Speedometer Calibration ?? Painted Housing??

[Gregory]

Does anyone know of a useful link or thread on how to recalibrate the speedo on my 78 gs1000 ?

When my speedo says I am going 36mph I am actually travelling at 30mph; when the speedo says I am doing 60, I am actually travelling at 50mph.

This is a pretty severe discrepancy that I wouldnt mind fixing.

Also, what do you have to do to get paint to stick to the chrome housing? Mine are very rusty, and I doubt I can find a resonably priced way to buy just the chrome housing.

[chuck hahn]

The only place i kn ow of that recalibrates for old car and cycle restorations is a place called SPECMO in Flint MI. Phone calls are cheap to pick their brains. they will most likely need the speedo gear drive as well to do the job.

[Agemax]

the speedos are not very accurate anyway, i doubt you will get them much closer than that, a 10% innacuracy is usual.
as for the clock covers, they are out there but expensive (ask me how i know!)
if you want to spray them, just scuff them up with some rough grit wet and dry, then use metal primer

[Gregory]

ok, thanks guys

[chuck hahn]

Frank Z. has one that is just 2 MPH off from what his GPS app states, so they are pretty accurate from the factory and can be reconditioned to be so again. That coiled up spring thats in there can only flex and recoil so many times and it will get srtetched and not respond the same way as it did 30 years ago. Make a call to Specmo and see what their deal is.

[Agemax]

i actually found it cheaper to get mine rechromed than buying new ones off ebay

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Have you tried a good clean and lube on the gauge? Remove the gauge from the housing, carefully pry off the front bezel with a small screwdriver and needle nose pliers. Use a contact cleaner w/silicones spray to clean the internal mechanisms. Reassemble using a small punch to bend the front bezel back in place. I'd post some pictures but I'm on my phone. Nessism has some pictures floating around the forum and I've used them in other similar threads. They might be on my website.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Gregory]

Hi,

Have you tried a good clean and lube on the gauge? Remove the gauge from the housing, carefully pry off the front bezel with a small screwdriver and needle nose pliers. Use a contact cleaner w/silicones spray to clean the internal mechanisms. Reassemble using a small punch to bend the front bezel back in place. I'd post some pictures but I'm on my phone. Nessism has some pictures floating around the forum and I've used them in other similar threads. They might be on my website.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Thanks for the tips. I havent tried just cleaning it or lubing it yet. I guess I assumed incorrectly that if it was needing lube, the speedo would read too slow and not too fast.

I was also wondering about it all coming apart. I had seen a post where someone "CUT" the orange housing ....which I did not want to do.

Since I will soon have it all the way a part, it sure would be a good time to put in new WHITE faces if someone is producing them nowadays (saw on other thread)

[tkent02]

the speedos are not very accurate anyway, i doubt you will get them much closer than that, a 10% innacuracy is usual.

Some are dead nuts accurate, and it seems to be model specific. My 1100G reads perfectly, as do other 1100Gs. The 650 G is a couple mph off, as are other 650G I have ridden.

The 17% error you have is unusual. Have you lubed the speedo it self, not just the cable? You might have to take it apart and clean it up inside.

[Agemax]

Some are dead nuts accurate, and it seems to be model specific. My 1100G reads perfectly, as do other 1100Gs. The 650 G is a couple mph off, as are other 650G I have ridden.

The 17% error you have is unusual. Have you lubed the speedo it self, not just the cable? You might have to take it apart and clean it up inside.

i said 10% error, but that is not aimed at my specific bike.
the law (UK anyway) specifies a speedo has to be accurate within 10% at 60mph.(cars and bikes)
that is why the UK Gatso speed cameras are calibrated to add on that error before they will zap you. so if you are in a 30 zone you wont get zapped unless you are in excess of 33mph

admittedly that only concerns older vehicles as modern speedo's are far more accurate

[chuck hahn]

Agemax...the 17% he refers to is the variance that the OP is experiencing..NOT the 10% acceptable limit you have in the UK.

[Agemax]

Agemax...the 17% he refers to is the variance that the OP is experiencing..NOT the 10% acceptable limit you have in the UK.

oops, me bad.......

[Gregory]

I think mine is 20% off if it is showing 60mph when travelling 50mph...because at 100mph it would show 120mph.

I am trying to get the bezel loose to clean it but it is a bear.

[tkent02]

20 is about 17% of 120, isn't it?

Anyway did you try lubing the speedo? Turn it upside down, shoot some spray grease into the space between the spinning part that the cable turns and the outer threaded part that it spins in. This may be all you need.

[Gregory]

oops, already took the bezel off. should i stop now or go for the gold?

.... cant figure out how the guts come out of the housing. the reset trip mile spindle prevents it from coming out.