Name that noise

[markmartin]

First:  Is the gague cluster supposed to wobble a bit?  Not the needles, but the entire cluster inside the fairing.  Mine seems to be attached to the fairing at two points across the horizontal axis but can be tilted a little but up and down; this is apparent when riding over a bump.  Normal?  I haven't owned a fully-faired bike before.

Drew

Welcome Drew,

This  wobble can be fixed, but you'll have to have the fairing off the bike to do it. I can't remember now what exactly I ended up doing but I had the same problem with my cluster, and to a lesser extent, my headlight.  I remember replacing some of the hardened rubber washers/spacers at the connection points with hardware store available replacements, and also making a crush washer of sorts with a section of fuel injector hose---and tightening up the cluster and headlight.  Long story short, it worked. I think you'll be able to asses and fix it easy enough (If I can figure this out , you can) when you get the fairing off.  Two or three 1-1/4" O.D. soft rubber washers ( or any rubber spacer) jambed between the fairing and the cluster will alleviate the problem until you can get the time or have another reason to take the fairing off. 

[rabbot81]

First:  Is the gague cluster supposed to wobble a bit?  Not the needles, but the entire cluster inside the fairing.  Mine seems to be attached to the fairing at two points across the horizontal axis but can be tilted a little but up and down; this is apparent when riding over a bump.  Normal?  I haven't owned a fully-faired bike before.

Drew

Welcome Drew,

This  wobble can be fixed, but you'll have to have the fairing off the bike to do it. I can't remember now what exactly I ended up doing but I had the same problem with my cluster, and to a lesser extent, my headlight.  I remember replacing some of the hardened rubber washers/spacers at the connection points with hardware store available replacements, and also making a crush washer of sorts with a section of fuel injector hose---and tightening up the cluster and headlight.  Long story short, it worked. I think you'll be able to asses and fix it easy enough (If I can figure this out , you can) when you get the fairing off.  Two or three 1-1/4" O.D. soft rubber washers ( or any rubber spacer) jambed between the fairing and the cluster will alleviate the problem until you can get the time or have another reason to take the fairing off. 

Aha!  Thanks, I'll remember that.  Might be a good winter project.  I've got a couple pieces of steel mesh screen to reattach to the top of the side fairings anyway.  They were half detached already and rattling all over the place generally driving my crazy, so I pulled them out altogether.  Re: "if I can figure this out...", it may well be impossible to underestimate my mechanical ability. Although I compensate with enough determination to really screw things up now and then.

Now, about that carb sync...

[RichBaker]

Beware.... other listers who have "fixed" the wobble later reported broken speedos and gas gauges.  They may not have broken because of the "fix", they may have.....  My '90 has it, hasn't changed since I bought her with 2300 miles in '94..... the gauges all work.

[rabbot81]

Hrrm.  You guys have way more experience than me, so I wouldn't argue, but I'm confused.  On a naked bike or cruiser w/o fairing, the cluster is attached in a pretty rigid way, isn't it?

Rich, where in Arizona are you?  I was lucky enough to spend all of my 4 years in the USAF in Tucson.  Still have mixed feelings about my service but I fell in love with Tucson, the surrounding desert, Nimbus pale ale and those cheap carne asada burritos from Los Betos.  I'd have stayed without a second thought were it not for family back up north.

Drew

[RichBaker]

I'm in Tucson, a native, actually, one of the few..... I love the Dez! Spent about 16 years away, came back in 1980.

[Arnie]

Hrrm.  You guys have way more experience than me, so I wouldn't argue, but I'm confused.  On a naked bike or cruiser w/o fairing, the cluster is attached in a pretty rigid way, isn't it?

Drew

No, not usually.  The exposed gauges all have rubber vibration damping in the mounting. With the FJ having a "dash" they've just vibration damped the whole assembly.

Cheers,
Arnie

[rabbot81]

Ah, that makes sense.  Thanks Arnie.

Rich, good to hear.  I lived there from 2001-2005 and noticed a recurring theme there: almost everyone is from somewhere else.  I only recently started riding a street bike (friends and I rode quads back then) which is too bad since it occurs to me how much fun the Catalina highway would've been to ride.