Is there a speedo drive expert in the house?

[Guest Bruce]

The speedo on my 2000 Sport suddenly stopped working but all ( most of? ) the pieces seem just fine. Here goes:

 

If I remove the lower angle drive off the transmission and turn the input shaft by hand the speedo moves. So this makes me think the cable, speedo, and both angle drives seem just fine.

 

If I remove the cable from the lower drive and try to turn the output shaft on the angle drive it feels like its solidly plugged into the transmission, BUT, if I start the bike and let in run in gear on the stand the output of the angle drive does not turn.

 

But, but, but if I remove the lower angle drive, plug in the small shaft that goes from the transmission to the lower angle drive, and run the bike on the stand it turns just fine.

 

It would seem that the lower drive is the culprit although I don't understand why I can turn it by hand but the transmission doesn't turn it. All of this stuff was apart at one point is it possible a washer/space fell out? Or do I need a lower angle drive?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Bruce

[DougInMA]

Bruce,

 

I had a similar problem last summer. Remove the angle drive from the transmission and make sure that the collar is firmly pressed into the plastic body of the angle drive. The collar should be flush with the bottom of the plastic body. Mine had pulled itself away from the body so when it was installed the drive shaft did not turn the plastic gears inside.

 

Hope this helps,

Doug

[Guest golden goose]

Might want to think about "fixing" the plastic plug on the bottom of the angle drive. Mine spit this bit on the Ortega Hiway one fine day and lost something from inside. So I had to buy a whole new angle drive unit to get the parts I lost.

 

$87

 

This one won't do that as the plastic end cap now wears a generous coating of JB Weld that wraps around all over the metal bits. And no, I am not particularly concerned it doesn't look good.

 

Don't start no sheeit and there will be no sheeit.

[Guest ratchethack]

Ditto! The retaining disk is staked-on none too solidly.. Same thing happened to me, and JB Weld was the preventive fix on the new drive for me too.

 

BTW - There's a little hardened steel washer under the lower part of the speedo drive that can EASILY drop into the trans and turn an $87 excursion into a far more expensive party if it finds it's way between gear teeth.....

 

BTW #2 - Angeles Crest was the death of my first tach. She let go within the first half-mile of my run up the Western slope...

[Guest golden goose]

Man this is eerie Ratchet! One day in early '02, not long after buying the Goose and before I hit the deer with teh R11S, I was riding up the western side of the Crest and the two L brackets that hold the instrument panel on to the steering hear both fatigued! Killed the tach before I could stop.

 

Imagine two tachs on the same stretch of the Crest.

[Guest ratchethack]

Imagine two tachs on the same stretch of the Crest.

GG, I think there must be an anti-gravity well or a portal to another dimension up there.....it's entirely other-worldly......

 

Where's Art Bell?

[Guest Bruce]

And the winner is ... Doug!

 

I pressed the collar into the housing and, bada boom, bada bing, the speedo works. A good end to a fairly miserable week. Thank you Sir.

 

Before I've had too much to drink tonight here is how I think it happens.

 

When you re-install the lower angle drive it is impossible to tell if the shaft from the transmission has properly engaged the plastic gear inside the angle drive. If its not properly engaged as you tighten down the nut on the angle drive the transmission shaft is actually pressing the collar out of the plastic housing! And unless you know exactly what to look for like Doug everything seems ok. Worse still there is enough friction to drive the speedo for awhile. But one day...bink!

 

Well so how do you install that damn thing? I put a bit of grease on the tip of the transmission shaft to hold it in place and installed the shaft into the angle drive first, then I carefully installed the angle drive onto the transmission. That easy, joy, joy, happy, happy.

 

One important thing I did notice during this episode. I was turning the cable by hand from the transmission end while moving the steath around and noticed that the more gradual the bends the easier it was to turn the cable. It didn't take much of a bend to greatly increase the friction.

 

All that said I am going to JB Weld the plastic cap too. The angle drive on my speedo puked its little guts out in similar fashion awhile back. Well time for some Hockey.