aftermarket tft display motorcycle brands

Brand-new motorcycles come stuffed with the latest tech gizmos such as radar-assisted cruise control, hill-hold assist, and blind-spot detection systems. While price tags will force many riders to forego many of the newest safety advances, TFT displays and GPS navigation can be found on many entry-level and middleweight machines. Digital dashes also allow users to sync a host of devices to the bike for extra connectivity.

However, those riding older motorcycles may not enjoy the same access to such features. For that reason, Hamburg, Germany-based startup CMoto is developing a range of aftermarket TFT displays for motorcycle models with analog gauges or older digital units. To reach a wide swath of riders, CMoto has unveiled five distinct dashboard designs.

The Corbit’s single round display will cater to many motorcyclists thanks to its minimalist and simple layout, but CMoto has something for everyone. Cruiser riders will spring for the tank-mounted Street Chief model while the SR1’s dual gauge and center display configuration will appeal to sport-touring and adventure riders. Conversely, the RP1’s special AI, sensors, and extensions will suit the racetrack, and the Revin will work best on road-going bikes.

Regardless of the model, each CMoto display will come with Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS navigation, allowing the rider to receive radar warnings, chat messages, current weather forecasts, and music streams. Each unit will come with a handlebar-mounted control and users can adapt the dashes layout and functions to benefit their riding style. Depending on the model, some CMoto displays even feature voice assistant functions and GPS-aided alarm and tracking systems.

The connected tech also allows multiple CMoto users to connect up to four communicator-equipped helmets via the TFT’s smart control center. The digital dashes aren’t yet available but CMoto continues to develop the platform while simultaneously running a crowdfunding campaign. However, the brand promises to make the custom application an easy-to-install component when the displays hit the market.

Gauge cluster design is a dying art. Speedometers and tachometers used to sit at the front of motorcycles like single-handed mechanical watches, projecting only the most pertinent information to the rider: vehicle speed, engine speed and the odometer. Then, like most analog things, digital became the preference and, for the most part, still is the preferred way to display even more information to riders like time, temperature, ride modes, traction control and any other minute pieces data the manufacturer deems necessary.

No one is saying having access to all that data is unnecessary or overbearing — quite the opposite. The more you can know about what’s going on with your bike the better, but, on a modern bike, all that information is more than an analog gauge can handle. So digital displays are a necessary evil, but their principal downside is they lack style, character and they all seem to look the same. However, it seems like the motorcycle industry is at a crossroads and the opportunity for unique, yet modern design is on its way back.

Thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal — or full-color TFT displays — are gaining popularity in the motorcycle industry. TFT is merely a more refined version of the well-known liquid crystal display (LCD), whose potential is already on display in the Lexus LFAand Audi’s Virtual Cockpit. And now, motorcycle manufacturers like Ducati are bringing that technology to the two-wheeled universe to exploit the benefits of a TFT display even further.

Ducati Monster Line Product Manager Stephano Trabusi explained, “TFT is more visible during the day, even in direct sunlight, the resolution is much higher than normal LCD so that you can have much more information on a display.” Given that the cockpit of a motorcycle doesn’t have the benefit of shade from a roof, more common digital and LCDs fall victim to severe glare. The Bosch system Ducati runs even goes one step further with a night mode that can tell if it’s night time, if you’re in a tunnel or a low light environment and flips the display background to black and the font white, so it’s easier to read.

Night vision is just the tip of the TFT iceberg, though. The complex levels of traction control and ride modes that come along with the Bosch system mean the screen has to be able to cycle through numerous menus and pages and display the traction control, engine modes and ABS settings once programmed. “Given that the bikes are so much more complex nowadays, they have more and more functions and more electronics; we need that higher resolution to display all that information.” And not only that but Trabusi justifies Ducati’s use of the display in the most modern way possible, “you always see the display when you’re riding, and it has to have a premium feel for a premium ride. Today, we are so used to our smartphones with color displays — it has become just so familiar. And to have this level of resolution and color on our bikes — it was common sense.”

Therein lies the problem with the Bosch system. Because it’s from a third party electronics and software company, and because it’s so close to a complete plug-and-play package, a handful of other manufacturers — BMW, KTM, Aprilia — use similar if not identical systems. So we wind up with cookie cutter displays no better than the uninspired digital systems they replaced. But thumbing through, pages, levels, toggling ride modes and taking calls via Bluetooth, it’s undoubtedly intuitive, but there’s an overwhelming sense that no one is exploiting the display for all it can do. It’s the same as getting an iPhone X and only using it for dim-lit selfies and tri-color wallpaper.

