Speedo Drive Problem

[DMPLATT]

Let's start at the beginning. I just got this bike about a week ago. Guy tells me speedo cable broke. No Problem. I ordered one from denniskirk.com

First:
I just got the replacement speedo cable and went to install it. When I went to remove the cable from the wheel, the cable was bound up into the front left caliper. I ended up having to take the whole caliper and caliper mounting bracket off to remove the cable. This doesn't sound right - this appears to be what broke the cable in the first place. I have read another post where the fork bolts came loose and 1 fell out and the speedo drive rotated into the caliper. My fork bolts seem to be tight and ok. Am I missing something? Can the speedo just rotate around or does a bolt have to come out or loose?

2nd, the cabe I got from Denniskirk.com is the wrong one. I wondered if anyone out there could help me? The cable I took off has 2 female parts on both ends and are very similiar in lenght. The part of the inner cable that goes to the wheel is about the size of the inner cable and slotted. Does this sound right for an '83 GS 750E? The cable I got from denniskirk.com has a large diameter (looks like a screw head) slotted end that goes to the wheel - it will NOT fit into my speedo drive unit. Also, the cable I got from denniskirk is male on the end that goes to the wheel, and female that goes to the speedometer. They are going to call me back monday and verify if in fact I have the right cable or not. I just wonder if I have the right speedo gear, or if it might have been Jerry Rigged somehow?

Thanks for the help..

Dave

[SqDancerLynn1]

It can be trickie to get the speedo drive hooked to the cable some times it helps to Loosen the wheel There should be a mark (arrow) that will point UP when it is in the proper position. There should be a hole with a cable guide on the rear of the fender, also a metal bracket that bolts to the lower fork leg. After the cable is hooked up tighten the wheel bolts-- the speedo drive will not move. You may not have the correct cable-- Was the package open, could someone put the inner cable in backwards?

[DMPLATT]

I don't see an arrow on the speedo drive. If you loosen the front wheel, can you then rotate the speedo drive? It looks like if I could just rotate it down a few degrees it would miss the caliper bracket. As it stands now, even when I get the replacement cable it could still hit the bracket. Unless it's a real short connector.
As far as the cable, the package wasn't opened. I checked both ends of the cable. The slotted end is way too large to fit into the speedo drive. Like I said, it's about the size of a screw head or the head of a 1/4-20 bolt (without the hex). Also on my bike I need a cable with 2 female connectors. I just wondered if anyone has a similar cable and what the ends looked like. It is possible that the speedo drive was changed, but I highly doubt it.
The cable guides are there and in correct position.
Denniskirk.com is going to call me tomorrow, they think the manufacturer might of packaged it wrong. 2 people at denniskirk told me that, so it sounds like it could be a common occurance?

Thanks for the input.

[crc1214]

Could you possibly post a picture of the speedo drive looking at it from the side of the bike, then a close up of where the cable fastens to it?

It is hard to imagine in my mind what yours looks like. Pictures would be of great help if at all possible.

Chad
Columbus, OH 1978 GS550E

[crc1214]

To add to my last post.......

Your speedo drive should not just freely rotate around. If it is in a weird position, it is most likely damaged as well. Take some weights and weigh down the back-end, and get that front wheel in the air. Rotate it. If the speedo drive rotates, the end axle bolt is way too loose!

Try to post some pix if possible. I can tell you this..... in correct position, the bottom of the speedo drive should be perfectly parallel with the ground. If not, your cable may snap, but in my case, the actual drive broke. The up arrow on your drive will actually be at about a 25 degree angle, pretty much pointing in line with your forks. It will not be straight up.

Chad
Columbus, OH 1978 GS550E

[Billy Ricks]

The speedo drive should fit into a slot or up against a tab on the inside of the fork. If for some reason those are damaged just point the threaded part pretty much straight back from the bike. Once the axle is tightened it should keep the drive from rotating around the axle.

The cable you took off is the correct type.

[DMPLATT]

The speedo drive looks parallel to the ground. It doesn't rotate. As I stated earlier, the old cable was actually bound up against the caliper bracket.
I don't see any tangs or stops and I don't see signs of any that were broken, so it must be internal.

Chad, I'm trying like heck to join the msn gs garage site, but have not accopmlished it yet. I just tried again and am waiting for e-mail approval from the group manager? I could snap a couple and e-mail them to you?
I see you are from Columbus? I'm originally from Dayton. I replied to another post in the general area of someone from columbus. Asked him if he has ever gone to the motorcycle museum there, have you? I took a road trip with some guys from work on a Saturday bout 10 years ago. Fun trip. THe museum was reall cool, had a lot of old vintage harleys and indians.

Thanks

Dave

[DMPLATT]

Got it. I took the fork bolts loose and took a wrench and rotated the axle. The speedo is now below the caliper bracket and still looks parallel to the ground. Didn't rotate it much, but looks much better now. I can't believe that's all I had to do. Now I feel even more like a moron.

If it wasn't for the thunder storm I'd go for a ride. :twisted:

[DMPLATT]

Denniskirk.com tech support just called and we talked about the cable. I had got the wrong P/N online. Turns out that ordering online gives the wron P/N, or something like that. They are going to replace it and to my amazement, they are going to refund my reutrn shipping costs (unheard of if anyone has ever ordered computer parts - return shipping is rarely refunded).
They are reall excellent to deal with in my book. I'll look to them first for everything I need.

[Anonymous]

SPEEDO DRIVE

I had a similar problem and i destroyed a brand new cable before i found the problem. You need to check your front wheel bearings and make sure the axel is not sticking to the speedo drive. The speedo drive is sandwitched between fork and the inner race of one of the front wheel bearings. When the bearing goes bad the inner race can spin on the axel and cause the speedo drive to spin aswell. When the speedo dirve spins bye bye cable.

I replaced my bearings and thorghly cleaned the axel. I've had no problems since.

[DMPLATT]

Thanks, I'll check it out. Since I've had the cable off and had to ship the one back, I put grease in the speedo drive and put a rubber cap on it. The speedo drive hasn't spun anymore on the axle. I haven't ridden it today, since I rotated the axle last night, but it will probably be a week before I get the replacement cable. That should be enough time to see if it rotates again.
I've checked the front wheel and doesn't seem to be any play in it, and I've ridden several times around my neighboorhood with out a helmet to see if I could hear any unusuals, but didn't. So hopefully that is a good sign. Yet, there remains the question of why this happened in the first place? You may be right.

Thanks again for that info on the bearings. That could save me time and headaches. And $$.

On another note: With talking to a guy at work, shouldn't the axle be keyed somehow into the forks to aid in alignment?? I didn't take the whole wheel off, I just rotated the axle as it sat, with the fork bolts loose. I didn't try to find a detent, but he makes very good sense.

[Billy Ricks]

The axle isn't keyed. Just torque it to spec and tigthen the pinch nuts.

[DMPLATT]

Does the spec call for tight or damn tight

[Billy Ricks]

Pretty damn tight. As tight as you can get it without stripping anything. 30-35 is about right.