Fix one, another fails... (speedo this time)

[Bomberman]

Well hell. Just this very morning I picked up my bike which had had a new monoshock fitted and the steering head bearings replaced (Well, fixed, the previous owner had removed a few balls ). Drive bike home and it feels beautiful
Sit about for a while and the sun comes out and the roads begin to dry off nicely so I think "Get petrol, then disappear on the A57 for a while" Good plan But not...
Half a mile in I notice my speedo has gone completely mental and no amount of tapping at the dial will fix it Basically it just oscillates wildly over a range of 10 milesish. It's roughly near my actual speed, but won't go over 40ish, and I did exceed 40, so remarkably unsafe
Anyone? Please someone say squirt x with WD40 and it'll be fine
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'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[mr jamez]

Is it driven off the front wheel or sprocket?

Not to hard a job to check it if is on the front wheel, you can unscrew the cable from the speedo then spin the front wheel to make sure that is going round ok. As for the speedo drive, you will need to take off the front wheel to get at it. If it is broken it will be pretty obvious, it is only two gears, check the whole cable out as well obviously.

[kasandrich]

If its working but jumpy, then it probably wants oiling, wd40 may do it in the short term, but in the long term some heavier oil would be better, like engine oil, or gear oil.
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Richard

CBR1000FM

[mr.z]

I completely know the feeling, mines been the same, one thing after another, rev counter went and havent fixed it, i think replaceing stuff jinxes you or soemthing?!?!

Anyways... I think your cable is dead, or getting close to dead, my cg did the exact same thing, i'm presumeing its a gear driven and not an electric speedo? hopefully a £10 cable should fix your speedo, you will need to get the drive off the front wheel (or whereever its driven from, what bike have you got?) and where it joins into your clocks, probably behind the headlight, hope you have some good screwdrivers!

That will fix it, make sure to grease/oil this one properly, oiling your cables every so often will save things like this happening.

If it dosent fix it its new clocks time its hugely unlikely they are knacked though
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[kasandrich]

As per Zero's posting a new cable for about a tenner is a possibility, but I was trying to save you money, by avoiding the new cable.
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Richard

CBR1000FM

[Guest]

they always used to warn against using thin oil in speedo cables as it could get sprayed up inside the actual clock.

[Bomberman]

Many replies
Firstly, sorry! It's a 1989 TZR 125. I'm starting to be an idiot for not mentioning that
Ok, firstly, it is run off the front wheel and is just a bsic gear mechanism.
Kasandrich I wouldn't call it jumpy at all. It moves very smoothly, but wildly. Pulling the cable off the drive and the clock revealed a goodly amount of grease on each end too. However, I have no idea how old this cable could be
zero, same problem? Hmmm. A replacement cable would be a nice easy fix
This incident has brought me to a very basic realisation How the hell do I get either wheel off the floor? No centre stand (and I have no paddock stand or anything like that). I've read about resting the block on wooden boxes which would be fine but for the fact that my exhaust runs underneath the bike for its length
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[Reevo8]

Axle stands under the exhaust? Resting on the exhaust shouldnt cause a problem!!

[Bomberman]

[Reevo8]

If its in a garage, you could always suspend it by threading some heavy duty rope through the forks, and tie it to the garage support beams!! You could try this as well as the axle stands for extra safety!!

[Bomberman]

Heheh, thanks for the ideas Sadly, I have no axle stands, and the garage has no beams Ah well, I'll work something out.
Just out of interest, does anyone else think it's a little coincidental that my bike has work on the steering head bearings and then that very day the speedo fails? Or am I just being pissed off? Probably.
Another Q., is there a specific way the cable should be fitted? I notice one end has a retaining "blob" (for want of the correct word ). That end to speedo, wheel or does it not matter?
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[Guest]

Usually the ends are completely different - there's a 'square' end where it fits into the speedo and a forked end at the wheel.

[Bomberman]

That's interesting. Not on this bike though by the looks of things as both ends on mine are square and look to all intents and purposes identical. (I bought a new one and its the same too). As above the only difference is a "blob" to stop the cable being pulled through in one direction.
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[Guest]

That'll be at the bottom (wheel) end then I reckons

[mchaggis]

[mr jamez]

Personaly I wouldn't risk an axle stand under the exhaust the best way I have found is to shove a pole through the frame and use axle stands and other stuff under that.

[pipnet11]

An effective but slightly dodgy way of supporting the bike if you have no centre stand is 2 bottle jacks, side by side under the engine. This is difficult though 'cos you've got to get them to rise at the same time by the same amount. Easier said than done.
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I love the girls that do, I hate the girls that dont, I hate the girls who say they will and then they say they wont, but the girl I like most of all and I think youll say Im right, is the girl who says she never has but looks as though she might. - Max Bygraves

[mchaggis]

And here I was thinking shoving a tree trunk under the crankcase might be a bad idea... All it needed was someone to hold the bars so the whole thing didn't fall over, and the front wheel came out and went back in without too much trouble. Paddock and centre stands are a lot better though.
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I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[Bomberman]

Aaaarrrggghhh!!!! I am so close to kicking the hell out of my bike at the moment!
Right. Is there a knack or correct way of fitting the speedo cable? God knows I've tried many times, but now I get no response from the speedo itself at all (with both the old and the new cable).
Shove the cable into the speedo and spin it and it registers, so the speedo seems OK. Shove the other end into the front wheel gear bit, and there's resistance so I'd guess at that bit being OK too. Put them both together and nothing happens at all! (Well, an occasional flicker ).
Or am I just so mechanically inept that I can't even fit a new speedo cable?

Missed out on a beauty of a day for riding today too
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[Guest]

It's unusual, but not impossible, that the gearbox drive is shot. Look down the hole and spin the wheel to see if anything's turning (it should be)

Then fit the cable to the drive box and spin the wheel again to check that the inner cable is turning. If it is, then fit the speedo end.

[binge]

have you actually driven it while connected at both ends. I thaught i had that problem but it was becase i couldnt spin the wheel fast enough.
I got so frustrated with it.\

good luck... Ben

[Kickstart]

Hi

Which bike is it? Could be the speedo drive (the NSR one is notorious).

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Bomberman]

Well, shite. Again I don't know what to do with it. I have spent a bloody fortune on this machine! (relative admittedly, but being a bastard student you don't have much to fart around with and I've worked like a tit).
Kickstart, it's a TZR 1989 F plate build.
binge, oh yes I have. All around the locale to see if it is working vaguely. And no
Guest, possibly nearest to the problem, but I really don't know

I'm pissed at the moment. Sorry. Gotta hit the bed soon... in fact, now...
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare

[binge]

Sorry for such a short message earlier, I was on a touch screne keyboard and couldnt be bothered to type much.
If it is turning at the clocks when you spin the cable with your fingers at the wheel end, and turning at the clock end when spinning the wheel, but when they are together it dosent work, it sounds like the inner cable may be a tad too short and not gripping both ends together.
I had a similar problem, what i did was fit it on at the wheel securely. then at the clock end, push your little finger (or a screwdriver) into the cable to push the inner cable down into place so its secure at the drive end. then fit it to your clocks.
Good luck...

Ben!

[Bomberman]