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Getrdone
| Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - 12:16 pm: |
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speedo has quit on my 97 s1. cable looks okay what comes next? do i open this puppy up? |
Harleyelf
| Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - 12:23 pm: |
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There's an M2 speedometer with cable attached on eBay with a starting bid of $22. Or you might rig a way to spin the speedometer with an electric drill to see if the issue is the cable or instrument. Have you suspended the front wheel and watched the cable to see if it turns when the wheel rotates? (Message edited by harleyelf on October 19, 2011) |
Bluzm2
| Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 09:51 am: |
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Check the tab on the cable drive at the wheel. The tab has been known to break off. You have to pull the front wheel to check this. I had it happen on my S2, I welded a new tab on and all was well. I've been using the repaired one for 4 years.. If that's not it, you have the cable off and can check it for breaks.. The tip of the cable core as also been known to break off just before it goes into the speedo. |
Getrdone
| Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 12:10 pm: |
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thanks for those great suggestions. will let you know how they pan out. |
Getrdone
| Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2011 - 10:43 pm: |
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update on speedo woes: disconnected the cable and tested the gauge by inserting a q tip with the cotton ball removed and spun it between my fingers. the gauge registered 5 mph! guess it's okay. raised the front end of the bike spun the wheel, no movement from the cable. thus it must be the cable (although it looks good) or the dreaded Tab! btw whatever happened to centerstands on bikes? and what is the easiest way to raise the front of the bike? |
Harleyelf
| Posted on Friday, October 21, 2011 - 12:10 am: |
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Centerstands are attached to frames. You're a Buell owner now, get over the nostalgia. I use a seven foot ladder with a tie down strap under the steering neck. For some procedures, you can support the bike on one fork. I'd still think about the twenty two buck assembly on eBay, it had the whole cable and drive gear. Cheaper than a welder. |
Bluzm2
| Posted on Friday, October 21, 2011 - 10:37 am: |
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Elf, totally agree. However..... it was Sunday, I wanted to fix it as I had the time and I have a welder (or 3...)! Took all of about 5 minutes to fix.. WAY more time to remove and replace. |
Harleyelf
| Posted on Friday, October 21, 2011 - 11:31 am: |
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You use what you've got on hand, Brad; no one among us would do less. Look at the new guy's profile. He's a counselor. Doubt he's got a welder or the skill to make the tab repair himself. He does, however, have the ability to remove and replace a part once he knows how to tell if it is the issue. Harmen, take your cable assembly off and look for broken things. Could be the tab, might be the cable itself. See if you can pull the revolving part out of its housing. You shouldn't be able to, so don't pull hard on it. |
Getrdone
| Posted on Friday, October 21, 2011 - 12:34 pm: |
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thanks elf, yes, i am a new buell owner, and mechanical "saffy" is not my forte (although i built my own house) i have been riding bikes all my life and finally have the time to learn how to maintain them. thanks again! |
Harleyelf
| Posted on Friday, October 21, 2011 - 06:22 pm: |
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I could tell you were new to the world of motorcycle repair when you asked if the first step of diagnosing an instrument failure was to open the puppy up. That step usually comes after all the other options have been exhausted. First step is check the signal to the instrument (in this case, does the cable turn). Next step is the signal generator (is the tab broken on the drive gear). Next is substitute a known good instrument and/or cable driver into the circuit. Then and only then do you look inside the instrument itself. |
Bluzm2
| Posted on Sunday, October 23, 2011 - 07:50 pm: |
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Old rule of thumb, check the easy stuff first. Usually finds the problem..... |
X3rs
| Posted on Thursday, October 27, 2011 - 06:50 pm: |
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I will just throw this in, in case you may be interested. A bicycle computer shows speed and much more. I know a guy that took off his speedo and used a bike computer to save weight. |
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