Mark III Speedometer cable/Speedometer

dirtymartini · May 2, 2015

After rebuilding my front forks, after reassembly my speedometer is not working. The cable is spinning at the speedometer end but I'm not getting any needle movement when I attach the cable to the Speedo. The instrument end of the cable has a flat "bladed" end. When I removed the Speedo to look at where the cable end enters the speedometer It looks like something is missing or rounded out? I had this Speedometer rebuilt by Nisongers about two years ago....Did I do something when I put everything back together after the fork rebuild?

L.A.B. · May 3, 2015

dirtymartini said:
The instrument end of the cable has a flat "bladed" end.

The cable should have the normal 'squared' end?

cash · May 3, 2015

The cable should have the normal 'squared' end?

And some cables come with the inner wire stop ring crimped in the wrong position not allowing the square drive to fully engage. Usually a small spacer bush under the crimp works a treat. Not too long though as you might damage the instrument.

Dave

Biscuit · May 3, 2015

I am not positive about this but I think the drive end of the tach cable has an adaptor that sounds like the blade you are talking about. Sounds unlikely but is there any chance you are trying to drive the speedo with a wrong way around tach cable? On further thought a tach cable would be too short,,, but, Sometimes those tach cable adapters with the blades are loose and can easily fall off. Maybe you saw it on the floor and stuck it on the speedo drive end? As L.A.B. said the speedo cable has a square drive on each end. But I'm pretty sure engine side of the tach cable has a blade end.

dirtymartini · May 3, 2015

Biscuit said:
I am not positive about this but I think the drive end of the tach cable has an adaptor that sounds like the blade you are talking about. Sounds unlikely but is there any chance you are trying to drive the speedo with a wrong way around tach cable? On further thought a tach cable would be too short,,, but, Sometimes those tach cable adapters with the blades are loose and can easily fall off. Maybe you saw it on the floor and stuck it on the speedo drive end? As L.A.B. said the speedo cable has a square drive on each end. But I'm pretty sure engine side of the tach cable has a blade end.

It's definitely the speedo cable...I'll try and post a pic of the cable end. I wonder if something (adapter?) fell off during the front end work?

dirtymartini · May 3, 2015

Here's a pic of the cable end.

Biscuit · May 3, 2015

Wow, I don't know what to say about that except that it looks kind of correct but badly worn. Or that someone silver soldered a made up square drive to a broken end that also is now worn out. I can see the remnants of a pretty good square low down but then it sort of tapers to that blade you describe. Both the tach and speedo cables have the same instrument drives. You could screw the tach cable into the speedo, start the engine and see if it registers any MPH. If yes, you'll know the speedometer is OK, then just get a new speedo cable.

dirtymartini · May 4, 2015

Biscuit said:
Wow, I don't know what to say about that except that it looks kind of correct but badly worn. Or that someone silver soldered a made up square drive to a broken end that also is now worn out. I can see the remnants of a pretty good square low down but then it sort of tapers to that blade you describe. Both the tach and speedo cables have the same instrument drives. You could screw the tach cable into the speedo, start the engine and see if it registers any MPH. If yes, you'll know the speedometer is OK, then just get a new speedo cable.

Thanks. After looking at it closer I see what you mean about the remnants of it being square down low. Funny thing is it was working before I took it off to do the forks. I think I'll order a new cable and try that.

Mark III Speedometer cable/Speedometer

dirtymartini

L.A.B.

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cash

Biscuit

dirtymartini

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