Fixing Speedometer on GS1100...anyone done this?

[Anonymous]

Hey guys,

After riding my 1980 GS1100E...I noticed the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel guage being VERY...oh what's the word..."fluttery"? They do not show their readings in a normally smooth manner.

Question: Has anyone had this problem? If so, how did you go about fixing it? I would like to get an accurate reading on my speed, revs, and gas.

Thanks!

Rudi

[Anonymous]

Rudi,
You just can't catch a break lately, huh? Between this and compression .

Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong but the speedo and tach are mechanical and the fuel gauge is electrical? Seems weird that all three would start fluttering at the same time, but could just be a coincendence.
I'd lubricate the speedo and tach cables. Make sure they're reconnected snugly, if they are very loose it could cause the fluttering. This assumes the cable(s) aren't broken. A broke cable can still spin but will be "fluttery".

Cleaning all the electrical connections from the tank sensor unit back to the instrument cluster may take care of that. The reading on the gauge will be controlled by the amount of current from the sensor, so a flaky connection between the two would make it bounce around.

[Anonymous]

Rudi,
You just can't catch a break lately, huh? Between this and compression .

Anyway, correct me if I'm wrong but the speedo and tach are mechanical and the fuel gauge is electrical? Seems weird that all three would start fluttering at the same time, but could just be a coincendence.
I'd lubricate the speedo and tach cables. Make sure they're reconnected snugly, if they are very loose it could cause the fluttering. This assumes the cable(s) aren't broken. A broke cable can still spin but will be "fluttery".

Cleaning all the electrical connections from the tank sensor unit back to the instrument cluster may take care of that. The reading on the gauge will be controlled by the amount of current from the sensor, so a flaky connection between the two would make it bounce around.

I know it! Bad juju lately!

Yeah...I guess I'll have to check the cables and adjust them. Would be nice to have an accurate and smooth tachometer and speedometer. As for the fuel gauge: the electral connection is VERY clean. Not sure why it flutters. NOTE: the fluttering in all mentioned areas of concern is not too bad. For instance, I can generally tell how fast I am going...how high my revs are...and how much gas I have. But it is NOT smooth and exact.

Rudi

[Anonymous]

On the fuel guage and tank sensor, at least on my 82/83, the manual has tests for both of them. I can't remember if they are a "go/no go" kind of thing or if they give an expected result for given input. I can look tonight and let you know if you want, of course this is from the 82/83 manual. I know the "dashboards" are quite a bit different between 80 and 82/83 but I'd guess the internal workings are fairly close. (Unless someone else out there has the manual for your year bike).

[Hotblack]

Yes that sounds like cables. My speedo was fluttery, lubing the cable cleared it up. The tach was sluggish, that needed sawing the unit apart, a whole different story. :roll:

[Anonymous]

Here are the readings you should get from the wires that go to the tank float -
Full 1-5 ohm
Half 25-40 ohm
Empty 100 - 120 ohm

And here is the manual's explanation of how to test the gauge
With the ignition switch turned on, remove two lead wires going into the
fuel gauge, connect the lead wires on the main wiring harness side and check the fuel meter. If "F" is indicated, the fuel meter is in good condition.
I think what they're saying is to short together the wires that the tank wires plug into.

[Anonymous]

Here are the readings you should get from the wires that go to the tank float -
Full 1-5 ohm
Half 25-40 ohm
Empty 100 - 120 ohm

And here is the manual's explanation of how to test the gauge
With the ignition switch turned on, remove two lead wires going into the
fuel gauge, connect the lead wires on the main wiring harness side and check the fuel meter. If "F" is indicated, the fuel meter is in good condition.
I think what they're saying is to short together the wires that the tank wires plug into.

Thanks for the tip...I'll have to check that out this weekend. :-)

Rudi