I am not a techie guy by any means, I'm not cheap but don't want to pay big bucks for tech that I could care less about. Having said that I has posted that I like the old Arctic Cat guage much better than the new "sport guage" even though I get more info the appearance is just way too basic/simple for me, yes I did just say im not a techie guy LOL. I also said I may upgrade to the Garmin G8 guage based solely on appearance, and I'm not going to lie to you buy I pretty much made up my mind when I asked how much it was for the upgrade... NO. Then I came across the NS1 guage which is about half the price and to be honest with you the guage seems more attractive to me and not because of the cost. My question is...does or has anyone use of have this guage? likes? dislikes? reading up on it, it seems like quite the guage.
NS1 guage....
- Thread starter euphoric1
- Start date
snoden
Active member
Over on Totallyamaha there are a number of guys with the NS1 gauge, I don't and have zero experience with one. There is currently a thread regarding getting answers to some questions and updates to the gauge and it sounds like they might not be in business anymore. No responses to emails and phone is no longer working. Just an FYI, so do your due diligence before laying down your hard-earned cash on one.
I went to the website and the order process is a bit different to me, I saw it on another enthusiast site, I've never heard of it and honestly looks pretty slick and very customizable. Gives quite a bit of info and data, wish they had something like that back in the day when I would modify my sleds.... would have saved me money LOL
Sorry but that made me laugh I didn’t expect that but should have after all that was said about my Yamahas guess I’m used to it
favoritos
Well-known member
I've been running the NS1 for about seven years. It is the real deal. It is nice because of the ability to customize five screens you can simply scroll through. It also has a data logging feature that allows you to look back at a long list of items put out by the ECU. It is a long list.
Unfortunately, there is not an easy way to use the gauge with the Catalyst hood that has a sport gauge. That hood has a shallow height opening and the sport gauge uses a bezel mount with two screws beside the gauge. The opening would need fairly major modification and you would still have the holes beside the base mount.
Last season, some of the Catalyst sled used the old style gauges. I had one and was able to make the NS1 fit with that hood. It's not the easiest process and you need to replace the storage compartment cover. I used a Tread mount cover for the storage compartment.
Maybe a pic can help explain.
I did not dig into the process of mounting one with the sport gauge opening too deeply. I told my dealer I'd take one of their customer's med. green hoods from last year with a round gauge opening. (G8 installation looks cleaner with a new custom fit opening.) So far, no bueno on finding someone willing to part with one of the hoods.
I have a G8 setup as well. The graphics are better than the NS1 and the G8 has more functions on the toggle. The G8 is not quite as functional with customization and does not do data logging. It's a bummer that the NS1 is so hard to mount with the sport gauge hood. With my setup on the old round hole hood, it's in a better location for visibility than any factory option. That's a big deal.
Seated view.
I move the items around on the customized screens and put my important stuff on the top row. I also use the data logging quite a bit. It helps a ton with fine tuning and troubleshooting.
Unfortunately, there is not an easy way to use the gauge with the Catalyst hood that has a sport gauge. That hood has a shallow height opening and the sport gauge uses a bezel mount with two screws beside the gauge. The opening would need fairly major modification and you would still have the holes beside the base mount.
Last season, some of the Catalyst sled used the old style gauges. I had one and was able to make the NS1 fit with that hood. It's not the easiest process and you need to replace the storage compartment cover. I used a Tread mount cover for the storage compartment.
Maybe a pic can help explain.
I did not dig into the process of mounting one with the sport gauge opening too deeply. I told my dealer I'd take one of their customer's med. green hoods from last year with a round gauge opening. (G8 installation looks cleaner with a new custom fit opening.) So far, no bueno on finding someone willing to part with one of the hoods.
I have a G8 setup as well. The graphics are better than the NS1 and the G8 has more functions on the toggle. The G8 is not quite as functional with customization and does not do data logging. It's a bummer that the NS1 is so hard to mount with the sport gauge hood. With my setup on the old round hole hood, it's in a better location for visibility than any factory option. That's a big deal.
Seated view.
I move the items around on the customized screens and put my important stuff on the top row. I also use the data logging quite a bit. It helps a ton with fine tuning and troubleshooting.
lofsfire
Active member
Funny I was just looking at these last week.
One concern I did have is how the odometer reading transfers. I see the NS1 has an "odometer offset" reading but what if you change back to the original gauge cluster? Is this stored in a BCM on the sled? Or will the odometer reading always be off if you transfer back?
Not exactly a mount for the NS1 but these guys might be able to help out...
GPS Mount 1004 – Custom Metal Solutions
custommetalsolutions.us
I was thinking about a mount from CMS for my phone but I think I finally found a spot where my current mount will work. Plus the CMS mount would be higher than my windshield...
In portrait, it does block my gauge. But in landscape the gauge is visible and the phone fits between the hand guard mount...
