High pitched sound from tac/speedo

[charliebags]

I have just bought a 1983 gs 550. When I am driving it i sometimes get a high pitched sound coming from the tac/speedo. Does any one have any idea what might cause this? Is this an alarm? I do not have any manuals on the bike and am in experienced but willing to learn. Can any one help??
Thanks Charliebags

[ddaum]

I have the same problem right now on my 550. It's just the speedo cable end spinning inside the speedo unit. You'll know for sure if your speedo needle bounces around or is erratic while riding. From what I've read there are a few things we can do:
1. Remove the cable, inspect the ends and lube the cable.
or
2. Inspect and lube the back of the speedo unit where the cable attaches.
or
3. Replace the cable.

If that doesn't fix it then you might have a problem with the speedo unit where the cable engages, just check for worn parts.

This is annoying as hell, and mine only seems to whine like that when it's cold out and if I can hear it over the engine when coming to a stop, then you know that others can hear it too. the only good thing is that maybe they think its our turbo chargers winding down... LOL!

[ccratin]

Had to lubricate both my speedo and tach when I got mine running recently. I put new cables on because they were bad, but the gauges were making the noise, not the cables.

[scotty]

Sometimes i spray wd40 into the hole where the odometer reset knob is on the virage. It seems to stop the noise but it comes back after a few months.

[suzukizone]

noisy speedo?

I get a howling first few miles in under 40 temps from my '81 GS 850, sometimes lubing cable helps & have replaced it twice, once with stock cable, once with motion pro. I forget about it in warm weather & go nuts in cold. Thought it might be drive or speedo itself. Not there if I ride w/o cable. Too warm to worry now.
DH

[argonsagas]

From that description it is probable that you have a concern in the tach head, not the cable.

The drive unit inside the unit is a crimp fit and if there has been any play at all it worsens over time with vibration, so that the spinning parts inside the unit begin to abrade against the side of the case. This changes slightly with
the ambient temperature.

A bit of spray lube may work, but otherwise it is a disassembly to repair a tiny and likely harmless (but annnoying) problem.

[adamgagne]

Mine did that, thought it was the cable but it was the speedo itself. I took it apart and sprayed the inside with LPS1 greaseless lube. (WD40 is good for cleaning things not lubing). I haven't had a problem for months.

[DimitriT]

My gauges were very problematic with bouncing, especially around 5.5K RPM, although I didn't hear any noise coming from them. Are you sure its the gauges and not something else? I tried lubing and replacing the cable, but eventually I traced my problem down to bad rubber cushions where the bracket mounts to the triple-t. You can get new cushions at bikebandit. I replaced mine and have had no problems since.