There’s no reason Ducati couldn’t create its own version of Audi’s Virtual Cockpit — between the maps, different gauge cluster layouts and creative displays, it would be like nothing else on two wheels. The creative potential is there, but until someone unlocks it, we’re stuck in this dull purgatory of right angles and primary colors.

Many of us understand the importance of motorcycles in our life and some of us even treat them as a part of the family. As time goes by, every single aspect, from its design, performance, ease of riding, etc. keeps evolving and the only thing constant is the peace of mind one has while riding a bike on an open highway or carving corners. One such component that is affected by the evolution is the instrument clusters of our motorcycles and each manufacturer comes up with a new design every day. We have different types in them as well ranging from analogue-digital to completely digital clusters and the information they offer has increased by leaps and bounds. So, let’s take a look at 12 motorcycles with the best-looking instrument cluster in the sub-500cc category.

The entire layout is neatly designed and the only things analogue are the speedometer and the fuel gauge. In the digital department, it gets 2 trip meters, an odometer, gear shift indicator, direction indicator, temperature, clock and the recent addition of what Royal Enfield calls the Tripper Display. The Tripper Display shows only the turns and the distance to make the turn which is rather useful than mounting a phone on a holder in a bike that is meant to go off-road. There are telltale signs that sit between the speedometer and the tripper display for your high beam, neutral, ABS and other signs. The only disadvantages are, it does not come with a tachometer and while riding under direct sunlight, the digital part of the cluster is not easy to read as the font is rather small and not very legible.

This has to be the best looking all-digital instrument cluster on this list and that’s not just because of the high-resolution TFT LCD screen it has on offer. It displays everything that you will ever need and heck it even comes with Bluetooth connectivity that shows calls, messages and even the track that is currently playing. It has all the bells and whistles like a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, temperature gauge, gear position indicator, 2 trip meters, average fuel consumption, battery level, date, time, average speed, ABS modes, side stand indicator, and in each trip meter it shows individual fuel consumption, distance travelled and time of the trip. There are a number of settings that can be turned on\off, like the DRLs, changing ABS modes or turning it off, using the options displayed on the instrument cluster. It even has options to change the units of distance, temperature and fuel consumption which is very neat and helpful.

It gets the gear shift indicator which can be changed for different rider setups. The telltale lights are on either side of the display and can be easily seen in case any of them are lit up. On top of all this, one of the hidden features that we liked very much is that as you go faster, the font of the speedometer keeps increasing so that it is easily readable just at a short glance. It has ambient light sensors that detect low visibility and changes the display to night mode which makes it easy for the eyes to read in dim\no light. Even in day mode and under direct sunlight, the display is easy to read and pretty legible, at least things that are important.

Initially, the Apache RR 310 came with a vertical layout of the instrument cluster on the Apache RTR 200 which was good but with the latest update, they have introduced the TFT display and it looks so much better. The skeleton of the design looks like a smartphone itself but the design layout is pretty neat and quirky. Just like the one on the KTM, this also gets all the bells and whistles like speedometer, tachometer, odometer, temperature gauge, gear position indicator, 2 trip meters, time, average speed, side stand indicator and even the kill switch indicator.

The part where this gets extra since it was race-bred is, it comes with a lap timer, 0-60kmph timer and a top speed recorder. Since the bike gets different riding modes, the entire layout and colours change according to the mode which we feel gets you in the mood. The display resolution is precise and easy to read with legible fonts even under direct sunlight. The telltale lights are on the top and are easily visible in case there is something wrong or something that you need to attend to. It also gets Bluetooth connectivity and gives a summary of the rides and bikes status in the app on your smartphone.

You ever heard the saying, “Old is Gold”, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is the living example in the motorcycle sector and everything about this bike is still amazing. Coming to its instrument cluster, even though it is in the market for ages, it still has one of the best-looking instrument clusters majorly because of the design layout and it displays most of the information we need. It has a big wide analogue tachometer that is smack dab at the centre of the design, below which you get the digital speedometer, odometer, trip meters, digital clock, and fuel gauge. The telltale signs are on either side of the tachometer and have a funky design to them. We feel the only important thing missing is the gear position indicator which would have been helpful in a bike that has 6 gears.

