En-Gauging | Medallion Premium Bagger Gauge Install

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In the never-ending quest to turn our baggers into our ideal touring machines, the one thing that often gets overlooked when it comes to customization is the part that sits directly in front of our faces on every ride: the gauges. Sure Harley’s stock gauges work fine and look good, but why not personalize the one part of your bike you often spend the most time looking at?

01. The Premium Bagger Gauges come with six gauges to replace your factory setup; however instead of the somewhat useless stock air temp gauge, Medallion provides you with a more useful oil temp gauge. Also included are the necessary wiring harness, and an oil temp sensor plug.

01. The Premium Bagger Gauges come with six gauges to replace your factory setup; however

While attending the V-Twin Dealer’s Show in Cincinnati, we came across Medallion Instrument Systems and were impressed with its array of gauge designs. Founded in 1967 and focusing its attention to serving the marine industry, the company soon became the gauge supplier for OEM customers in other industries as well. Medallion moved into the motorcycle industry as the OEM gauge supplier to Indian, Big Dog, and Boss Hoss. Then in 2009 the company jumped into the aftermarket side of the business supplying gauges for Harley-Davidson models. More specifically, Medallion seems to have its sights set on the bagger scene offering its complete set of Premium Bagger Gauges for a modest $795.99.

02. Installation was pretty straightforward and Medallion provides a one-page fold-out sheet with installation instructions on one side and gauge operation/setup guide on the other. Once we had recorded the mileage, we started by removing the outer fairing and unplugging the headlight.

Medallion doesn’t offer completely custom, one-off gauges or color-matching within its Premium Bagger Gauge line as doing such would drastically affect its pricing. However, the company says it hasn’t ruled out the idea(s). Currently offering 12 distinct designs within the line, Medallion plans on releasing new styles and retiring older styles over time. Now we know what you’re probably thinking: “A complete set of custom gauges for about 800 bucks? These must just be remanufactured gauges with new dials/faces.” Not true, working out of its Spirit Lake, Michigan, facility, Medallion designs and manufacturers its factory-fresh replacement gauges built to the same standards as its gauges for its OEM customers.

03. Starting with the smaller gauges first, we unplugged the stock wiring harness from each gauge, then unbolted the nuts securing the gauges to their plastic retaining cups (arrow).

03. Starting with the smaller gauges first, we unplugged the stock wiring harness from ea

Cruising through the Premium Bagger Gauges line on the Medallion website, we spotted its Classic gauges (PN 8960-00113-01) which feature lightly smoked red faces with rich red pinstripe accents and golden numbering. As soon as we saw the color combination, we thought it would look great against the inner fairing of our ’10 Black Denim Street Glide. B

Next, we crimped the two wires into the matching wires on the transition harness. We turned the power on and checked to make sure everything worked before re-installing the outer fairing. Everything worked perfectly.

04. The instructions say it’s easier to swap each gauge one by one, but we found it was easier to do if we removed all the gauges. We pushed the stock gauges out through the front of the fairing.
04. The instructions say it’s easier to swap each gauge one by one, but we found it was e
05. With all the smaller gauges removed, we laid out the Medallion wire harness and placed its connectors through the open holes. The instructions state that any of the six four-pin connectors from the Medallion harness could plug into any gauge. It was just important to lay out the harness in such a way that all the connectors would reach the gauges. We then connected all the smaller gauges to the wiring harness.
05. With all the smaller gauges removed, we laid out the Medallion wire harness and place
06. Next as we installed each gauge, we lubed the rubber retaining sleeves with a light soapy solution…
06. Next as we installed each gauge, we lubed the rubber retaining sleeves with a light s

07. …and slid the gauges into the holes making sure the alignment ribs slid through the notches and that the lip of the rubber retaining sleeves popped through the backside of the fairing. While the directions didn’t specifically state it, it’s important to note that even though all the gauges have threaded standoffs, which would make you think that they secure into the stock plastic retaining cups, the cups are not used. Instead the rubber retaining rings are all that are needed to keep the gauges in place.
07. …and slid the gauges into the holes making sure the alignment ribs slid through the
08. However, the two larger gauges (tach and speedo) do use the stock retaining cup.
08. However, the two larger gauges (tach and speedo) do use the stock retaining cup.
09. We secured the gauges to the retaining cups and plugged in the wiring harness.
09. We secured the gauges to the retaining cups and plugged in the wiring harness.

10. We then followed the instructions for installing the transition wiring harness with a large 12-pin plug going into a matching plug on the back of the tach and then plugging the smaller 12-pin plug into the back of the speedo. The four-pin and eight-pin plugs on the other end were then plugged into the Medallion control module.

11. Next we installed the ¼-inch male blades into the factory oil pressure gauge plug, making sure the brown and black wires matched up in the connector.
11. Next we installed the ¼-inch male blades into the factory oil pressure gauge plug, ma
12. Moving underneath the bike, we loosened the accessory plug on the oil pan (arrow) so we could swap it with the provided oil temp sensor.
12. Moving underneath the bike, we loosened the accessory plug on the oil pan (arrow) so
13. The sensor comes with thread locker already on the threads. It’s not necessary to drain the oil. We simply loosened the plug until it was about to fall out. Then while we quickly removed the plug with one hand, we threaded in temp sensor with the other. If you get it right, you can do the swap with very little oil loss. Oh yeah, make sure the engine/oil is cold before performing the swap.
13. The sensor comes with thread locker already on the threads. It’s not necessary to dra

14. We then plugged in the temp sensor wire and routed it along the lower frame rail, up the downtube, and into the fairing. We then secured it with zip-ties.
14. We then plugged in the temp sensor wire and routed it along the lower frame rail, up
15. Next, we crimped the two wires into the matching wires on the transition harness. We turned the power on and checked to make sure everything worked before re-installing the outer fairing. Everything worked perfectly.
15. Next, we crimped the two wires into the matching wires on the transition harness. We
16. Here’s a comparison of the stock gauges…

17. …and the new Medallion Classic gauges. The red really stands out against the black fairing. At night they really light up and look cool with the LED backlighting and illuminated pointers. Hidden within the graphic image are indicators for shift-up, ABS, check engine, and security, which only display on start-up or when necessary.
17. …and the new Medallion Classic gauges. The red really stands out against the black fa
18. The LCD on the tach is auto dimming and shows First through Sixth gear position, low fuel, battery condition, cruise, clock, a custom programmable service reminder icon, trip 1 and 2, and odometer. The odometer can only be set once and has to be set within the first 100 miles. We were very satisfied with the gauges. They were pretty easy and quick to install, look really good, and didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
18. The LCD on the tach is auto dimming and shows First through Sixth gear position, low