Favoritos, thanks for chiming in, oh man do I wish I could have the old dial/digital guage back over the "sport guage" do you know if it will fit in the bezel of the catalyst outfitted with sport guage? different bezel? different electrical hook up? I also read on the NS1 site that they had software flashes that actually empowered the old guage to deliver more information. I really liked the old round dial/digital guage, the back lighting, the appearance and would go back to it if I could in a heartbeat compared to the "sport guage" like I had stated I really dont care about the tech and dont want to dole out the big bucks for something I really don't care about but the price tag, appearance and information on NS1 sparks my interest. I will read more again on the other site as I thought some one was mentioning something about developing a mount for the catalyst chassis.Funny I was just looking at these last week.
One concern I did have is how the odometer reading transfers. I see the NS1 has an "odometer offset" reading but what if you change back to the original gauge cluster? Is this stored in a BCM on the sled? Or will the odometer reading always be off if you transfer back?
Not exactly a mount for the NS1 but these guys might be able to help out...
GPS Mount 1004 – Custom Metal Solutions
I was thinking about a mount from CMS for my phone but I think I finally found a spot where my current mount will work. Plus the CMS mount would be higher than my windshield...
In portrait, it does block my gauge. But in landscape the gauge is visible and the phone fits between the hand guard mount...
lotsfire.. I could be wrong but would think and or hope the odometer information would be stored on the ECM or maybe be able to put a starting number in the new guage possibly? I too would be curious to know that answer.
Laugh it up LOL! good one! but... Been Cat since 1995... will always be Cat, have my hopes someone will pick it up and not only renew but continue its legacy. IMO they now have one of the best chassis in the industry and something a new potential buyer can build off and improve on. I'm not nor will I ever be a 4 stroke guy but they have the engine plant, get the right people in there to develop a 4s engine they could become their own animal. I for one hope Arctic Cat will be here to stay and the Catalyst is proof that their engineers are ready and willing to push the envelope, regardless if the chassis might be years late. There are many factors at play here that led to Textrons decision, all the blame does not fall into their lap. I hope they will sit back let all the other outside issues resolve and whether it be them or someone else realize what they have there, its not just a name...its a brand with a legacy and a following and I will not nor do I believe other life long Cat supporters are even remotely ready to walk away from the brand and its legacy. And whether you like Cat or not, you had better hope either Textron will eventually continue or someone else will because competition leads to innovation and having only 2 manufacturers will only make problems plaguing this sport even worse. Thanks for the chuckle garageguy.
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Truth is whitedust, sadly Yamaha became nothing but a disgraceful Ruse. And they knowing it all along. They, and Textron will get nothing $$$ from me ever again. Good write up euphoric! Something needs to happen, and the sooner the better for AC's snowmobile future! AC is now withering away on the vine, as in $$$ value. The longer it goes on the worse it becomes. Otherwise the most of their good, and best snowmobile guru's will pickup their play toys, and move on. Sadly that's how it works. I would never trust Textron again if they would get AC back up and running again. Just can't, their ruse fooled me badly once, never again. My wishful thinking is for Kawasaki to somehow obtain AC snowmobiles.Sorry but that made me laugh I didn’t expect that but should have after all that was said about my Yamahas guess I’m used to it
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favoritos
Well-known member
On newer Cat sleds the odometer is in the gauge. I offset the NS1 miles each time I transfer to a new machine. One of my NS1 gauges is offset by 28,000 miles. I reuse the gauge and clear the data logs each time I transfer to a new machine When putting the original gauge back, the miles will only show what miles were put on that gauge. I write the additional miles to the back of the stock original gauge with white paint marker.Funny I was just looking at these last week.
One concern I did have is how the odometer reading transfers. I see the NS1 has an "odometer offset" reading but what if you change back to the original gauge cluster? Is this stored in a BCM on the sled? Or will the odometer reading always be off if you transfer back?
Not exactly a mount for the NS1 but these guys might be able to help out...
GPS Mount 1004 – Custom Metal Solutions
I was thinking about a mount from CMS for my phone but I think I finally found a spot where my current mount will work. Plus the CMS mount would be higher than my windshield...
In portrait, it does block my gauge. But in landscape the gauge is visible and the phone fits between the hand guard mount...
Hours are stored in the ECU. I'm not aware of a consumer available offset.
The NS1 plugs to the stock harness connection. I like the idea of an additional mount, but the stock gauge would already be disconnected if using the NS1.
@euphoric1 , The old gauges use the same pin connector as the sport gauge. I'm not sure about the integrated hand toggle working with the round deluxe version. The gauge communicates back and forth with the ECU on sleds that have the upper handlebar toggle and multi position hand warmers. It does need to verify with the ECU that it is in place so that controls like hand warmers etc. will work properly.
The biggest hurdle to a retrofit is the sport gauge hood opening. I didn't measure exact dimensions, but it would need to be resized. I guess that is possible. The backside of the gauge area looks to be flat. In that case, the holding clips can retain the gauge wit the correct sized opening.
