Vibrating Speedo needle

[slowkitty]

Hiya ...

 

My speedo's needle shakes loads ... really shaking, I mean it flicks rapidly to and fro such that reading actual speed is next to impossible. At about 60 km/h (or I so think), it is less violent, but still flicks. Speedo reads about 2600km, bought off fleaBay.

 

Is my speedo breaking down or my bike vibrating too hard, or both?

 

Thanks, and Cheers

 

Cat

[Admin Jaap]

Maybe the cable is loose at the bottom end. I have the same problem every 300 kms or so.

[docc]

True what jaap has said. The lower bevel drive tends to separate. easy to press back together in a vice. Top bevel drive is the same but less likely to separate.

[Guest ratchethack]

SK, a twitching speedo needle can be a warning of impending cable failure. Dry speedo cables have been known to corrode and break. Many (including myself) have achieved improved needle stability and greatly extended speedo cable life by properly lubing the cable. The helical winding of the cable and cable shroud work with the rotation of the cable to ensure that lube will migrate downward into the trans -- not upward into the speedo clock mechanism, as has been erroneously speculated on this Forum. (Yes, I have verified this myself by running the motor briefly, in gear, on the stand, while watching the direction of rotation of the cable at the instrument head relative to the orientation of the helical cable winding and it's shroud.)

 

As has been discussed in previous posts, IMHO there are many kinds of lube that are far better than none for this cable, but a shot of your favorite trans lube down the cable shroud at the top will do a fine job. The excess will migrate down the length of the cable over time to merge with its own bretheren lube , splashing around happily in a veritable theme park of slippery fluid rides, including a roller-coaster circuit over and under the straight-cut gears and all the rest of the happy trans mechanicals.

 

NOTE: If the trans lube of choice is Redline Shockproof Heavy (my personal choice) imagining the above is much more colorful.

[slowkitty]

Will try it out; don't think it's the vibrations; cos' same sort of meter and needle on my friend's Jackal is stable as a rock.

 

So this is what makes the Guzzi so full of Character?!!!!!!!

 

Cheers

 

Cat

[richard100t]

I think its because the worm gear thats in the trans end of the cable sort of floats. When the bike hits a bump or whatever the needle bounces too. Its just a guess on my part, but I think thats a big part of the wobble problem. I've just decided to accept it as part of the bikes "character".

[Guest ratchethack]

It might be helpful to point out that there are 2 basic speedo cable drives on V11's. I've had both types apart myself, lubed both types several times, and replaced both types. Both require periodic lubrication to achieve intended service life. Both cable types can rust and snap off without lube, and if unlubed, both types can (but not necessarily will) show signs of impending failure by a twitching instrument needle at speed.

 

One kind is the kind I have, a worm gear drive. As has happened to at least several others on this Forum (indluding Yours Truly), the staked-on disk on the worm drive housing at the lower end of the cable can spontaneously loosen and pop off, disgorging the gear and cable on the road. My pre-emptive solution with the replacement drive was to JB Weld the disk in place and keep the cable lubed from the top. I've got over 20 K miles on my replacement and it still works like new.

 

The second kind is the direct drive type, which has no worm drive as part of the cable shroud assembly, but instead has an angled hard cable shroud at the lower end where it enters the trans. It likewise needs lube if the intended service life is expected. My Pal's '04 LM has this. It broke it's speedo cable before 10K miles, having never been lubed. It broke at the angle inside the hard shroud. The broken ends were rusty and dry. His replacement cable has gone some 20K miles without incident, properly lubed from the top with trans lube.

 

NOTE: IIRC, both cable types make use of a small hardened-steel washer at the lower end of the cable where it engages with the trans. It's something to be aware of and watchful for when changing out cables. Many have found that it's easily dropped into the trans when fiddling with the speedo cable! This, of course, if not fished out, can potentially wreak havoc with the trans. One imagines the spectacular effects of a hardened steel washer drawn up into one of those straight-cut gearsets. . .

[CoreyL]

My 2001 V11 Sport is on its third speedo. The first went all twitchy at about 4500 miles and was replaced under warranty. The second one also went twitchy between 4000 and 5000 miles. I was out of warranty at that point and found a replacement on ebay. That one is still running fine at over 5000 miles. My dealer told me that there was a problem with some of the bushings in the instrument itself. I tried to find someone in the US who had the parts and skill to work on the Veglia unit and was not successful.

 

Hiya ...

 

My speedo's needle shakes loads ... really shaking, I mean it flicks rapidly to and fro such that reading actual speed is next to impossible. At about 60 km/h (or I so think), it is less violent, but still flicks. Speedo reads about 2600km, bought off fleaBay.

 

Is my speedo breaking down or my bike vibrating too hard, or both?

 

Thanks, and Cheers

 

Cat

[nose2wind]

 

Both require periodic lubrication to achieve intended service life.

 

Ratchet how do you get the lube into the cable end after disconnecting from the speedo?

 

I had a worm gear self distruct and a speedo go twitchey and fail. Sent it to North Hollywood Speedometer and they fixed and returned the unit. Worked fine for awhile and then started the twitch effect. It is still twitching at 50,000 plus miles. Guess I will wait for it to fail again whenever!

[Guest ratchethack]

N2W, I usually make a funnel out of masking tape around the cable housing, pour a shot of lube in, and let it run down the cable overnight. Last pass, I happened to have an old 700 x 23C bicycle tube on hand. A 3" piece fit the end of the cable housing quite well, cinched tight with a rubber band, and Bob's y'er Uncle.