Speedometer issues on an '82 GS650

[Guest]

Hi all,

I'm new to the GS resources and posted my very first thread to the wrong forum, (whoops) so I'm moving my thread here.

Here's the deal

I recently purchased a 1982 GS650GL. The previous owner told me the speedo and tach were inoperable. But after I bought new cables, both seem to work, except that the needles bounce around a bit. I opened the tach and cleaned it out from a bunch of webs and dead bugs and now it works fine, but can't figure out how to open the speedo to clean it out.

I've tried applying white lithium grease on the connection from the speedo to the speedo cable to see if this helps lubricate the system, but now instead of the needle bouncing, it barely moves. I'm worried some of the grease may have made its way to the magnet which spins the needle. ARGH!

I just want to open the speedo to clean it, but the 'trip knob' keeps me from being able to pull the mechanism out. I looked at the knob for a small screw in the handle but there isn't one. I tried rotating the knob clockwise in case it was reverse threaded, but it just spins and spins forever. Anyone know how I can take this thing apart?

To be clear, I've already removed the faceplate. I just can't get the mechanism out of the housing because of the trip knob. Any help is appreciated.

Here's a pic of where I get stuck.




Thanks, -Will

[Nessism]

I believe the trip knob pulls straight out.

[BassCliff]

Greetings and Salutations!!

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[William Groebe]

Thanks for the greeting, BassCliff. I'm happy to be a GSR member.

Any idea how I can get the trip knob off my 1982 GS650 speedo? I've tried turning it the opposite direction as if it were reverse threaded. I tried just pulling at it really hard, but it's not budging. I looked in the knob but there isn't a screw.

Thanks.

[eil]

The knob should pull straight off. Of course, it could be cemented on by dirt, time, or a previous owner's application of super glue.

The magnet won't be affected by getting grease on it. The speedo and tach are actually pretty rugged on the inside, what usually fails is the bearing where the cable connects to the speedo housing. These fail often and unfortunately they can't be replaced separately from the rest of the unit without some major effort. Typically if the speedo/tach whine or the needle bounces around, the bearing is already shot and lubricating it doesn't give it much more time to live.

[William Groebe]

Thanks eil.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the bearing where the cable connects to the speedo housing because the odometer still works. That means that everything is working except the magnet/needle. The cable is turning, causing the mechanism to turn the odometer, but something between there and the magnet/needle is weird.

I'll take the bike out tonight and see if there's been any change overnight. And I'll try again to pull the knob out with brute force. Maybe I've been pussyfooting, but it feels pretty stuck in there.

[William Groebe]

So, eil.

You were right. I was pussyfooting it. I ate some spinach and pulled the knob right out. Thanks.

I was able to open up the speedo and I found the obvious problem.

The way the speedo appears to work is that the speedo cable turns the bearing, which spins a magnet, which turns the bell, which is attached to a post that is connected to the needle. Basically the bell, post, and needle all move as one unit. But on my speedo, they do not. The bell has somehow lost it's connection to the post. The bell spins freely while the post moves not at all. Vice versa if I turn the needle, the post moves with it, but the bell does not. I'm not sure how the bell became unattached, but this is what I'm thinking of doing.

I'm going to use a small amount of JB Weld to affix the bell back onto the post. First I'll clean off both surfaces with some acetone, being careful not to touch any plastic parts. I'm worried that the weight of the JB Weld may affect the amount/speed that the bell turns thus affecting the needle reading. But it's worth a shot. Let me know what you think, otherwise I'm going to try this out in a day or so.

Thanks

Here's an image of the issue I'm having.

[William Groebe]

Speedo is fixed and put back together

The JB weld worked great. I put a cardboard spacer under the bell at the same specs as the space for the bell on the tach, then held the bell down with a rubber band. I cleaned the surface with some acetone and carefully applied the JB weld and let it sit. Finally I put the whole unit back together and attached the speedo cable.

Voila! a working speedometer.

[Chris G]

Great fix, well done sir

[eil]

Yeah, great job! Didn't know the needle shaft could come loose from the bell... now I know.

As a point of clarification to anyone who might have torn down their speedo/tach and happen across this thread, note that the magnet and bell (speed cup) are not mechanically connected and should not be physically touching each other. If they are, it's likely you have a bad bearing. (Which was what I assumed William's issue was.)

[William Groebe]

I celebrated too soon. The JB Weld came loose at some point while riding and my needle started bouncing again. I waited a couple of days before opening it back up and by then the bell (speedcup) had shredded against the inner workings and completely fell apart. Apparently JB Weld wasn't the way to go. I had the right idea, but I think another kind of epoxy that can handle a lot of rattling might have been a better option. Now I've got to buy a new speedo. Darnit. I thought I'd had it figured out.

Thanks for the help, though, everybody.