Speedometer Help Please

Hello all, My speedometer today started reading about 20 mph slow with quite a flutter. It was working perfectly until today. I pulled the cable from the housing, and all looked well, if not abit dry. (what is the proper lube?) The odometer seems to be working. I am not sure what to do at this point? As always, any knowledge appreciated. Cheers, Jerome

correction.........my odometer is off by about the same amount as my speedometer.

Sometimes the grease inside the speedo drive gets hard. This puts lumps between the ring gear and the spindle gear. It's a good time to pull it down for a check up. A good ring gear is flat a bad one is concave from running on the spinde gear with old grease. If you drill off the rivits that hold the retaining ring they can be replaced with very small flat head screws. This allows a full cleaning and re-greaseing. Also if you pull out the cable from the housing holding each end in each hand, make a big"U" spin the ends watch the cable for ripples It should remain very smooth and study.

speedometer

Both my speedo and tach have that flutter and the speedo is running about 10mph slow (shows 70 and the radar indicates 60). I notice with the speedo off an tipped face down, driven by a hand drill the flutter goes away. Tipping it back upright the flutter if back. I think it's time to have the guages rebuilt again. I had them done in '98 and they lasted 17,000 miles. My speedo drive is in perfect condition as are both drive cables (speedo and tach).

This sounds like what happened to me earlier this year. Speedo started reading 10 miles slow, then 20, then was hardly moving off the pin. Also fluttering the whole time. Cable was new. Turned out to be the speedo drive. The previous owner of the bike had left out the speedo gearbox spacer (part number NM13270) and the axle spacer had crushed in the side of the speedo gearbox and ruined it. I have read that the gearbox spacers on Commandos have to be replaced periodically as the axle spacer puts a lot of force on them and crushes them eventually as well. I got a new speedo drive and installed the proper spacer and all is well again.

Regarding lube, the Barnett cable I bought had a small tube of white grease. Not sure what it was. I have been told to be careful not to lube the cable too close to the speedometer or grease will migrate into the speedo and bugger it up. I had another speedo rebuilt a few years ago and the rebuilder said it was jammed up with grease!! Barnett cables have a little seal on them, presumably to keep the grease from migrating too far forward.

jerome said:

Hello all, My speedometer today started reading about 20 mph slow with quite a flutter. It was working perfectly until today. I pulled the cable from the housing, and all looked well, if not abit dry. (what is the proper lube?) The odometer seems to be working. I am not sure what to do at this point? As always, any knowledge appreciated. Cheers, Jerome

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thanks guys, i am now pretty sure it is my speedo drive. it now barely moves up at any speed, with a slight flutter. i disconnected the cable from the speedometer and on the center stand started it up, put it in 2nd and i was able to hold the cable from spinning. the cable seems okay out of the housing and i can not make it turn by hand. norbsa mentions servicing. are the gears available? any better deals out there than old britts? i will take note on the spacer info. thanks again, jerome