Who would have guessed that anybody could buy a Beemer for the price of around 3 lakh on-road? Thanks to a partnership with TVS, we have an affordable BMW bike and this bike is built in India at TVS’s plant in Hosur and exported to other countries as well. The instrument cluster on this one is all-digital, pretty basic and still has all the information that you need. This takes the function over form approach and even though it is not the best looker, it definitely is more functional and gives a lot of information. It displays a speedometer, tachometer, 2 trip meters, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, date and time, fuel range, engine temperature and has telltale signs on either side of the display. Unlike the other all-digital instrument consoles on this list, the one on the Beemer does not come with Bluetooth connectivity which is a bummer when you compare its competition and also when you look at the price you are paying.

This has to be the best-looking analogue-digital instrument console when it comes to its retro design and very clever use of digital clusters. The layout is pretty basic and definitely checks the box for retro looks with the twin-pod dials. The one on the left shows the analogue speedometer while the analogue tachometer is situated on the right and in between them lies the digital fuel gauge as well as the gear position indicator which is pretty neat and useful. The other digital display is on the left pod under the analogue speedometer and shows the odometer, 2 trip meters and the clock. The telltale signs are situated in the right pod below the analogue tachometer and are neatly laid out but might be difficult to read under direct sunlight. The console does not come with Bluetooth connectivity but it does show everything you need except for directions and for a bike that is meant to go majorly on the tarmac we believe a phone holder will do the job pretty well.

The Yamaha R15 V3 comes with a very functional display and has a very compact design. It shows the speedometer, tachometer, gear position indicator, average speed, fuel gauge, average fuel consumption, 2 trip meters, gear shift indicator which is customisable, clock and a welcome message. The Bluetooth connectivity feature is yet to be seen but Yamaha states that it will be upgrading the console on the recently released R15 V4. Apart from that, it has telltale signs on either side of the display and is very plain and simple. The console might not be fancy but is compact and the fonts are very legible for a display of this size. It has a white backlit display for the night mode that is easy on the eyes and comfortable to read.

The second and more affordable motorcycle that comes from the ADV world is the Xpulse 200 and it comes with an all-digital display that has Bluetooth connectivity features and hence benefits with navigation, call and SMS alerts. Apart from that, it has all the normal features like a speedometer, tachometer, gear position indicator, odometer, 2 trip meters, fuel gauge, date and time. The telltale lights are positioned on the top and give necessary information and alerts that include ABS, side stand warning, engine check warning, high beam, turn indicators and Neutral. The console is white backlit and most of the fonts are pretty legible and easy to read even under direct sunlight. The trip meters information and navigation is neatly provided on the right-hand side of the screen while the other information is on the left.

The Suzuki Gixxer 250 comes with an all-digital instrument console and has pretty much everything that its competitors have. It is one of the early birds of the all-digital game and even now has one of the best-looking instrument consoles. The telltale signs are on either side of the display and the customisable gear shift indicator sits on the top. The fonts are very legible and are easy to read at any point in time and the blue backlit display is easy on the eyes. The console shows a speedometer, tachometer, odometer, 2 trip meters, clock, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, and service interval. The USP of this console definitely has to be the fonts and legibility of the display which is easily readable even at a short glance and even under direct sunlight. The blue backlit display is easy on the eyes and does not affect the driver’s vision even when you look at it for a long time(which you are not supposed to do while riding).

If you are a simple man who looks simple and compact designs, then the instrument console of the Huskies will impress you very much. This is easily the most compact and the least intrusive to the rider when they look ahead. All the information that you need comes in just a circle and it displays a speedometer, tachometer, 2 trip meters, ABS modes, fuel range, average speed, average fuel consumption, fuel gauge and clock. The telltale signs are situated around the layout, along with the mode and set buttons that are used to toggle between information, change ABS modes and reset trip meters. It also gets the side stand and the kill switch warning on the display. Although small in size, we believe it still qualifies to be in the list of the best-looking instrument cluster.

TVS Apache RTR 180 – This bike also has an analogue-digital display which looks pretty neat but this design was introduced a really long time ago and it still continues to use the same.

These instrument consoles are definitely feature-loaded and are very helpful in understanding your motorcycle better at all times. On that note, we think the LCD displays should make way to all the bikes above 200cc and maybe even the Bluetooth options as well. But we like to hear from you and you let us know, apart from the LCD display and Bluetooth, what else do you want your instrument console to have and how does it help you while riding or maintaining a motorcycle.

