Need new speedometer cable

[Rich82GS750TZ]

For a while now, I suspected it was one of my cables making a whirring noice while riding. Yesterday I removed the tach cable at the valve cover and zip-tied it out of the way. The noise continued on my ride, so I figured that on the next ride, I would reinstall the tach cable and remove the Speedo cable at the wheel and tie it up. About 50 miles in, speedo needle jumped around all crazy for a few miles, then just quit. The noise quit to. Source found.

So, shopping for a new cable. I’ve read the previous posts. Found very little love for the Motion Pro cable sold by Z1 for $10. OEM 34190- 43510 cheapest online I found is $19.32 plus shipping, of course. Called my local dealer and they’ll have one for me in about a week for <$25. Good enough, and happy to support the local guy. This dealer also sells Agricultural equipment. I think that’s why they’re allowed to be open under PAs mandatory closure of all non-essential businesses.

My question is on the the preferred cable lube. Can’t remember what I used last time I lubed tach and speedo cables, probably motor oil. But I’m considering trying White lithium grease. Any issues with that?

 

[Cipher]

I've only had two cables in 70000KMs and 37 years
motor oil used after the first cable broke 30 years ago never having been lubed.

But hey the lithium will be fine too.

 

[Redman]

Others can confirm but I think the OEM cable will have some lube.

Good that you are back on the road.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I probably wouldn’t bother to even ask about something like this, normally. But if a discussion about cable lube can provide a distraction for some, let’s hear about everyone’s favorite cable lube.

 

[Grimly]

Gear oil, every time for me.
I take the inner out, feed it into the gear oil container and pull it back out between two fingers, wiping the excess off into the bottle.
Insert inner into outer, and dry off the inch or so that pokes out at the top, the bit that goes into the instrument head.

 

[Redman]

Ordinary axle grease. Pull out the inner cable (from wheel end), wipe a thin coating on it, put it back.
Seems to last years.
THen have had were the speedo needle wiggles a little. THen I took off from speedo, sprayed a little chain lube into the cable (thinking I needed to loosen up dried up grease) and then squirted in a little gear lube, spin the wheel a little, wiggle-bend the cable some, spin wheel a few times (kinda work the lube down), put back together. Has been good for more years.

 

[Redman]

Wanna talk about how to get the cable connected to the wheel without mashing it up ? ?

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I think I’m good there, done it successfully a bunch of times. But let’s just assume I’ve always just gotten lucky and the tab from the speedo hub unit always meshed with the slot in the end of the cable and I haven’t yet mucked that up. What’s the “trick”?

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

So, speedo cable removed. I figured I’d lube the tach cable with white lithium squirted up from the engine end without removing it at the tach end and go for a ride. Tach cable is now making an even louder whirrring noise than the speedo cable was. Got back home and removed the tach cable completely. Smelled like it was burning. Tabbed spindle coming out of the valve cover appears to be spinning fine. The oil seal and Oring there were replaced a year ago. I’ve taken the inner cable out of the outer and flushed it with brake cleaner, cleaned and lubed the cable and put it back together.

I have the tach off and plan to flush out the drive hole with brake cleaner later tonight. Maybe my previous work forced some gunk up in the tach. Wish I could learn to just leave stuff alone.

It’s later, flushed the Tach drive with brake cleaner. It removed the gunk. I lubed inside the tach drive hole. Hooked everything back up. Noise free. Yay.

However. The brake clean fogged my hi beam and oil pressure light lenses. And my oil pressure light no longer lights up. FML.