Speedo Repair

FJmonkey · June 23, 2009, 11:59:53 PM

Similar subject, different part. During my last ride two weeks ago my speedometer (not likely the tach, based on electrical impulses) started singing/yelling like a strangled cat. Sometimes for short periods, other times for many miles while changing pitch and frequencies. The sound was from the cluster so I guess age has caught up with my 86'. Anyone have a solution to silence the cat (speedo) in its troughs of death? FWIW I like cats, just an expression.

Pat Conlon · June 24, 2009, 10:43:10 AM

Yeppers, I know that squeal well...The death throes of your speedo cluster. You can try and use the same lube trick as mentioned above for the fuel meter but with white lithium grease. I did this on my '84 and it only worked for a couple of weeks then the squeal came back. The problem is with the alignment of the gears. If you have a local speedo shop you can take it in and see if they can rebuild your gear set. If you want to save your speedo you want to do this sooner rather than later 'cause the problem, as you've seen, will only get worse.

Gazza or Denis (?) had good results with repairing a FJ speedo at a speedo shop in the San Diego area. Chime in.

I'm on my 3rd cluster on my '84, (eBay)

Pat

Quote from: FJmonkey on June 23, 2009, 11:59:53 PM
During my last ride two weeks ago my speedometer (not likely the tach, based on electrical impulses) started singing/yelling like a strangled cat. Sometimes for short periods, other times for many miles while changing pitch and frequencies. The sound was from the cluster so I guess age has caught up with my 86'.

FJmonkey · June 29, 2009, 01:15:59 AM

All my efforts to find a SoCal source for speedo repair has dead-ended. One claims that parts are not available, I don't believe that. Has anyone found a supplier to repair speedometers for our bikes?

Current Ebay prices are between $240 and $150, I think a repair should be less including shipping. I will keep looking, just hoping that others may have a source. Thanks in advance.

RichBaker · June 29, 2009, 06:45:42 PM

I haven't had one repaired, but a quick google of "Motorcycle speedometer reapir" brought up 3 possibles just on the 1st page...
http://www.joellevinecompany.com/custompage.asp?pg=vintagegage
http://www.speedotest.com/
http://www.speedometerservices.com/speedometer_repairs.htm

FJmonkey · June 29, 2009, 09:06:02 PM

Thanks Rich, the second one lists the makes of vehicle, none are bikes. I will add the other two to my search. Thanks again.

FJRider001 · August 16, 2009, 10:43:25 PM

i have a mis-reading fuel gauge..(i would like to fix)but this is about speedo's... is there any chance that this could be like my cars problem was... i read in one of the GN forums to pull my cluster and pull the cable that went to the speedo and lubricate generously with white lithium...i did so and my bouncing pointer settled down... are these similiar at all?? just wondering because i have a bouncing speedo, but its not yet to a point that i am concerned about.......yet. thanks!

FJmonkey · August 17, 2009, 09:18:16 PM

FJrider001, my speedo started bouncing last year, then it started this whine/buzz kind of noise for short periods. The it really got loud and the duration longer. It was on its last legs. I eventually found a speedo from a crashed 85' (i have an 86'). It took some work to swap over some parts but my bike went from having 60K to 3K with a working speedo. Start looking for a spare speedo on FleaBay and another club member has one or two if he can find them in the garage. Hopefully all you need is some lube on the cable to stop the bouncing.

cadmanmadman · August 19, 2009, 09:42:46 AM

What everyone is describing sounds more like a buggered cable.....Y/N?

rktmanfj · August 19, 2009, 10:39:35 AM

Mine has been doing that for a while, and it is definitely not the cable or drive.

Randy T
Indy

FJmonkey · August 19, 2009, 11:08:09 PM

Same cable, new speedo, no noise or needle bounce. nuff said for me.

FJRider001 · August 30, 2009, 06:02:15 PM

seems i have just found out about speedos with out the whine,i think... climbed an on ramp getting on her pretty hard, running thru 4th gear started hearing what sounded like a loose, really loose, fairing rattling, didn't hear any cats(!) eased up a little and continued run into light traffic, into 5th gear and settled in and looked down to watch my speedo needle jump off the stem and land in the bottom of the case. started hoping this wasn't the start of a self destruct sequence! had about a mile to get it home, so along the way i have found i can still get it to make the "loose fairing" noise, seems to be rpm dependent, up around mid 5's... would ask if a hedder could be loose , but there is no hedder leak... do needles just jump off these things? hopefully you guys / gals have been there done that, whaddaya think?! TIA. ...alright i am pretty much convinced i'm close to being real stupid...tried to place a pic of cluster but it didn't take...sorry. i'll figure this stuff out sooner or later!

Marsh White · August 30, 2009, 06:23:28 PM

It would appear that you have an 84 Fj with stock headers. Correct? I don't think the speedo makes too much noise when they go out...so I just thought I'd throw out the old inner header pipe separator problem. There are two walls on those old headers: an inner wall and an outer wall. The inner wall can rust loose and rattle around in there and sound like all sorts of shit! When it is in it's infancy - you can think your fairing is loose or rattling or something. When it finally breaks free you can think you engine is about to blow up. Anyway - just something to check and rule out.

FJRider001 · August 30, 2009, 06:41:17 PM

Marsh...i appreciate your input because, i have only been told this when i bought her... the guy that had her had her for a couple of years before i was so lucky...if you look at my profile pic,and remember i am a new(bie) to the bike world he told me he had problems with the exhaust, he needed new parts but could not get them due to unavailability, so he did some welding and constructing, which he showed me without having to ask ... he said the hedder had started to rust so he took care of that and the pipes that go to the back he made himself, and he does have a mandrell bending machine that i got to see, not that i had ever seen one before , but knowing cars i know what the manderell part meant(!)( no kinks) anyway on the back side this thing has suzuki hybusa(sp?) mufflers that he put in place and sure enuff they do say suzuki with part numbers on them(they sound fantastic!) i have no center stand because he said his work would fit with that in place, yet the bottom fairing looks fine... but in the mean time, from what you have said, i guess i should unbolt the hedders and see if there is a liner in place that has come loose?..i say so cause your quote is so correct, straight like shit! marsh, knowing your the man, what did i do wrong trying to post a pic, or is there an faq to know how... i had no problem hitting the profile upload and i have even posted other pics, but i have no idea how to put them in posts....thanks many times.

Marsh White · August 30, 2009, 08:13:15 PM

Quote from: FJRider001 on August 30, 2009, 06:41:17 PM
marsh, knowing your the man, what did i do wrong trying to post a pic, or is there an faq to know how... i had no problem hitting the profile upload and i have even posted other pics, but i have no idea how to put them in posts....thanks many times.

Pic Posting help here:
http://fjowners.com/index.php?topic=341.0

2Dirty · April 03, 2016, 09:23:04 AM

Quote from: RichBaker on June 29, 2009, 06:45:42 PM
I haven't had one repaired, but a quick google of "Motorcycle speedometer reapir" brought up 3 possibles just on the 1st page...
http://www.joellevinecompany.com/custompage.asp?pg=vintagegage
http://www.speedotest.com/
http://www.speedometerservices.com/speedometer_repairs.htm

I know this is old, but thanks for posting! The 3rd link listed is only 1 hour from my house. I would like to save my speedo if possible.
AJ

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Speedo Repair

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