| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
I lube my speedo cable. I let it decide what angle the sender wants to point off the hub at, so it doesn't bind. I torque my front axle nut to spec every time. I still only get about 9k miles out of the OEM cable. Is there an aftermarket cable that has a longer lifespan? Maybe with a sealed sending unit? I do lube it every time I ride in the rain...but I still ride in the rain, and it always breaks at the sender. <sigh> Off to the KV to see if I can find anything there... | ||
| Tombo |
Barnett makes a braided speedo cable, not sure whether or not it will out last the original. | ||
| Xldevil |
I would ask Motion Pro. They are doing "Custom Cables" http://www.motionpro.com/ Ralph | ||
| Buellistic |
BUELLers: The OEM speedometer cable works just fine if you LUBE it every 25K ... The cable can be made locally at speedometer shops, but is cheaper to buy housing and cable ... In BUELLing LaFayette | ||
| Ratbuell |
I do lube it at every service. If I get caught in a really heavy rainstorm, I lube it when I get home from that too. When I install a wheel, I let the bike down without tightening the axle nut so the suspension compresses and the drive rotates itself where it wants so there's no pinch, then I tighten the axle nut to hold the drive in place, pick the bike back up and torque the axle nut. I'm getting less than 10k out of them. Maybe my drive unit is leaking. When they break, they break at or in the drive unit... | ||
| S2pengy |
You may be putting too much lube on. I learned on my 2 S2's to grease it, wipe off excess & install, cable should be shiny but no clumps of grease. Do not use dri-lube it clumps causes heat build up and then breakage... By the way some of the Sportster cable assemblies work fine... | ||
| Ratbuell |
I've just been using dri-slide, same as my clutch, throttle and idle cables...but the clumping is a good point. Maybe I should just give a spritz of good ol' WD-40? | ||
| Jos51700 |
WD40 sucks as a cable lube, for ANY kind of cable. I prefer the HD chain lube. It's actually lighter and does not thicken like the wax-like chain lubes, but it's still thicker (by a long shot) than WD40. I've yet to bust a cable, period, on any bike I own or service. It stays where you spray it, but also wicks up in to the twisty parts of the cable. Dri-slide sucks, IMO. It's too thin to stay where it's needed and honestly, graphite went out as a major mechanical lubricant when Conestoga Wagons went out. It has it's applications, if you're Amish, but graphite doesn't really provide wear protection, just smooth operation. Grease is, as mentioned, not bad for speedo cables, but I just unthread the top at the speedo and blow a load of the HD chain/cable lube in there and let gravity do the rest. (Message edited by jos51700 on February 26, 2008) (Message edited by jos51700 on February 26, 2008) | ||
| Jstfrfun |
Have you thought of marine grease? I use it on all bearing seals and other exposed lube points although it don't get that wet in the nevada desert we do like a good bath now n then(we like to ride pretty)and a pressure washer can be invasive. Not gobs of the stuff but a smear in the right place works good. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I did get a new cable, and drive unit. With my bike at home (last thing I need is to go out of gas because I had miles that didn't log on the trip, lol) I couldn't look at my drive to visually verify things. The new drive, and the new cable, do not include an O-ring where the cable goes into the drive. Does anyone put an O-ring in there? Would a gloop of RTV work? Heat shrink? I converted my 96 FLHP to sealed front wheelbearings for this very reason - I keep killing stuff riding in the rain. | ||
| Rickie_d |
I am not sure why Buell chose to route the cable the way they did unless it was anticipation of someone using the optional left rotor and caliper that was available back then. Another annoying issue of this routing configuration was the fender retainers (first one, then two) both popping out of the glass fender and chipping the paint due to the vibration. Anyway, it is not as much the cable construction as it is the routing of the cable that contributes to the core failures. With that said, I buy high quality cables such as Barnett teflon units. The key to core longevity is to take as much of the arc out of the cable as possible and create the most direct rout from the drive sender to the speedo. I saw this as a problem in 94 when I got my 95 S2 and the rattling sound drove me nuts, so I measured the forks and ordered several Barnett # 99-100 units with 27” casings (tip to tip). They install as you see below and not one cable has broken, but I did replace one drive at about 25,000 miles.    OR…..You could drill a hole in the case and go electronic!  | ||
| Ratbuell |
Yah. If I blow the motor up and have to split the cases, it's definitely getting an electronic speedo put in. Nice routing, I like the clamp. Homemade? Or purchased? I got the new drive and cable installed, with a good long piece of heat shrink tubing covering the joint between cable and drive. I got most of the sag out of the routing, too. When I pulled the old one, it had broken about six inches above the sender, where the bend was. We'll see how long this one lasts; I may monkey with the routing a bit more on tire replacement day. | ||
| Rickie_d |
The clamp is one of my whittlings | ||
| Ratbuell |
Very slick - if you ever whittle a spare drop me a note ;) | ||
| Bad_karma |
22000 plus on original cable, 25000 miles and on my third sensor. Food for thought. Joe | ||
| Flyingyankee |
I have a Barnett Speedo Cable on my M2, like most Barnett cables, they are way beefier than the OEM cable. Its works great and comes pre-lubed. They even supply the lithium grease for the drive end on the wheel hub. No worries. I've converted my throttle and clutch cables to Barnett too. I could not find this stuff from the usual Barnett (HD) dealers, I dealt directly with Barnett, and they'll hook you right up. |
