Malfunctioning Guages (I know I'm going faster than 110km/hr)

[Guest]

New-to-me 1982 GS850L.

Tach doesn't work. It's been tightened at the engine by the PO but I haven't had a chance to pull off and check the cable for breaks yet.

Today I went out to see how fast it can go. The speedo hit 110 km/hr and stayed there. I accelerated and it slowly creeper up towards 120 but not by much.

I tried slowing and accelerating up in fourth. Blasted up to 110 km and the needle broke through and moved a bit higher upwards.

What's going on here? Is there something jamming the needle? It likely was rarely ridden above that speed by PO. Could there be crud built up?


I'd love suggestions/instructions on how to approach this.

[steeper]

Seemed weird so I tried riding some more. I was wrong about the speedo - the problem seems to be 5th gear. The bike pulls hard in 4th but once I shift into 5th it lags and only moves up slowly.

What speed should I be shifting into 5th at?

[1948man]

If you're trying to max out don't shift until 7000 rpm or so. Is clutch maybe slipping?

[1948man]

You probably already know this but these bikes like to rev higher than cruisers to make power.