And of course, if you feel we left out other motorcycles that have better instrument consoles than the ones mentioned above, please feel free to leave a comment and we will surely acknowledge them.

The very first gasoline internal combustion motorcycle was the Daimler Reitwagen, built in 1885. Robert Bosch created his namesake company a year later, in 1886. Coincidence? Probably, but it makes a nice segue into the advancements that Robert Bosch GmbH, better known simply as Bosch, has made in the motorcycle industry. As the company points out, “As a leading supplier of motorcycle safety systems, Bosch has sought for years to make motorcycles first and foremost safer, but also comfortable – without diminishing riding enjoyment.” As part of this commitment, the company just released their new line of five-inch TFT displays for motorcycles – the TFT Cluster 5” and the Connectivity Cluster 5”.

These displays were designed to be used by motorcycle manufacturers as original equipment dashboards, and as such, are completely customizable. With a compact footprint, the displays can be installed in a very confined space, something the engineers at Suzuki no doubt appreciated when the TFT Cluster 5” was selected for use in the 2023 V-STROM 1050 and V-STROM 1050DE.

The Connectivity Cluster 5” differs from the TFT Cluster 5”, in that, as you might have guessed, it has connectivity capabilities. Previously, adding GPS navigation to a motorcycle not already equipped required a separate aftermarket unit or smartphone mounted to the motorcycle in conjunction with the stock dashboard display. The Connectivity Cluster 5” allows the rider to wirelessly connect their smartphone to the dashboard, bringing smartphone functionality to the display, such as GPS, music, and messaging. At the same time, important information regarding the motorcycle operation, such as warnings or speedometer readout, is retained.

Bosch claims that the compact size and customizable nature of their new displays makes them suitable not only for conventional motorcycles, but also electric motorcycles, e-scooters, and ATVs. Expect to see Bosch’s new displays as original equipment on more motorcycles, as riders demand increased functionality, legibility, and connectivity from their bikes’ instrument clusters.

Modern motorcycles offer oodles of technologies integral but are often offered at a very high price, at figures that the average motorcyclist would never dream of spending on a two-wheeler: some technologies, however, are now within everyone’s reach, such asTFT display with the GPS navigator integrated, and thanks to accessories CMoto soon it will be much easier to upgrade your bike with aaftermarket display.

German aftermarket manufacturer CMoto has made a whole range of TFT displays dedicated to various models of motorcyclesin order to make it easier to update the instrumentation by switching from a old analog display – or liquid crystal digital – to a new TFT display capable of providing a lot of useful information while driving. The available designs are 5designed for different types of motorcycles.

Model Corbit it is round, offers a single display and has a decidedly minimal and simple design; Street Chief is the perfect model for cruisers, while theSR1 it is equipped with two hands and a digital display placed in the center so as to offer many solutions to the sport-touring and adventure models. Model RP1 is equipped with special sensors dedicated to the track, while Revin is the model designed for road sports bikes.

All models are equipped with Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS so as to offer the pilot the opportunity to be guided along the route, warned of any speed cameras, but at the same time also having the ability to manage the music and theweather forecast directly from the display.

CMoto is still working on the development of these displays – and in the meantime is carrying out a crowdfunding campaign – and has promised an easy installation on many models of motorcycles, making these aftermarket accessories as much as possible “Plug & Play“.

And if we take the case of motorcycles. Digital dashes, once the exclusive domain of luxury sportbikes, now come standard across several market segments. No surprise then that your customers want to replace their old analogue gauges with modern digital displays.

While automotive vehicles continue to move towards complexand digital instrument clusters, motorcycles still primarily rely on a simple cluster containing an analogue speedometer and often an analogue tachometer.

The company has announced it is working on a TFT display for motorcycles. Germany based startup CMoto has expanded its initial plans with five new designs.

The model SR1 combines analogue elements with a display that is easy to read at any time. If you don’t want to miss classic speedometer needles and appreciate their sporty appearance, you’ve come to the right place.

The flagship of our fleet bears his name with pride. Because, with its large display, you have an infinite number of adjustments and display options to choose from.

We have developed a model specially designed for the racetrack for racing enthusiasts, with two displays, a special with AI and lots of sensors and extensions.