1996 R850R instument cluster upgrade options/advice

Good day and happy new year,

In a previous post, I asked for advice on an 1996 R850R I was considering. I have now purchased the cycle and am contemplating immediate maintenance needs and upgrades. I plan to change all the fluids and replace/upgrade the brake fluid lines. The cycle has only 20K and has been well maintained so I am not concerned about abuse or abnormal wear. It needs new bushings on the steering dampener and some other soft part replacements here and there but nothing major.

The previous owner added the optional tachometer but not the optional clock. The basic instrument cluster on the R850R is adequate, but I find it an incongruous aesthetic component of the cycle. Can this be easily swapped with the instrument cluster from an R1100rR with the incorporated full size tachometer?

Are there any other common maintenance points I should check or essential upgrades other R850/1100 owners would recommended?

Thank you.
Be well, ride safely,
RK

R850R cluster


R1100R cluster

That lower cluster was late model 1999 1100 and 1150 R’s

There was an additional upgrade harness when they changed. I am swapping one as well, but haven’t removed the upgrade donor to verify it’s as easy as I hope.

On our 95 1100, there is a separate tach and clock that sit on each side of cluster

Good morning,

Yes, the the original R850R boxy cluster with the large speedometer had optional small clock and tachometer units mouted separatly to either side of the main housing. My R850R has the tach but it is quite small and the housing rattles quite a bit on the road. Incidentally, the photos are for reference only; they are not parts I have removed or have on hand.

Please keep me posted on your own swap project. I would not mind a bit of electrical work so long as mounting the R1100/1150 instrument assembly doesn't require irreversible modifications to the handle bars, stem, etc.

Thanks for the response.

Happy new year.
Be well, ride safely.
RK

Hi, just thought I'd chime in - I have an instrument bezel from a '99 1100R (like the one pictured) if you want it. I don't know but I suspect that the mounting bracket that attaches the cluster to the upper fork brace is likely to be different though.

Good day,

Thank you for the offer. I am currently researching if the instrument clusters can be easily swapped. If so, I may accept your offer. The current r850r set up functions just fine but the tachometer mounting is flimsy and it rattles at multiple RPMs, making it difficult to read.

Be well, ride safely,
RK

mzeitz said:

Hi, just thought I'd chime in - I have an instrument bezel from a '99 1100R (like the one pictured) if you want it. I don't know but I suspect that the mounting bracket that attaches the cluster to the upper fork brace is likely to be different though.

View attachment 81684

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I have the aftermarket tach setup for my 850 but haven't installed it yet. I too, would be interested in this swap...