@lofsfire , I'm not sure if you have a connection with CMS? There is an opportunity for them to make a retrofit plate we could use to replace sport gauges.
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I guess that shoots the idea of putting previous guage in, not concerned of being able to toggle through guage with button on handle bar but the potential of heated grips and lever not working will not work for me. I never thought about guage being more than just an indicator of warmth position. Oh well maybe someone will come out with a mount for the catalyst for the NS1. I wonder if they could put existing hours on guage through data transfer or set up. In my shop some of the larger equipment with the fancy guages when we have to change them we are able to populate the hours on the new guage utilizing the interface software. Im still going to follow the NS1 and hope someone will come up with a usable mount. I am assuming the NS1 displays the heat level on controls and communicates so they work?
lofsfire
Active member
I do not have any connection to CMS. Just found them looking for ways to mount my phone...
Here is a picture I took today of my phone on the Rokform Mount.
Does your phone function in the cold like that?I do not have any connection to CMS. Just found them looking for ways to mount my phone...
Here is a picture I took today of my phone on the Rokform Mount.
lofsfire
Active member
I've only used it twice now. The first time I could not find the option to lock the screen on it for the entire time. So it kept going to the lock screen, but seemed to work fine. The other time it was over 30 outside, so not a real good test... It was plugged in to charge. If not plugged in the battery would not last long. I normal keep it in my right front breast pocket on the outside of my coat. I did keep it in a can koozie and the cold never bothered it. I will let you know more after this weekend.
I did have my old GPS mounted similarly but it was in a case, and as long as it was plugged in I had no problems. When I first started using the GPS I would bring it in at most stops and over night, and when stored in the trailer at home. Then I left it on the sled one time and and no issues other then the screen be sluggish in the first minute or so then it would work like normal.
lofsfire
Active member
So I got to officially try everything out using the phone with it wired in charging and on the new mount.
The mount I have is great It holds the phone perfectly... Charging it seem to work perfectly as well. I did have one error message come up that the phone was cold and it gave some kind of warning I just told it to ignore it and I never had a problem the rest of the day.
I do have a dislike, which is where I mounted the phone. It's great for line of vision but unlike in the picture above I cannot see my factor gauges. Which wouldn't be a problem on my older sled but with this one it has the digital thumb and grip warmers... So I find myself moving forward to see the temperature settings... Plus anything else on the gauge cluster.
I'm going to try taking a look tomorrow and seeing how I might be able to mount the phone in different spot I've got a couple ideas.
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Have you looked at these yet?
www.d3customs.com
Snowmobile GPS Kits
Weatherproofed GPS Units For Snowmobiles.The ultimate companion on any adventure, a reliable GPS that is weatherproofed and built tough by enthusiasts. Stand alone units and pre-kitted options available with the right mounting and power accessory needed for your exact make and model.
stevem5215
New member
I too have used the NS-1 gauge for many years. This year though I sold my 14' ZR8000lxr and am NS-1 gaugeless. I bought a Skidoo Mxz XRS last year and asked Stephan about using the NS-1 on it but it's not supported as he couldn't get some features to work due to problems. I have a friend who bought an early version of it for his SD but he had trouble and I believe Stephan just said it wouldn't work either. It would be nice to have a better gauge on my SD as I use the old Montana 600 and 650 on it which work fine but the larger screen is still "The cats meow" lol. Anyway, you might find that Stephan is not supporting these like he used to since all manufacturers are doing their own large screen readouts. IMO the NS-1 is still fantastic when used with a sled that supports it. And was very reliable for me too as I've had it on two sleds. 09 F8 and on my 14 ZR8000. Both worked fantastic and people would look at the gauge and ask how I did that lol. Yeah. Stephan did that it's called a NS-1.
lofsfire
Active member
So that D3 looks nice but are the mount is the real thing your buying. Everything else is available else where... Now there is something to be said for the convenience of one stop ordering... Just know your paying for that...
As I said above I was not happy with the placement I choose initial. Here is my updated placement which I think will work out much better.
The place I mounted it used and existing screw. I did change it out to a longer screw and had to put a spacer on because the original one had a shoulder to stop you from over tightening it and cracking the plastic. This screw only has a split metal clip on fastener attaching it to another piece of plastic. I added a nylock nut as a safety to the screw as well. If someone wants more details let me know. Everything else is RAM mount parts and the Rokform attachment.
I now have full view of both the phone and gauge no matter where I'm sitting on the seat.
As I said above I was not happy with the placement I choose initial. Here is my updated placement which I think will work out much better.
The place I mounted it used and existing screw. I did change it out to a longer screw and had to put a spacer on because the original one had a shoulder to stop you from over tightening it and cracking the plastic. This screw only has a split metal clip on fastener attaching it to another piece of plastic. I added a nylock nut as a safety to the screw as well. If someone wants more details let me know. Everything else is RAM mount parts and the Rokform attachment.
I now have full view of both the phone and gauge no matter where I'm sitting on the seat.