during a race. While some dirt bike hour meters are for 2 or 4-stroke engines, others can handle both, so study product descriptions. Knowing when your dirt bike needs maintenance to keep it running safely is essential. A dirt bike hour meter from 24MX is a cost-effective way to get the job done.