SPEEDOMETER works - but not right away!

[Scott Ferguson]

The speedometer for our 1983 GS450TX often does not work for the first 10 - 20 minutes of a ride. It sometimes takes longer when it is cold out. The odometer works right away so it is not the cable. Are the gears slipping and what is a fix for this?

 

[Guest]

Try replacing the cable.

 

[robinjo]

Do the miles go up but the needle stays down or does nothing work at first? In the first case I think your speedo needs to be cleaned.:-D

 

[Scott Ferguson]

Do the miles go up but the needle stays down or does nothing work at first? In the first case I think your speedo needs to be cleaned.:-D

The miles (Km) go up but the needle does not so I know that I do not need a new cable. What should I clean and how?

 

[jonr]

Scott,

You've got to crack the gauges to clean the parts. Neobro has a step-by-step demo of how to do this at this link:

http://www.thegsresources.com/garage/gs_inside_gauges.htm

Before he posted this, I got into my gauges by grinding/filing off some of the metal bezel that holds the glass to the body. I did this where the lip folds over the orange housing, not near the glass. There is no other way to get in them besides separating the housing in some fashion.

If you're not comfortable with this, hunt around on ebay for some used gauges. You can typically find the whole cluster for less than $75 and each gauge for less than $35 (all used of course). NOS get pricey though. If you have any more questions about opening the gauges, let me know.

jon