• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

speedometer is not working

  • Thread starter Thread starter Schweisshund
  • Start date Start date
S

Schweisshund

Guest
I have an 83 GS 550 E and was riding it yesterday when the speedometer needle started "jumping" (best description I can give it) then went completely dead. I checked the cable (both ends) and the cable is fine. I noticed the end of the cable that attached to the brake caliper side was a little loose, so I tightened it. Put it all back together, and still nothing. I am stumped. :confused:
 
Hi Mr. Schweisshund,

Are the square ends of the cable rounded off at all?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Let me take it apart and will post pictures. :-D thanks Cliff.
 
speedometer gear can also be worn out. it's hard to be fixed, so perhaps You need another. There are often used ones for sale in ebay.
 
If the cable ends are good, and not rounded, and you have no breaks
or splinters in the cable itself, and it turns freely - then it is either the gear drive at the front axle or at the odometer itself. The worm gear inside the gauge is probably loose or worn or broken.

You need to open it up and check this. Very simple to troubleshoot.
On the front axle with the cable removed, you can jack-up the front
end and spin the front wheel. You should see the cable spindle spin.
Touch the spindle as it turns to make sure it is not loose or broken.

Not sure what end cable you have - a forked tongue or a square receptacle for the square cable ?? Regardless, it should spin.

Good luck to you my friend,

KT
San Jose, CA :-D
 
That just means you've officially passed the speed of speed itself. That's ok, man. It happens.
 
I haven't taken pictures yet because I got sidetracked at work. I will follow the advice given on trouble shooting and report back (if its thecable, they are $12.00).
 
i'd say either the cable has a break (take the inner from the outer to check) or the drive is worn/broken (remove cable lift the front wheel & spin it to see if the drive is rotating) :-D
 
Anybody ever replaced an 85 MPH speedo from the 80's models with a 130 or 140 MPH from the 70's models, do you have to calibrate it, or do something else to make it work correctly?
 
Shouldnt have to calibrate. From what i have read, ALL UJM ratios are the same. i think its like 2640:60 or something like that. So it shouldnt matter.
 
TheCafeKid said:
Shouldnt have to calibrate. From what i have read, ALL UJM ratios are the same. i think its like 2640:60 or something like that. So it shouldnt matter.
Click to expand...

Right, that makes sense, all that should matter is that both bikes had a 19" front wheel. I'm going to look for one in decent shape on fleabay.
 
Right. And if you have a GPS you can figure out exactly HOW far off your speedo is. They are never exact, and even something as insignificant as a tire profile change can throw it off pretty dramaticly.
 
TheCafeKid said:
Shouldnt have to calibrate. From what i have read, ALL UJM ratios are the same.
Click to expand...

err nope ratio's vary from different makers i think its something like suzi & kwack use the same ratio while yam use another & honda's something different again

if you check the mechanical speedo convertors they specify for suzuki's etc for this reason :-D
 
I'd double check that Tone. Perhaps it was up untill a certain year, but im pretty darn sure for a good while the ratio was the same. Even mechanical aftermarket speedo manufacturers use that ratio. Could be that they are designed to mount differently...But as i said, this is something Ive READ...and you know how that goes.
 
Tone is right about the manufacturers having different ratios but it's not that simple even then. The ratios they quote are the relationship between the wheel turning and the speedo turning. You then have to take into account wheel size, and the manufacturers do this by the gearing in the speedo drive down at the wheel (cheaper changing them than changing speedo internals).

I think Suzuki and Kwack copied one another (as they did all over the place then), Yam are different on some models whilst Honda did typical Honda and went completely different, with different mountings as well as ratios.
 
Last edited:
Yep, our beloved GS is for the most part a Kwack copy (an IMPROVED copy to be sure). Before I found my GS1000 I was on the lookout for a KZ1000. Glad I found the GS first now that it's done. In 1984 right out of high school I went to a drag meet at the local fairgrounds held by a motorcycle club. I remember a tiny black guy, couldn't have been more than 5'6" on a dragged out KZ1000. I saw that bike and it was the beginning of my love for these muscle bikes.
 
Last edited:
Will do some more research then. Available aftermarket speedos generally only run THREE gearsets. 2240:60 (not 2640, my bad) 2:1 and 1:1. Mayhaps the article i read spoke of having to replace the entire system, but it was my understanding that any 2240:60 speedo would work with the STOCK drive of any UJM. Thus the gear ratios, from my assumption, would be the same. I will look into it further. So far, ive not found ANYTHING on the web that details ANY manufacturers stock speedo ratio...but i shall continue. If im wrong then im wrong and i for sure would rather know it. So thanks for pointing that out Tone and Hampishire. But back to the heart of the question, i wouldnt think then, that the Zook speedo to Zook speedo would change anything tho right? Thats what he was asking originally anyway.
 
Last edited:
I'm pretty sure, all other things being equal ie wheel size and axle gearbox, if you put a Zook speedo on for a Zook speedo (cable drive) you won't have to calibrate.

I bet there's a blo*dy exception there but I've never come across it!

Best thing to do is stick a KPH speedo on for an MPH one - all the kids think your bike can do 240MPH (wow Mister!), though when you're doing 30 in a 30 zone you can get overtaken by joggers.
 
hampshirehog said:
I'm pretty sure, all other things being equal ie wheel size and axle gearbox, if you put a Zook speedo on for a Zook speedo (cable drive) you won't have to calibrate.

I bet there's a blo*dy exception there but I've never come across it!

Best thing to do is stick a KPH speedo on for an MPH one - all the kids think your bike can do 240MPH (wow Mister!), though when you're doing 30 in a 30 zone you can get overtaken by joggers.
Click to expand...

i agree with all that ive swapped a few around before & not noticed any differance in accuracy or lack of it :-D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top