speedometer is not working

[Guest]

I have an 83 GS 550 E and was riding it yesterday when the speedometer needle started "jumping" (best description I can give it) then went completely dead. I checked the cable (both ends) and the cable is fine. I noticed the end of the cable that attached to the brake caliper side was a little loose, so I tightened it. Put it all back together, and still nothing. I am stumped.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. Schweisshund,

Are the square ends of the cable rounded off at all?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[Schweisshund]

Let me take it apart and will post pictures. :-D thanks Cliff.

[gs650gt]

speedometer gear can also be worn out. it's hard to be fixed, so perhaps You need another. There are often used ones for sale in ebay.

[jadesystem]

If the cable ends are good, and not rounded, and you have no breaks
or splinters in the cable itself, and it turns freely - then it is either the gear drive at the front axle or at the odometer itself. The worm gear inside the gauge is probably loose or worn or broken.

You need to open it up and check this. Very simple to troubleshoot.
On the front axle with the cable removed, you can jack-up the front
end and spin the front wheel. You should see the cable spindle spin.
Touch the spindle as it turns to make sure it is not loose or broken.

Not sure what end cable you have - a forked tongue or a square receptacle for the square cable ?? Regardless, it should spin.

Good luck to you my friend,

KT
San Jose, CA :-D

[uudfourty]

That just means you've officially passed the speed of speed itself. That's ok, man. It happens.

[Schweisshund]

I haven't taken pictures yet because I got sidetracked at work. I will follow the advice given on trouble shooting and report back (if its thecable, they are $12.00).

[tone]

i'd say either the cable has a break (take the inner from the outer to check) or the drive is worn/broken (remove cable lift the front wheel & spin it to see if the drive is rotating) :-D

[doctorgonzo]

Anybody ever replaced an 85 MPH speedo from the 80's models with a 130 or 140 MPH from the 70's models, do you have to calibrate it, or do something else to make it work correctly?

[TheCafeKid]

Shouldnt have to calibrate. From what i have read, ALL UJM ratios are the same. i think its like 2640:60 or something like that. So it shouldnt matter.

[doctorgonzo]

Shouldnt have to calibrate. From what i have read, ALL UJM ratios are the same. i think its like 2640:60 or something like that. So it shouldnt matter.

Right, that makes sense, all that should matter is that both bikes had a 19" front wheel. I'm going to look for one in decent shape on fleabay.

[TheCafeKid]

Right. And if you have a GPS you can figure out exactly HOW far off your speedo is. They are never exact, and even something as insignificant as a tire profile change can throw it off pretty dramaticly.

[tone]

Shouldnt have to calibrate. From what i have read, ALL UJM ratios are the same.

err nope ratio's vary from different makers i think its something like suzi & kwack use the same ratio while yam use another & honda's something different again

if you check the mechanical speedo convertors they specify for suzuki's etc for this reason :-D

[TheCafeKid]

I'd double check that Tone. Perhaps it was up untill a certain year, but im pretty darn sure for a good while the ratio was the same. Even mechanical aftermarket speedo manufacturers use that ratio. Could be that they are designed to mount differently...But as i said, this is something Ive READ...and you know how that goes.

[hampshirehog]

Tone is right about the manufacturers having different ratios but it's not that simple even then. The ratios they quote are the relationship between the wheel turning and the speedo turning. You then have to take into account wheel size, and the manufacturers do this by the gearing in the speedo drive down at the wheel (cheaper changing them than changing speedo internals).

I think Suzuki and Kwack copied one another (as they did all over the place then), Yam are different on some models whilst Honda did typical Honda and went completely different, with different mountings as well as ratios.